Abstract: Contemporary information and wayfinding design often disregard the changing personal circumstances and mental state of the user. This paper explores concepts and methodologies in user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design to increase comprehension and retention through the inclusion of human centered design principles and a focus on the participants' individual context, mental state and abilities. The paper focuses on human factors and comprehension in fast changing situations demanding a sudden high cognitive load from the affected. In a highly stressed condition, visual perception and situation awareness may be restricted due to the impact of sensory symptoms (panic, tunnel vision or limited motor skills), thus calling for a linear course of action to enable the user to concentrate at the task at hand. Many user interfaces (UI) are designed for a specific task, but are limited in function if used in a context contrary to its original intent. Paired with the real-time data collecting abilities of current mobile devices, the model of calm technology can offer new ways of implementing anticipatory and adaptive UI in applications. Calm technology is capable of seamlessly moving in and out of the periphery of the experience and only comes into focus when needed. It can be consciously included, but intentionally unnoticeable features of a design utilising contextual information to adapt its behaviour and aid in calming an agitated person. Considering and incorporating the concepts of calm technology as a second layer into every day applications can not only aid in the perception of the displayed information but also offer an advantage in timely decision making.

Abstract: The magnitude 6.3 Christchurch earthquake struck the city at 12:51pm on Tuesday, 22 February 2011. Christchurch Hospital sustained damage following the earthquake which severely strained the hospital's ability to function at regular capacity. Three acute medical wards had to be evacuated immediately after the earthquake and relocated to an older person's health hospital. This insight paper makes a unique contribution to the field of resilience by demonstrating the practical application and positive impact of the Resilience Engineering and shared leadership to team performance in one of the relocated acute medical wards during the initial two years following the earthquake. This paper which is still work in progress was developed from the experiences and reflections of the author, who was a charge nurse manager of one of the relocated wards and led a nursing team during the earthquake, evacuation, and relocation. Taking RE model as a framework for creating resilience in complex and unexpected environment proved to be a very positive experience which created multiple learnings and prompted the team to develop sustained resilience at personal, interpersonal and professional levels. Working on this insight paper prompted the author to explore possible application of Resilient Engineering in health care environment, taking it as foundation principle of developing resilient health care in the context of complex adaptive systems. This transformed onto Ph.D. research which will be submitted to the conference colloquium.

Abstract: Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have often been poorly considered, planned and implemented across New Zealand's emergency management sector. GIS practitioners involved in emergency management events are often the ones who suffer the consequences of this. Recent significant events have reinforced both the need for a nation-wide coordinated, planned and pro-active approach to implementing GIS for emergency management, and the advantages that GIS can offer to the emergency management sector if implemented properly. This paper offers insights into the “grass roots” foundation of a community called New Zealand GIS for Emergency Management (NZGIS4EM) to address these issues. In its founding year (2017/2018) the priority for an interim NZGIS4EM committee has been to establish the foundation of the community, this is primarily administrative projects. Several other subject targeted projects are also underway or planned relating to data, standards, symbology, common operating picture and interoperability. Key challenges for NZGIS4EM relate to a shortage of funding, logistics of physical meetings, current lack of governance and a lack of legal mandate in New Zealand to enforce standards for emergency management. Attention in the sector is now moving towards the implementation of a Common Operating (or Operational) Picture (COP). Key messages that the author believes are pertinent include: that it's not all about the tools; plan big, but then prioritise and implement small; ensure the COP is used BAU; minimal or no training should be required; ensure it is quicker for frontline users; ensure there is a plan B and a plan C if the internet and/or power goes out; identify and lobby agencies who should be the authoritative source of truth for essential data; implement phases of response for information requirements; consider national and/or regional hosting of platforms, and; recognize that real-time crowd sourced data may be the future of intelligence and plan for that.

Abstract: Successful disaster relief operations call for responsive and flexible movements of goods in order to make the relief items available when and where they are needed by the affected communities. The objective of this explorative research is to investigate the applicability of the Physical Internet to emergency relief operations. The Physical Internet is a groundbreaking logistical system in which standardised, modular packages are automatically routed from origin to destination through a hyperconnected network of logistics providers and facilities. Although the concept is receiving growing attention from academics, practitioners and policy makers, research in the disaster management context is virtually non-existent. Based on a review of the relevant academic literature and publicly available information from emergency responding agencies and the media, we firstly use the Kaikoura earthquake that occurred in the South Island of New Zealand on 14th November 2016 to identify six key requirements that support the efficient movement of relief items in the aftermath of a disaster. We then identify six characteristics of the Physical Internet and explore how these characteristics can support the requirements of emergency response operations. We conclude that the Physical Internet principles have the potential to enhance the speed, flexibility and reliability of emergency responses. In other words, a fully integrated and collaborative logistics system in which relief items and information move seamlessly across a web of interconnected transport modes and operators can increase the efficient deployment of urgently needed relief items. This study extends the Physical Internet principles to emergency relief operations and identifies new ways of improving and optimising the logistics of emergency responses. In doing so, this research aims to stimulate debate within the disaster relief sector.

