Claudio Arbib, Davide Arcelli, Julie Dugdale, Mahyar Tourchi Moghaddam, & Henry Muccini. (2019). Real-time Emergency Response through Performant IoT Architectures. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: This paper describes the design of an Internet of Things (IoT) system for building evacuation. There are two main
design decisions for such systems: i) specifying the platform on which the IoT intelligent components should be
located; and ii) establishing the level of collaboration among the components. For safety-critical systems, such as
evacuation, real-time performance and evacuation time are critical. The approach aims to minimize computational
and evacuation delays and uses Queuing Network (QN) models. The approach was tested, by computer simulation,
on a real exhibition venue in Alan Turing Building, Italy, that has 34 sets of IoT sensors and actuators. Experiments
were performed that tested the effect of segmenting the physical space into different sized virtual cubes. Experiments
were also conducted concerning the distribution of the software architecture. The results show that using centralized
architectural pattern with a segmentation of the space into large cubes is the only feasible solution.
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Alayne Da Costa Duarte, Marcos R. S. Borges, Jose Orlando Gomes, & De Paulo V. R. Carvalho. (2013). ASC model: A process model for the evaluation of simulated field exercises in the emergency domain. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 551–555). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: The undefined flow of execution of activities in an evaluation process hampers its implementation. A consistent evaluation process defines interrelated methodological steps that make it easier for the evaluator to lead the process. This article presents a process model for the evaluation of simulated field exercises in the emergency domain, including their sub processes and activities. The proposed model was derived from observations made during real situations of a simulated evacuation exercise of communities in high-risk areas in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The motivation came from the finding that the assessment of simulated field exercises is conducted by completing an activity report that does not follow a structural model, an evaluation program or a formal standard. The results of this research show the experts' satisfaction with the application of the model proposed for the development of an evaluation process. The same occurs when comparing to reports currently used by them for this purpose.
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L.T. Darryl Diptee, & Jason Baker. (2013). Tackling wicked problems: Suicide in the US military. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 931–940). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Every 24 hours a member of the United States (US) Armed Forces commits suicide, while every hour a US veteran takes his own life. These statistics illuminate a deeply-rooted social crisis which eludes experts and military leaders to this day. Billions of dollars invested in suicide prevention seem to offer little relief for active duty servicemen and veterans alike. Military suicide is framed as a wicked problem and the new and exciting theory of Chronic Emotional Atrophy (CEA) is proposed to help explain causes of suicidal ideation in the military. A holistic crisis management strategy via information systems is presented in this work. Depressive symptoms exhibited by military members in emotionally suppressed environments closely parallel those phenomena exhibited by medical patients suffering from frontal lobe damage. The prospective psychiatric information system solution provides frontal lobe stimulation (FLS) to mitigate CEA and suicidal ideation.
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Dragos Datcu, & Leon J.M. Rothkrantz. (2007). The use of active appearance model for facial expression recognition in crisis environments. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 515–524). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In the past a crisis event was notified by local witnesses that use to make phone calls to the special services. They reported by speech according to their observation on the crisis site. The recent improvements in the area of human computer interfaces make possible the development of context-aware systems for crisis management that support people in escaping a crisis even before external help is available at site. Apart from collecting the people's reports on the crisis, these systems are assumed to automatically extract useful clues during typical human computer interaction sessions. The novelty of the current research resides in the attempt to involve computer vision techniques for performing an automatic evaluation of facial expressions during human-computer interaction sessions with a crisis management system. The current paper details an approach for an automatic facial expression recognition module that may be included in crisis-oriented applications. The algorithm uses Active Appearance Model for facial shape extraction and SVM classifier for Action Units detection and facial expression recognition.
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Rahele B. Dilmaghani, & Ramesh R. Rao. (2008). A wireless mesh infrastructure deployment with application for emergency scenarios. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 484–494). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: When a disaster or emergency occurs, one of the most pressing needs is to establish a communication network for the first responders at the scene. Establishing and accessing a reliable communication infrastructure at a crisis site is crucial in order to have accurate and real-time exchange of information. Failure in the exchange of timely and crucial information or delay in allocating resources impedes early response efforts, potentially resulting in loss of life and additional economic impact. At a disaster site, the existing communication infrastructure may be damaged and therefore partially or totally unavailable; or, there may not have been previously existing infrastructure (as in the case of remote areas). A communication infrastructure within the context of emergency applications should be reliable, easily configurable, robust, interoperable in a heterogeneous environment with minimum interdependencies, and quickly deployable at low cost. A disaster scene is a chaotic environment which requires a systematic approach to abstract the system, study the flow of information and collaboration among different disciplines and jurisdictions to facilitate response and recovery efforts. We have deployed the wireless mesh infrastructure in several drills at the university campus and in the city as part of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) NSF-funded RESCUE project (Responding to Crises and Unexpected Events). To evaluate network performance and identify the source(s) of bottleneck, we have captured the network traffic. The lessons learned from test bed evaluations of the network based on real-world scenarios can be applied to future applications to enhance the network design and performance.
