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Stella Moehrle. (2012). Generic self-learning decision support system for large-scale disasters. 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: Large-scale disasters, particularly failures of critical infrastructures, are exceptional situations which cannot be solved with standard countermeasures. The crises are complex and the decision makers face acute time pressure to respond to the disaster. IT based decision support systems provide potential solutions and assist the decision making process. Many decision support systems in emergency response and management concentrate on one kind of disaster. Moreover, complex structures are modeled and recommendations are made rule-based. This work in progress paper describes the first steps towards the development of a generic and self-learning decision support system. The methodology used is case-based reasoning. The paper concludes with a sample emergency decision process. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Kayvan Yousefi Mojir, & Sofie Pilemalm. (2013). A framework for new actors in emergency response systems. 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. 741–746). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Using actors from different societal sectors can improve the response operation quality in emergency management. The different roles, tasks and responsibilities these actors have in response operations and the legal frameworks they work within influence their needs for proper information system support. There is thus a substantial need to study and systemize the concept of “new actors” before providing them with technical solutions. In this study, a framework is constructed showing 14 dimensions of new actors that need to be considered when new actors are studied in more detail.
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Kayvan Yousefi Mojir, & Sofie Pilemalm. (2014). Emerging communities of collaboration: Co-location in emergency response systems in the 'Safety house' in Sweden. 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. 546–555). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: Co-location as a form of network governance is a way of organizing response teams when responding to an emergency situation. At the 'Safety house' in the province of Jämtland in Sweden main emergency response actors and supporting actors work together in a shared physical place in order to facilitate the process of cooperation and joint decision making. In order to identify the strengths, weaknesses, obstacles, needs and information system role, we explored this case by looking at how the involved actors experience this new working context. We applied an analytical framework developed specifically for new forms of emergency response. It was found that co-location of actors increases the efficiency in using professional response resources and shortens the emergency response time. Information systems can have a significant role in improving the collaboration between actors at the 'Safety house'. However secrecy issues, the problem of control and politics and the evaluation of the performance of actors are major challenges which face further development of the co-location concept.
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Laura Montells, Susana Montero, Paloma Díaz, & Ignacio Aedo. (2007). Mining patterns for web-based emergency management 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. 133–138). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Design patterns describe problems that occur recurrently, and specify the core of the solution in such a way that we can (re)use it in different contexts and applications. Although, web-based Emergency Management Systems domain is still in its nascent stages, there are design principles, real systems and design patterns from other related areas that can be a valuable source of knowledge to mine design patterns. From these sources we have created a patterns catalogue to assist novice designers on discovering what issues should be addressed to develop useful and successful systems. In this paper, we present the mining process and some patterns as example.
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Kathleen A. Moore, Andrea H. Tapia, & Christopher Griffin. (2013). Research in progress: Understanding how emergency managers evaluate crowdsourced data: A trust game-based approach. 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. 272–277). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: The use, or barriers to use, of crowdsourced data by emergency managers has been a significant topic of scholarly discussion during the past several years. The single strongest barrier to use has been identified as one of data quality (Tapia, et. al, 2011). We argue that within this environment the Emergency Manager (EM) acts as a decision-maker and evaluator of crowdsourced data. The final judgement on whether to incorporate crowdsourced data into a Crisis response lies with the EM. In this paper we make a brief argument for the role of EM as trustworthy data analyst and then propose a model for capturing the trust-analytical behavior through game theory (Griffin, et. al, 2012). Lastly, we propose a simple computer game, which uses our model through which we will capture EM trust-analytical behavior though a future empirical data collection effort.
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Adriaan ter Mors, Jeroen M. Valk, & Cees Witteveen. (2005). An event-based task framework for disaster planning and decision support. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 151–153). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Because of the apparent ineffectiveness of current disaster plans, we focus our research on modeling emergency response activities. If we can capture the crucial concepts of emergency response in a mathematical framework and apply this framework to construct disaster plans, then we pave the way for the development of automated decisions support systems for emergency response.