Abstract: Successful emergency management decision-making during natural hazard events is fundamentally dependent upon individual and team situation awareness (i.e., how selection, interpretation, and understanding of available information defines the problem and identifies solutions) while operating under high time and risk pressures. The development and evolution of SA, and response effectiveness during a crisis, depends upon information and advice from external experts. This advice is characterised by stochastic (system variability) and epistemic (lack of knowledge) uncertainty, constraining decision-making and blocking or delaying action. How this uncertainty is communicated, and managed, varies throughout the phases of emergency management. Through this 'Insight' paper, we review how people cope with uncertainty, individual and team factors that affect uncertainty communication, and inter-agency methods to enhance communication. We propose communicators move from a one-way dissemination of advice, towards two-way and participatory approaches that identify decision-relevant uncertainty information needs pre-event, for communication efforts to focus on in-event.

Abstract: Emergency preparedness for CALD (culturally and linguistically diverse) communities has been identified as a significant gap in DRM (disaster risk management) research and practice. Using a community engagement approach, a practitioner in Wellington, New Zealand implemented a Citizen Translation project to have volunteers from 15 communities facilitate translations for a new local Earthquake Preparedness Guide, in partnership with local Civil Defense and an international crisis translation team, INTERACT. Initial findings have shown that consultation with community members over the translation of their language has been a powerful way to establish initial links into the community and instigate discussion and feedback about emergency preparedness; it has led to further projects including emergency messaging translations. This work in progress raises an important and often overlooked discourse on inclusiveness in DRM activities and the potential for community engagement to play a role with CALD community preparedness.

Abstract: Inter-organisational collaboration is often cited as a factor in effective emergency response to mitigate risks and impacts of extreme events, such as natural disasters (James, 2011; Power, 2017). However, collaboration during times of emergencies is difficult as diverse roles and authorities of other organisations (Kapucu, 2008), differences in organisational cultures and systems in place (Bharosa, Lee, & Janssen, 2010; Mendonça, Jefferson, & Harrald, 2007) and difficulty in coordination and information sharing (Bharosa et al., 2010; Huxham, 1996) can hinder collaborative development. Moreover, previous research have not paid much attention to the enablers and barriers of such collaborations in disaster settings. This research aims to investigate how collaborative systems deal with uncertainty during disaster aftermath in Malaysia, including both barriers and enablers which influence inter-organisational collaboration in disaster environments. The study employs a qualitative methodology using a multiple-case study design. Malaysia National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA) was the focal organisation for this research, and units of analysis were two major floods that occurred in Malaysia in 2014 and 2017. Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with strategic and operational decision makers (from 11 different organisations) and disaster aid recipients. Qualitative research tools such as coding, memoing, constant comparison and theoretical saturation were applied to analyse the data (Charmaz, 2008). The initial findings to date detect salient enablers: proficiency of stakeholders in managing relationships, competent leaderships, and early preparedness; barriers include ambiguous organisational roles, weak legitimate framework and different perceptions on trust. This research has both academic and practical implications. The findings uncover how enablers and barriers influence collaboration between public agencies and its partners in emergencies. This research recommends solutions to collaboration barriers, and discusses how multiple partners can cooperate to resolve problems too complex for any one single organisation to manage on their own. Khiam LEE

Abstract: This document will discuss the current methodologies used by New Zealand DART and USAR teams to collect manage, analyse and report on information gathered during the initial and subsequent phases of deployments to a sudden onset disaster (SOD). This will include some of the experiences that have formed the current methodology and the outcomes of disaster events with new methodologies applied. It will further identify and discuss the current systems and processes in place and how they have come about, and then identify a range of opportunities and issues that exist within the Geospatial Intelligence environment to be more effective, both in systems and the development of partnerships to enhance the usability and intuitive nature of these systems and methods. Finally, the discussion will look to identify a future state for responders to SOD's and the ability and outcomes of proposed and imagined future systems, leveraging off the current Esri packages to provide a starting platform and a desired end state.

