UN agencies (WHO, WFP, OCHA, UNICEF, UNHCR, and PAHO) agreed to join forces to consolidate the experience gained both by UNJLC and SUMA into a Logistics Support System (LSS) that will improve coordination at national or international level among all interested humanitarian partners as well as develop local capacity.  The Logistics Support System (LSS) is built on the experience of a large number of institutions and aims to facilitate the exchange of information among humanitarian agencies.  It will complement agency-specific commodity tracking systems that are increasingly developed by larger humanitarian actors.

LSS combines the strengths of these two successful initiatives (UNJLC – SUMA) that have operated in different environments and have served complementary purposes.  A joint instrument available to all institutions that will minimize duplication and improve the response to the actual needs of the affected population while building on the management capacity of institutions.

Brief description of LSS

The LSS software (as the original UNJLC and SUMA systems) looks specifically at the coordination function (both at national and international levels) that is by definition not addressed by Commodity Tracking Systems developed or contracted by larger humanitarian actors. LSS serves as an inventory control tool for those smaller agencies (including national institutions) that cannot afford the cost and human resources required by those systems.  

LSS compiles and reports on data that is directly entered in its own databases as well as on information that is collected from other tracking systems.  The LSS software has two components, a Windows application that can work as a stand-alone module or networked and a Web application.  The use of one of the two applications or a combination of both will depend on each emergency situation (availability of resources)

The LSS software has been jointly developed by different agencies, a more time consuming but key element to ensure ownership and medium term cooperation in a real event. Agencies who express interest in participating in the system will receive instructions from the LSS project on how to create their own export modules.

LSS website: http://www.lssweb.net/

Main LSS’ characteristics:

• Modern intuitive user interface,
• Supports Standalone, Networked and Enterprise configurations,
• Based on SQL Server database technology,
• Multi-user support on Windows and the Web,
• Can be installed using a royalty-free MSDE database or SQL Server 2000,
• LSS’ functionality is configurable to allow users to install a basic data entry model or complete inventory system,
• Designed from the ground to support multiple languages,
• Users can customize the menus, labels and captions of the LSS application to their local language conventions using the included Resource Editor Tool,
• LSS includes a flexible report execution,
• Custom Query allows easier data access fro reporting agencies,
• Custom Query Tool has advanced custom graphic capabilities,
• Allows users to share data among LSS applications,
• Supports import from non-LSS applications, using simplified CSV file format.

For more information please contact:

 
PAHO Headquarters

Emergency Preparedness Program
Pan American Health Organization
525 Twenty-third Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20037, U.S.A.
Tel.: + (202) 974-3520
Fax: + (202) 775-4578
E-mail: suma@paho.org
Internet: http://www.paho.org

 
FUNDESUMA
A.P. 114
Plaza Mayor 1225
San José, Costa Rica
Tel.: +(506) 290-0413 / +(506) 384-8657
Fax: +(506) 290-1217 / +(506) 290-1570
E-mail: info@fundesuma.net
Internet: http://www.fundesuma.net

Questions and comments: pakistan.infoteam@unjlc.org