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Paula Mostert, Bartel A. Van De Walle, Koen Milis, & Jan Vandijck. (2005). The role of IT in crisis management exercising, training and planning in Belgian and Dutch Companies: A survey. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 131–133). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: We report the findings of a crisis management survey on the role of IT in the crisis exercising, training and planning activities among companies in 6 different industries in two neighbouring European countries, Belgium and the Netherlands, having at least 50 employees. The survey was sent to 1450 Dutch and 1245 Belgian companies, 245 of which were returned, resulting in a response rate of 9%. The results of the survey show that the role of IT in these activities in both countries is very limited.
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Willem J. Muhren, & Bartel A. Van De Walle. (2009). Sensemaking and information management in humanitarian disaster response: Observations from the TRIPLEX exercise. In S. J. J. Landgren (Ed.), ISCRAM 2009 – 6th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Boundary Spanning Initiatives and New Perspectives. Gothenburg: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system is designed to assist the United Nations in providing information during the first phase of a sudden-onset emergency and in the coordination of incoming international relief at the site of the emergency. In the immediate aftermath of such an emergency, the UNDAC team will set up an On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC) from where the operational activities of the humanitarian organizations responding to the emergency are coordinated. Information management is a key aspect in this phase as the information gathering, processing, and disseminating activities will determine the timeliness and appropriateness of the response by the international humanitarian community. Through participatory observation in the international humanitarian “TRIPLEX” exercise we explore how information managers in the OSOCC make sense of the disaster, how the immediate needs are assessed, and discuss how information systems could improve Sensemaking in these activities.
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Willem J. Muhren, Damir Durbic, & Bartel A. Van De Walle. (2010). Exploring decision-relevant information pooling by humanitarian disaster response teams. In C. Zobel B. T. S. French (Ed.), ISCRAM 2010 – 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Defining Crisis Management 3.0, Proceedings. Seattle, WA: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: It is a well-known fact that a lack of information will lead to suboptimal decisions. But even when actors jointly have all the information they need to make a well-informed decision, they may fail to find a superior alternative. This hidden profile paradigm would cause misrepresentations of crisis situations and lead to ineffective response. In this research-in-progress paper, we present the first stage of our experimental study on group decision making in humanitarian disaster response, in which we want to find out how teams can be supported to share more information, make better sense, and ultimately avoid such misrepresentations of crisis situations. First results reveal that humanitarian disaster response teams are able to share significantly more information if they would make use of more advanced information and communication systems. However, none of the teams in the experimental setup managed to find the optimal decision.
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Chris Murphy, Doug Phair, & Courtney Aquilina. (2005). A prototype multi-modal decision support architecture. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 135–137). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: This paper presents the design of a decision support tool for crisis response applications. We propose a system to replace emergency contact calling trees with a multi-modal personnel contact architecture. This architecture consists of a centralized notification framework using existing enterprise e-mail, Web site, instant messaging, and voice over IP (VOIP) infrastructure. Response and audit data is collected and stored for analysis, and can be reviewed using a variety of methods in real time. Details of our prototype implementation are discussed. Specifically, we address multi-modal communication techniques and their benefits, enterprise deployment challenges, and opportunities for further research.
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Jose M. Nadal-Serrano. (2010). Towards very simple, yet effective on-the-go incident response preplanning: Using publicly-available GIS to improve firefighters' traditional approach. In C. Zobel B. T. S. French (Ed.), ISCRAM 2010 – 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Defining Crisis Management 3.0, Proceedings. Seattle, WA: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Incident response preplanning has an increasing importance in today's Fire Brigades incident response. This paper presents some concepts that could be easily applied, supplying the firefighters with a simple, yet reliable tool that can be configured to include data available at the time of resource activation. This early information and the route map to the incident can be of big help for firefighters if presented in a convenient way. Offline (paper) backup solutions and the need for APIs that may be used to exploit geographic data are also discussed. Finally, a proof of concept setup is developed using GoogleMaps[TM] for the case of the City of Madrid, Spain.