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Magiswary Dorasamy, Murali Raman, & Maniam Kaliannan. (2014). Evaluating CEMAS in simulated environment to support disaster management challenges. In and P.C. Shih. L. Plotnick M. S. P. S.R. Hiltz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2014 Conference Proceedings – 11th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 444–453). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: Researchers and emergency management system designers constantly find ways to produce suitable systems that have best fit between technology, and tasks. However, there is significant gap in the literature on designing information system that places greater emphasis on situational qualities. We posit that situational qualities are as important as information system success qualities such as system quality, information/knowledge quality and service quality. This research work aimed to fill this theoretical gap in designing IS for disaster management and to contribute towards guiding design decisions for future emergency management information systems development. A prototype system called CEMAS was designed and developed to support current challenges in disaster management. The underlying guiding theory for CEMAS was situational qualities interweaved within information system success factors in the form of knowledge management system. This paper presents the evaluation results of CEMAS in a simulated environment for flood.
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Duygu Pamukcu, Christopher W. Zobel, & Andrew Arnette. (2020). Characterizing Social Community Structures in Emergency Shelter Planning. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 228–236). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: During emergencies, it is often necessary to evacuate vulnerable people to safer places to reduce loss of lives and cope with human suffering. Shelters are publically available places to evacuate, especially for people who do not have any other choices. This paper overviews emergency shelter planning in disaster mitigation and preparation and discusses the need for better responding to people who need to evacuate during emergencies. Recent evacuation studies pay attention to integrating social factors into evacuation modeling for better prediction of evacuation decisions. Our goal is to address the impact of social behavior on the sheltering choices of evacuees and to explore the potential contributions of including social network characteristics in the decision-making process of authorities. We present the shelter utilization problem in South Carolina during Hurricane Florence and discuss an agent-based modeling approach that considers social community structures in modeling the shelter choice behavior of socially connected individuals.
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Ahmed T. Elsergany, Amy L. Griffin, Paul Tranter, & Sameer Alam. (2014). Descriptive and Geographical Analysis of Flood Disaster Evacuation Modelling. In and P.C. Shih. L. Plotnick M. S. P. S.R. Hiltz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2014 Conference Proceedings ? 11th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 55–59). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: The planning of evacuation operations for a riverine flood disaster is vital for minimizing their negative impacts on human lives. This paper aims to develop a systematic method to model and plan evacuation trip generation and distribution for riverine floods. To achieve this aim, it adapts the transportation or Hitchcock problem, an operations research technique employed in conventional four-stage transportation modeling, and that is used to plan and model transport in normal situations, so that it is appropriate for flood disaster situations focusing on the first two stages. Concentrating on pre-flood hazard planning, our evacuation modelling considers two types of flood disaster data environments: certain environs, in which all decision variables are known, and uncertain environs, when probabilities of decision variables are considered in the evacuation plans.
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Eric Daudé, Kevin Chapuis, Clément Caron, Alexis Drogoul, Benoit Gaudou, Sebastien Rey-Coyrehourq, et al. (2019). ESCAPE: Exploring by Simulation Cities Awareness on Population Evacuation. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: Partial or total horizontal evacuation of populations in urban areas is an important protection measure against a natural or technological risk. However, casualties during massive displacement in a context of stress and in a potentially degraded environment may be high due to non-compliance with instructions, accidents, traffic jams, incivilities, lack of preparation of civil security or increased exposure to hazards. Working in evacuation plans is therefore fundamental in avoiding casualties caused by improvisation and in promoting self-evacuation whenever possible. Since it is impossible to re-create the conditions of a crisis on the ground to assess such evacuation plans, there is a need for realistic models in order to evaluate them using simulations. In this paper, we present the ESCAPE software framework that helps in the development of such plans and testing them. In particular, ESCAPE, which uses the GAMA open-source platform as a core component, provides an agent-based simulation tool that supports simulation of the evacuation of a city's population at fine temporal and Geographical scales. The framework was developed such that it works for a wide range of scenarios, both in terms of hazards, geographical configurations, individual behaviors and crisis management. In order to show its adaptability, two applications are presented, one concerning the evacuation of the city of Rouen (France) in the context of a technological hazard and the other pertaining to the evacuation of the district of Hanoi (Vietnam) in the event of floods.
