Abstract: Correct information is a vital resource during disasters. Without adequate information, response actions may be ineffective. What is the source of information of emergency management systems? Besides that originated from sensors, the emergency team and the public in general, a very relevant source is government data, such as demographic and geographic data, road maps, etc. The heterogeneity of information formats is a well-known problem that affects organizations and communities that want to access public data. Today, most public agencies provide access to their data, but the great majority is unreadable by automated mechanisms. Besides, most of them do not provide a dictionary meaning for the published content. A solution to this problem is of particular importance to emergency response organizations that need access to all information available to better respond to disasters and crisis. The linked open data (LOD) initiative allows the interconnection of data, using standards in the context of the semantic web approach. In ideal conditions, government agencies publish their public data, thus allowing the use of automated data concerned consumers, whether they are other government agencies or citizens. Efforts aimed to link government data are growing in several countries around the world. This talk presents the LOD concepts and describes an architecture that uses LOD in the design of an Emergency Management System. It describes a scheme for collecting available data from government agencies, such as departments of health, transport, works, that can supply information needs during an emergency response operation.

Abstract: This paper is a case study of an emergency medical dispatch system that describes its operations and difficulties Emergency Management in Andalusia is the responsibility of the Internal Affairs Authority that operates in each province a Coordination Center that receives Emergency Calls and in cases where there is a medical emergency, passes the information to the Emergency Coordination Centers. The 112 Centers gather all the information generated in emergency situations and supposedly coordinate the response of the several emergency services (Police, and Fire Departments) that operate their own coordination centers. If necessary they send a medical request to the 112 Center that, acting as a hub, sends to EPES the information about the medical incident.

Abstract: One of the most important and costly aspects of recovery operations is debris collection and disposal. The unique nature of disaster debris and the extreme amounts generated as a result of the disaster event create challenges for decision makers that are not typically encountered during every day solid-waste disposal operations. This work-in-progress research is aimed at identifying the unique aspects of disaster debris disposal and the need for decision support, which addresses these unique aspects, to assist emergency management coordinators with allocating resources during on-going debris cleanup operations. We will present a decision support system framework, discuss aspects of the knowledge base, model base, and user interface, and show how an emergency management coordinator might use the system during ongoing daily operations using real-world data from a 2003 Atlantic hurricane.

Abstract: Organizations in the humanitarian relief field increasingly need to look outside their own boundaries and engage in a significant level of inter-organizational collaboration. In studying collaborative processes in the nonprofit context, researchers have used different theoretical approaches to investigate the motivations behind why organizations collaborate. Although these studies have contributed to shed some lights on these collaborative mechanisms, little is still known about the main factors that influence the decision of humanitarian organizations to engage into collaboration especially with regards to the implications of information technologies. In this paper, we explore factors for collaboration among members of the GlobalSympoNet, a network of organizations engaged in humanitarian information management. We analyze data collected through nineteen semi-structured interviews. We identified seven factors that could be grouped into three categories including structural, behavioral and organizational. Our findings also suggest that information technologies alone are not enough to motivate and maintain long lasting collaboration.

Abstract: We describe an interoperability challenge that arose in Haiti, identify the parameters of a general problem in crisis data management, and present a protocol called Tablecast that is designed to address the problem. Tablecast enables crisis organizations to publish, share, and update tables of data in real time. It allows rows and columns of data to be merged from multiple sources, and its incremental update mechanism is designed to support offline editing and data collection. Tablecast uses a publish/subscribe model; the format is based on Atom and employs PubSubHubbub to distribute updates to subscribers.

Abstract: The most effective way to design an emergency management system matching user needs is to perform a User-Centered Design; it relies on continuous interactions with end-users in order to understand better and better how organizations are arranged during emergencies, which data are exchanged and which steps are performed by organizations to face disastrous events. In this paper we (i) illustrate the methodology used to collect the user requirements for the emergency management system developed in the European research project WORKPAD, and (ii) describe the WORKPAD high level architecture stemming from such requirements. Specifically, the methodology is applied in the context of Regional Civil Protection of Calabria (Italy) and is used as basis to provide more general user requirements for emergency management systems.

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.

Abstract: This paper presents the EU project SHARE which aims at developing a mobile service architecture to support large-scale rescue operations with multimedia communication and information services. The task of planning and controlling large-scale rescue operations requires flexible and robust tools which help the rescue forces to do their search and rescue work with maximum efficiency. Resource planning tools and cartographic information about the operation site are essential to fulfill the complex task of operation management. The Interactive Resource Management and MAP3D are two modules which have been developed in the SHARE project to enable the rescue operation leadership to do efficient coordination of their forces during an operation. Our paper will focus on features and interdependencies of both tools taking into account innovative feedback and interaction mechanisms.

Abstract: We survey several emergency management related data structures and portals designed or adopted by standard bodies such as Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards (OASIS) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), as well as standards designed or adopted by government agencies in the US and in the UK. The survey is by no means an exhaustive list of such standards and portals, but it gives a fair representation of the current state of affairs and resources to practitioners and researchers alike.

Abstract: This paper presents findings from a design-oriented study focusing on emergency response work. Traditionally, information technology for emergency response work has included enroute navigation advice, resource management, hazard material databases, property information repositories, and situation reporting using sketching functionality. Now, a new class of information technology has become available, namely mobile live video capabilities. This paper presents initial findings from a study on how mobile live video capabilities could improve information sharing and situation awareness in emergency response work.

Abstract: This paper investigates the relevance and assurance of information and system quality as requirements for information systems success during disaster management. Despite the many examples of poor information quality and poor system quality, research on the relevance and assurance of these requirements is sparse. In order to design successful information systems for disaster management, a context related understanding of the organizational and technical measures for achieving these requirements is necessary. Accordingly, the goal of this paper is to identify and confirm information and system quality requirements for the design of information systems for disaster management. The results of our interviews with information architects indicate that while information quality requirements are considered to be very relevant, these are hard to measure and assure, and that currently much effort is being put into improving system quality requirements such as interoperability and ease of use.

Abstract: Natural and man-made hazards may affect industrial production sites by both direct losses (due to physical damage to assets and buildings) and indirect losses (production losses). Indirect losses, e.g. from production downtimes, can exceed direct losses multiple times. Thus, the vulnerability of industrial sectors to indirect losses is an important component of risk and its determination is an important part within risk analysis. In this paper a conceptual indicator framework is presented which allows to assess the indirect vulnerability of industrial sectors to different types of disasters in a quantitative manner. The results are useful for information sharing and decision making in crisis management and emergency planning (mitigation measures, business continuity planning), since the developed indicator system helps to take the complex phenomenon of industrial vulnerability and the underlying interdependencies into account. Besides the identification and conceptual motivation of the indicators, methodical aspects such as standardization, weighting and aggregation are addressed.