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Nadia Saad Noori, Jeroen Wolbers, Kees Boersma, & Xavier Vilasís Cardona. (2016). A Dynamic Perspective of Emerging Coordination Clusters in Crisis Response Networks. In A. Tapia, P. Antunes, V.A. Bañuls, K. Moore, & J. Porto (Eds.), ISCRAM 2016 Conference Proceedings ? 13th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Abstract: Disasters and crisis create complex conditions that require intra-organizational and inter-organizational coordination throughout the duration of response operations. Emergency response plans and Incident Command Systems that are implemented at times of crisis are well defined on the intra-organizational level, following organization?s own hierarchy and resources. However, in reality, units of different organizations behave differently as they form sub-networks to carry out tasks involved in response operations, despite differences in operating protocols and training background. In this paper we introduce a novel approach to study crisis response networks: the emergence of coordination clusters. The results indicate resilience in the behavior of response units from different organizations as they re-organize into coordination clusters and collectively respond to the unfolding emergency events. Understanding characteristics of coordination clusters helps to identify critical tasks and units beside resources required during emergency response operations. Our results contribute to the continuous change in the concepts of crisis response management and the shift towards a network and function based response protocols.
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Ahmed Nagy, & Jeannie Stamberger. (2012). Crowd sentiment detection during disasters and crises. 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: Microblogs are an opportunity for scavenging critical information such as sentiments. This information can be used to detect rapidly the sentiment of the crowd towards crises or disasters. It can be used as an effective tool to inform humanitarian efforts, and improve the ways in which informative messages are crafted for the crowd regarding an event. Unique characteristics of microblogs (lack of context, use of jargon etc) in Tweets expressed by a message-sharing social network during a disaster response require special handling to identify sentiment. We present a systematic evaluation of approaches to accurately and precisely identify sentiment in these Tweets. This paper describes sentiment detection expressed in 3698 Tweets, collected during the September 2010, San Bruno, California gas explosion and resulting fires. The data collected was manually coded to benchmark our techniques. We start by using a library of words with annotated sentiment, SentiWordNet 3.0, to detect the basic sentiment of each Tweet. We complemented that technique by adding a comprehensive list of emoticons, a sentiment based dictionary and a list of out-of-vocabulary words that are popular in brief, online text communications such as lol, wow, etc. Our technique performed 27% better than Bayesian Networks alone, and the combination of Bayesian networks with annotated lists provided marginal improvements in sentiment detection than various combinations of lists. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Niels Netten, & Maarten Van Someren. (2006). Automated support for dynamic information distribution in incident management. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 230–237). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: For all emergency response personnel involved in crisis situations it is essential to timely acquire all information critical to their task performance. However, in practice errors occur in the distribution of information between these collaborating actors leading to mistakes and subsequently more damage to the situation. In this paper we present a prototype system for dynamic information distribution able to support the information flow between collaborating crisis actors. The system has been evaluated by means of simulated experiments that use data from a real incident scenario. The results indicate that automated support by means of Machine Learning method works well. Especially, when actor work context features are included, then the performance on selecting and distributing relevant information is high. Furthermore, actors acquire relevant information much faster making group communication much more efficient.
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Niels Netten, & Maarten Van Someren. (2008). Identifying segments for routing emergency response dialogues. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 108–117). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In crisis management situations information is exchanged in different ways. In general, information is exchanged through spoken dialogues or text messaging conversations. Part of this exchanged dialogue information is often relevant to other actors involved in managing the crisis. Due to the dynamic character of the situation, dialogue partners may not be aware of who else needs the exchanged information. We present a coarse-grained segmentation method for automatically recognizing coherent dialogue segments which are then used for routing. We investigate the effectiveness of our features for recognizing boundaries of segments on transcribed emergency response dialogues and we compare classification by relevance of the identified information segments to the ideal topic segments.
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Nicoletta Baroutsi. (2016). Observing Sensemaking in C2: Performance Assessments in Multi-Organizational Crisis Response. In A. Tapia, P. Antunes, V.A. Bañuls, K. Moore, & J. Porto (Eds.), ISCRAM 2016 Conference Proceedings ? 13th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Rio de Janeiro, Brasil: Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.