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Dirk Fahland, Timo Mika Gläßer, Bastian Quilitz, Stephan Weißleder, & Ulf Leser. (2007). HUODINI-flexible information integration for disaster management. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 255–262). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Fast and effective disaster management requires access to a multitude of heterogeneous, distributed, and quickly changing data sets, such as maps, satellite images, or governmental databases. In the last years, also the information created by affected persons on web sites such as flickr.com or blogger.com became an important and very quickly adapting source of information. We developed HUODINI, a prototype system for the flexible integration and visu-alization of heterogeneous data sources for disaster management. HUODINI is based on Semantic Web technologies, and in particular RDF, to offer maximal flexibility in the types of data sources it can integrate. It supports a hybrid push/pull approach to cater for the requirements of fast-changing sources, such as news feeds, and maximum performance for querying the integrated data set. In this paper, we describe the design goals underlying our approach, its architecture, and report on first experiences with the system.
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Siska Fitrianie, Ronald Poppe, Trung H. Bui, Alin Gavril Chitu, Dragos Datcu, Ramón Dor, et al. (2007). A multimodal human-computer interaction framework for research into crisis management. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 149–158). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Unreliable communication networks, chaotic environments and stressful conditions can make communication during crisis events difficult. The current practice in crisis management can be improved by introducing ICT systems in the process. However, much experimentation is needed to determine where and how ICT can aid. Therefore, we propose a framework in which predefined modules can be connected in an ad hoc fashion. Such a framework allows for rapid development and evaluation of such ICT systems. The framework offers recognition of various communication modalities including speech, lip movement, facial expression, handwriting and drawing, body gesture, text and visual symbols. It provides mechanisms to fuse these modalities into a context dependent interpretation of the current situation and generate appropriate the multimodal information responses. The proposed toolbox can be used as part of a disaster and rescue simulation. We propose evaluation methods, and focus on the technological aspects of our framework.
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Jacqueline Floch, Michael Angermann, Edel Jennings, & Mark Roddy. (2012). Exploring cooperating smart spaces for efficient collaboration in disaster management. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: This paper discusses the applicability of Cooperating Smart Spaces in the disaster management realm and their potential to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of rescue relief teams. The Cooperating Smart Space is a novel concept that combines and extends pervasive computing and social computing to support smart space management and community collaboration. Based on an analysis of current practice, we illustrate how the concept can be exploited in the assessment of a disaster scenario in order to improve information management, collaboration between expert teams and cooperation with online volunteers outside of the disaster zone. We present the results of an initial user evaluation by disaster management experts and conclude with important implications for the design of a Cooperating Smart Space platform. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Florian Vandecasteele, Krishna Kumar, Kenzo Milleville, & Steven Verstockt. (2019). Video Summarization And Video Highlight Selection Tools To Facilitate Fire Incident Management. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: This paper reports on the added value of combining different types of sensor data and geographic information for fire incident management. A survey was launched within the Belgian fire community to explore the need of added value and the use of new types of sensor data during a fire incident. This evaluation revealed that people are visually-oriented and that video footages and images are of great value to gain insights in a particular problem. However, due to the limited available time (i.e., fast decisions need to be taken) and the large amount of cameras it is not feasible to analyze all video footages sequentially. To solve this problem we propose a video summarization mechanism and a video highlight selection tool based on the automatic generated image and video tags.