Abstract: New Plymouth city's water supply infrastructure suffered major damage as Ex-Tropical Cyclone Gita passed over New Zealand on 20 February 2018. By 1950 hours a State of Local Emergency had been declared due to the disruption of the drinking water supply in New Plymouth and power supply across the region. This report focuses on the feedback received by the Taranaki CDEM Group Public Information Management team following activation of the Emergency Mobile Alert (EMA) system on the evening of Wednesday 21 February 2018, to warn people in New Plymouth District that tap water must be boiled. The report gives a practitioner's insight into making the decision to send one of New Zealand's first EMAs and the subsequent handset issues experienced by members of the public with this new system, including various misunderstandings about how the EMA system works.

Abstract: We developed a web application for location recording and rescue request using Twitter (T-Pl@ce). This application helps supported users (e.g., older adults, persons with disabilities, and children) who require support to share their location coordinates via Twitter. Supporting users (e.g., families, relatives, or neighbors) of the supported user can then check the location coordinates of the supported user when required. When the supported user needs to be rescued, he/she can post a rescue request on Twitter by pressing the “Rescue request” button on the application. In this study, we introduce the e-mail notification function to reliably notify a rescue request to the system administrator. In addition, to track the location of the supported user, we introduce a location tracking function. Then, the administrator, the emergency assistance employees (e.g., rescue experts or social workers), or the supporting user can refer to the request and the location tracking page and execute the support and rescue activities.

Abstract: We estimate the causal effect of the Indian Ocean tsunami in Sri Lanka on household income and consumption eight years after the event, using a quasi-experimental method. A strong association between area-wide tsunami disaster shock and increases in household income and consumption in the long-term emerged from our empirical investigation. Deviating from the common observation on short-term impacts, these results are suggestive of an optimistic potential for some long-lasting potentially successful recovery scenarios. Still, Sri Lanka received a very large amount of external transfers post-tsunami, much larger than is typical for disaster events and one which may not be replicable in other cases. Our findings suggest a more nuanced picture with respect to household consumption impacts. We observe a reduction of food consumption and only find an increase in non-food consumption. The increase in non-food consumption is much smaller than the observed increase in income. We also find that households in high-income regions experienced much better recovery from the disaster. Keywords Sri Lanka, Tsunami, disaster, household survey, long-run impact

Abstract: In a rapidly globalizing world, disasters and the way in which they are managed are changing. Social media, in conjunction with other online resources, now provide a wealth of information throughout the lifecycle of disasters and are relied upon by individuals and emergency responders alike. The study of such data as a lens for analysis has proved valuable in recent years, with many contributing to targeted emergency response protocols and improved methods for the management strategies of future crises. This study seeks to make a similar contribution by reporting on the use of such data for situational awareness during the case of hurricane Irma, which occurred between September and August 2017. Using a mixed methods approach the paper examines data from social media such as Twitter, as well as other online sources such as blogs and news media, to provide original insight into the disaster. A conceptual framework is then applied to determine the uses and users of social media, and to identify how these change throughout the course of the disaster, thus demonstrating situational awareness over time. The paper concludes with proposed improvements for disaster management and emergency response for future similar disasters, specifically in the hurricane season, in addition to more generalized hazards which are predicted to increase in their frequency and severity due to underlying issues such as climate change.

Abstract: Taiwan is located in the collision zones between two continental plates collide. From the perspective of plate tectonics, the paleo-tectonic environment of the Taiwan and its surrounding areas are rather complex and active due to the tectonic compression of the Eurasian Plate and Philippine Sea Plate. This has resulted in frequent earthquakes in Taiwan. In addition, the tropical and subtropical climate drives not only weathering and erosion of surface rocks, but also typhoon or monsoon triggered torrential and heavy rains in summer and autumn. For downstream land subsidence areas with poor discharge capacity, it is therefore often to have serious floods and resulted in large-scale disasters that endanger citizens' lives and property. Affected by climate change, high urban density and overexploitation of land resources, Taiwan has a substantial increase in natural disasters over the last couple of years. As the country is confronted by unfavorable environment and climate conditions, how disaster alerts and information are accurately and timely released has become an important topic for facilitating the evacuation of citizens and dispatch of disaster relief personnel. This study has combined the mobile communications technology to enable our government to, with the Cell Broadcast Service (CBS), instantly send messages to all 4G and 3G (WCDMA) mobile users within the coverage of designated base stations and without being affected by the network congestion through independent channels. This will help timely notify citizens to evacuate and reduce casualties.