Abstract: A crisis can involve multiple organizations during high pressure events, and it is up to the Command & Control (C2) unit to provide direction and coordination for the response (Brehmer, 2006). Hard as this problem is, there is still no ?one-solution?. Dissimilar organizations with very different methods seem to be able to master the problem. This paper presents the initial development of a new evaluation method for C2 in the context of multi-organizational crisis response. The data is collected at an emergency water exercise series conducted in several cities in Sweden. Each exercise involves multiple agencies and organizations, with up to 76 participants from 15 unique organizations/units. The analysis is brief, but presents the possibility of observing Sensemaking as it unfolds, and that generic behavioral patterns can be found. The existence of generic and observable behavior patterns suggests the possibility of assessing, and maybe even quantifying, Sensemaking performance in C2.
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Nicoletta Baroutsi. (2018). A Practitioners Guide for C2 Evaluations: Quantitative Measurements of Performance and Effectiveness. In Kees Boersma, & Brian Tomaszeski (Eds.), ISCRAM 2018 Conference Proceedings – 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 170–189). Rochester, NY (USA): Rochester Institute of Technology.
Abstract: Quantitative evaluations are valuable in the strive for improvements and asserting quality. However, the field of Command & Control (C2) evaluations are hard to navigate, and it is difficult to find the correct measurement for a specific situation. A comprehensive Scoping Study was made concerning measurements of C2 performance and effectiveness. A lack of an existing appropriate framework for discussing C2 evaluations led to the development of the Crisis Response Management (CRM) Matrix. This is an analysis tool that assigns measurements into categories, and each category display unique strengths, weaknesses and trends. The analysis yielded results proving to be too rich for a single article, thusly, this is the first of two articles covering the results. In this article, the Practitioners Guide focus on results valuable for someone interested in evaluating C2. Each evaluation has specific requirements that, for best result, ought to be reflected in the chosen measurement.
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Cynthia Nikolai, Irma Becerra-Fernandez, Troy Johnson, & Greg Madey. (2010). Leveraging WebEOC in support of the Haitian relief effort: Insights and lessons learned. In C. Zobel B. T. S. French (Ed.), ISCRAM 2010 – 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Defining Crisis Management 3.0, Proceedings. Seattle, WA: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The magnitude seven earthquake that rocked Haiti has been a devastating disaster for the small country (USGS 2010). They are not alone in this crisis, however. When the earthquake struck, thousands of US citizens responded by donating money, resources, people, and time to aid in the disaster relief. To respond to the incident and to create a secure information-sharing environment, the Florida Miami-Dade County and State Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) were activated. The main information system in use at the Miami-Dade EOC is WebEOC, a web-based crisis information management system that aids in secure coordination and collaboration among EOC staff, liaisons, and emergency managers. As a result of the earthquake response efforts using this system, we have identified seven main insights and lessons learned with respect to crisis information management software. In this paper, we discuss Miami-Dade's role in the Haitian relief efforts and how this lead to these insights and lessons learned.
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Norbert Steigenberger. (2015). Organizing for the Big One ? A Review of Case Studies on Multi – Agency D isa s- ter Response and a Research Agenda. In L. Palen, M. Buscher, T. Comes, & A. Hughes (Eds.), ISCRAM 2015 Conference Proceedings ? 12th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Kristiansand, Norway: University of Agder (UiA).
Abstract: Disaster response operations exceed the capacities of each single organization
Disaster response operations exceed the capacities of each single organization and thus require cooperation by at least two, often up to some hundred agencies who do seldom interact in their daily operations. The result is a complex problem of cognition, coordination, command and control. This paper presents a review of empirical studies on multi-agency coordination in disaster response operations in order to initiate and facilitate cross-case learning. The review covers 72 empirical studies and highlights the importance of themes such as plans and plan enactment, leadership or personal acquaintance of actors in emergent multi-agency response networks. The analysis also shows that while some themes received extensive coverage in scholarly publications (e.g. training, skills), various important topics have not been studied in sufficient depth (e.g. development of common operational pictures, plan enactment). Based on these insights, the review develops a research agenda and derives various recommendations for practical disaster response management.
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Ntalla Athanasia, & Ponis T. Stavros. (2015). Twitter as an instrument for crisis response: The Typhoon Haiyan case study. In L. Palen, M. Buscher, T. Comes, & A. Hughes (Eds.), ISCRAM 2015 Conference Proceedings ? 12th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Kristiansand, Norway: University of Agder (UiA).