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Sérgio Freire, Christoph Aubrecht, & Stephanie Wegscheider. (2012). When the tsunami comes to town – Improving evacuation modeling by integrating high-resolution population exposure. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: Tsunamis are a major risk for Lisbon (Portugal) coastal areas whose impacts can be extremely high, as confirmed by the past occurrence of major events. For correct risk assessment and awareness and for implementing mitigation measures, detailed simulation of exposure and evacuation is essential. This work uses a spatial modeling approach for estimating residential population distribution and exposure to tsunami flooding by individual building, and for simulating their evacuation travel time considering horizontal and vertical displacement. Results include finer evaluation of exposure to, and evacuation from, a potential tsunami, considering the specific inundation depth and building's height. This more detailed and accurate modeling of exposure to and evacuation from a potential tsunami can benefit risk assessment and contribute to more efficient Crisis Response and Management. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Aygul Gabdulkhakova, Birgitta König-Ries, & Dmitry Rizvanov. (2012). Rational resource allocation in mass casualty incidents – Adaptivity and efficiency. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: Mass casualty incidents (MCI) are highly dynamic situations in which limited available resources need to be quickly and efficiently allocated. In this paper, we suggest considerable extensions to an allocation method that we presented in earlier work. The extensions address two major challenges: First, the need to balance real-world resource usage and second, the need to adapt to changing situations. Additionally, a theoretical evaluation of the efficiency of the suggested approach is described. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Gary Bennett, Lili Yang, & Boyka Simeonova. (2017). A Heuristic Approach to Flood Evacuation Planning. In eds Aurélie Montarnal Matthieu Lauras Chihab Hanachi F. B. Tina Comes (Ed.), Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management (pp. 380–388). Albi, France: Iscram.
Abstract: Flood evacuation planning models are an important tool used in preparation for flooding events. Authorities use the plans generated by flood evacuation models to evacuate the population as quickly as possible. Contemporary models consider the whole solution space and use a stochastic search to explore and produce solutions. The one issue with stochastic approaches is that they cannot guarantee the optimality of the solution and it is important that the plans be of a high quality. We present a heuristically driven flood evacuation planning model; the proposed heuristic is deterministic, which allows the model to avoid this problem. The determinism of the model means that the optimality of solutions found can be readily verified.
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Juan Godoy. (2007). A holistic approach to emergency evacuation information support systems. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 345–354). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In the USA the basic objective of local and state government's Emergency Operations Plans (EOP) is to implement mitigation measures to reduce the loss of life and property damage by the efficient mobilization and deployment of resources. The evacuation of citizens out of harms way either before an impeding disaster or after the occurrence of one is a critical component of any EOP. This document represents a summary of the Evacuation Plan designed for the City of New Orleans. Results of live field exercises conducted during the 2006 Hurricane Season and suggestions for improvement will be highlighted. The ideal Emergency Evacuation Tracking System will be designed to operate within a System of Systems framework with interfaces: to field personnel, emergency managers and logisticians operating in an Emergency Operations Center (EOC), with state and local government systems such as public information emergency hotline (311 Centers in the USA), asset tracking management systems and others.
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Qing Gu, & David Mendonça. (2005). Patterns of group information-seeking in a simulated emergency response environment. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 109–116). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Groups in emergency response environment may be confronted with problems that cannot be solved by following predefined procedures. They must therefore engage in a collective search for relevant information, cooperating and collaborating as they move towards the deadline. Information technologies and expertise may help shape group information seeking and determine its effectiveness. By understanding how response personnel search for information in emergencies and extending the findings to determine demands on information systems, we may begin to understand how to support and train for skillful information seeking in emergency situations. Accordingly, this research evaluates the impact of decision support systems and member expertise on group information-seeking behavior in a simulated emergency response environment. The results of the evaluation are then used to identify how information technologies may further support information seeking in emergency response.
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Lucy T. Gunawan, Martin Voshell, Stijn Oomes, & David D. Woods. (2007). Envisioning collaboration at a distance for the evacuation of walking wounded. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 431–437). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The “walking wounded” is a category of disaster victims that can help themselves in finding their way to safety. The problem we address here is how first responders, walking wounded, and other rescue personnel can coordinate their joint activities more efficiently in order to accomplish the evacuation as quickly as possible. We focus our design on the “coordination loops” in the disaster response organization, both vertically across levels of authority, and horizontally among responders in the same echelon. In our envisioned scenario of a chemical accident we identify the most important interactions through which activities are coordinated that are crucial for a successful evacuation. We propose three different “coordination devices” that can be used by the walking wounded, the rescuers in the fields, and the people in the command center. We believe our approach, explicitly designing support systems for coordination first, will lead to important improvements in the daily practice of disaster response.
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Henke, S., Widera, A., & Hellingrath, B. (2023). Evaluation-driven Disaster Management Exercises: A Collaborative Toolkit. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 989–999). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: Disaster management exercises are a core component of humanitarian organizations’ preparedness strategies. They entail diverse purposes, from training capabilities of participants to testing response plans to enhancing collaboration between organizations and many more. However, it is uncertain how much exercises contribute to preparedness. Rigorous evaluation is needed to exploit learning opportunities of an exercise. Therefore, exercises must target evaluable objectives, which is complicated by the socio-technical openness of the exercise system, the heterogeneity of organizational needs, and the scarcity of resources. Many different tools aim to support evaluation but are limited to specific use cases, resulting in a fragmented overview for practitioners. Due to the excessive effort involved, practitioners often consider exercise evaluation to be of secondary importance. This study thus proposes the conceptual design of a combined toolkit that supports the practitioners in a more rigorous but resource-efficient evaluation to make disaster management exercises more evaluation-driven.
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Benjamin Herfort, João Porto De Albuquerque, Svend-Jonas Schelhorn, & Alexander Zipf. (2014). Does the spatiotemporal distribution of tweets match the spatiotemporal distribution of flood phenomena? A study about the River Elbe Flood in June 2013. In and P.C. Shih. L. Plotnick M. S. P. S.R. Hiltz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2014 Conference Proceedings – 11th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 747–751). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: In this paper we present a new approach to enhance information extraction from social media that relies upon the geographical relations between twitter data and flood phenomena. We use specific geographical features like hydrological data and digital elevation models to analyze the spatiotemporal distribution of georeferenced twitter messages. This approach is applied to examine the River Elbe Flood in Germany in June 2013. Although recent research has shown that social media platforms like Twitter can be complementary information sources for achieving situation awareness, previous work is mostly concentrated on the classification and analysis of tweets without resorting to existing data related to the disaster, e.g. catchment borders or sensor data about river levels. Our results show that our approach based on geographical relations can help to manage the high volume and velocity of social media messages and thus can be valuable for both crisis response and preventive flood monitoring.
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Erich Heumüller, Sebastian Richter, & Ulrike Lechner. (2013). Training, test and experimentation: A classification of command post exercises. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 110–114). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Based on a state of the art analysis of exercise classifications and empirical findings from an Action Research approach this paper presents a classification for command post exercises, that addresses identified shortcomings concerning practical support for goal-achievement and evaluation in exercise design. The authors' classification distinguishes between Training, Test and Experimentation Exercises, which are characterized by the following aspects: Goal and purpose of exercise, participants, evaluation content and output, evaluation methodology, role of observers, scenario complexity, potential for organizational innovation and results. The classification was developed in an Action Research approach with an empirical basis of four command post exercises. Results indicate high benefit for exercises and the approach is perceived rather simple, easy to understand and to apply.
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Joske M. Houtkamp, & Frank A. Bos. (2007). Evaluation of a virtual scenario training for leading firefighters. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 565–570). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Artesis Virtual and VSTEP BV developed a virtual scenario training for leading firefighters. We evaluated the usability of the training application and measured the satisfaction of 53 trainees. The trainees were positive about the training application, the training itself, and the interaction with the interface. We observed that trainees experienced navigation difficulties and sometimes misjudged visual information. Evaluations of new versions of this application, should address the influence of interface problems on performance.
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Beibei Hu, Jan Hidders, Marc De Lignie, & Philipp Cimiano. (2011). A rule-based system for contextualized information delivery. In E. Portela L. S. M.A. Santos (Ed.), 8th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: From Early-Warning Systems to Preparedness and Training, ISCRAM 2011. Lisbon: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: When carrying out tasks, police officers need up-to-date information contextualized to their current situation to support them in decision making. The results of a previous user study with the aim of capturing the information requirements of police officers have led to the implementation of a rule-based system for contextualized information delivery. In this paper, we present the overall system and discuss how the various sources of information are modelled using ontologies. Our focus is on the formalism for expressing the rules and the engine executing those rules to decide which information is relevant for specific users. These declarative rules can be modified independently of the code executing them, thus providing a principled way to adapt the system to new domains. Quantitative evaluations on scenarios constructed in cooperation with police officers show that precision and recall levels of our system are satisfactory compared to other systems and that our system can be adapted to new scenarios with reasonable efforts.
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Chao Huang, Shifei Shen, & Quanyi Huang. (2012). An approach based on environment attributes for representation of disaster cases. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: In this paper we overview the ongoing research into the application of case-based reasoning in emergency management, based on which we propose a new approach for representation of large-scale disaster cases. The approach takes the environmental factors into account, and the case is organized according to key scenes, rather than disaster types. Each scene consists of inherent attributes, which are concerned with the disaster type, and environment attributes, which usually facilitate the adjustment of the decision-making, and sometimes play crucial role. To describe the environment attributes, the fuzzy sets are employed to take use of the non-quantitative information. The nearness of the fuzzy sets is used to retrieve the similar case. Based on this approach, the case retrieval could even extract the case with different type but similar environment, supposing the inherent attribute is analogous. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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