Abstract: The research presented in this paper attempts an initial evaluation of Twitter as an instrument for emergency response in the context of a recent crisis event. The case of the 2013 disaster, when typhoon Haiyan hit Philippines is examined by analyzing nine consecutive days of Twitter messages and comparing them to the actual events. The results indicate that during disasters, Twitter users tend to post messages to enhance situation awareness and to motivate people to act. Furthermore, tweets were found reliable and provided valuable information content, supporting the argument that Twitter presents a very good potential to become a useful tool in situations where rapid emergency response is essential.
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Gisli Olafsson. (2012). Humanitarian response in the age of mass collaboration and networked intelligence. 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: The current humanitarian system is based on institutions created during the Industrial Age. It was built when connectivity was a very scarce resource and information sharing was something that only happened during meetings. The increased resiliency of mobile communication networks and the proliferation of satellite based network connectivity have lead to information being much easier to share. At the same time the rise of social networks and the explosive growth of mobile ownership amongst the affected communities has lead to a new way of communicating. Furthermore the large institutional humanitarian response organizations are no longer the only responders, with multiple smaller organizations responding. This paper looks at the opportunities new technologies have provided in rethinking the humanitarian response system and how new approaches may address some of the key issues faced in large-scale disasters in recent years. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Gisli Rafn Olafsson. (2010). Effective coordination of disaster response – The international perspective. In C. Zobel B. T. S. French (Ed.), ISCRAM 2010 – 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Defining Crisis Management 3.0, Proceedings. Seattle, WA: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Humanitarian situations have gotten more and more complex. Climate change is increasing the intensity, the increased involvement of NGOs and the revolution of social media has changed disaster response. This paper starts with a discussion of the changes that have happened in the last 10 years and then discusses how technology plays an increasing role in solving some of the more complex issues that disaster coordinators face.
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Olga Vybornova, Pierre-Alain Fonteyne, & Jean-Luc Gala. (2015). Ontology-Based Knowledge Representation and Information Management in a Biological Light Fieldable Laboratory. In L. Palen, M. Buscher, T. Comes, & A. Hughes (Eds.), ISCRAM 2015 Conference Proceedings ? 12th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Kristiansand, Norway: University of Agder (UiA).
Abstract: A comprehensive ontology has been developed to model the operational domain knowledge and provide information management for a light fieldable laboratory (LFL) performing molecular microbiological analyses. LFL is considered as a toolbox where all operational functions and tools used to execute these functions are incorporated into a single system. The ontology is used to facilitate the LFL mission preparation and management, to provide technical compatibility of sharable information between tools, and to align the terminology and definitions between tools while complying with standards, best practices and procedures. The LFL domain is a formalised and structured modelling the LFL concepts, procedures, functions, prescribing the necessary functions and delimiting those which are incompatible with the given mission or scenario. Such consistent logical modelling allows to efficiently plan and configure the LFL mission selecting only the necessary functions and tools from the whole collection and to activate them appropriately in due time.
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Online Media as a Means to Affect Public Trust in Emergency Responders. (2015). Amanda Lee Hughes; Apoorva Chauhan. In L. Palen, M. Buscher, T. Comes, & A. Hughes (Eds.), ISCRAM 2015 Conference Proceedings ? 12th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Kristiansand, Norway: University of Agder (UiA).
Abstract: This exploratory study examines how fire and police departments used online media during the 2012 Hurricane Sandy and how these media can be used to affect trust with members of the public during such an event. Using trust theory, we describe how online communications provide a means for emergency responders to appear trustworthy through online acts of ability, integrity, and benevolence. We conclude with implications and recommendations for emergency response practice and a trajectory of future work.
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Stijn Oomes. (2004). Organization awareness in crisis management: Dynamic organigrams for more effective disaster response. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2004 – 1st International Workshop on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 63–68). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Disaster response organizations are ad-hoc assemblies of multiple emergency services that collaborate with the goal to minimize the number of casualties and possible (infra)structural damage. In order to be effective, emergency personnel not only needs shared awareness of the situation but also awareness of the organization. We propose an organization awareness support system that contains a dynamic organigram that provides people with a real-time visualization of the organization that they belong to. © Proceedings ISCRAM 2004.
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