Christine M. Newlon, Mark Pfaff, Himalaya Patel, Gert-Jan De Vreede, & Karl MacDorman. (2009). Mega-collaboration: The Inspiration and development of an interface for large-scale disaster response. 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 need to gather and use decentralized information and resources in responding to disasters demands an integrated interface that can support large-scale collaboration. This paper describes the development of a collaboration tool interface. The tool will surpass existing groupware and social networking applications, providing easy entry, categorization, and visualization of masses of critical data; the ability to form ad-hoc teams with collaboration protocols for negotiated action; and agent-augmented mixed-initiative tracking and coordination of these activities. The paper reports user testing results concerning the data entry interface, emergent leadership, and the directed negotiation process. The paper also discusses planned enhancements, including formalized collaboration engineering and the use of a disaster simulation test bed.
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Tracey L. O'Sullivan, Wayne Corneil, Craig E. Kuziemsky, & Daniel E. Lane. (2013). Citizen participation in the specification and mapping of potential disaster assets. 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. 890–895). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Asset-mapping is a strategy used in disaster preparedness planning, however participation is typically limited to a small number of organizations with specific expertise related to disaster response. Broader strategies are needed to ensure identification of assets is comprehensive and to stimulate innovative thinking about which attributes of a community are potential assets for response and recovery. As part of The EnRiCH Project intervention, asset-mapping was used as a collaborative activity to promote identification of a broad range of assets which could be used to enhance resilience and promote preparedness among high risk populations. In this paper we present a study (in progress) which explores innovation and empowerment among a collaborative community group in Canada. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze focus group transcripts from 2 sessions where the participants (n=18) learned how to use google docs and create a database of community assets, while developing collaborative relationships.
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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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Ophélie Morand, Stéphane Safin, Robert Larribau, & Caroline Rizza. (2023). Understanding and Improving Collaboration in Emergency Simulations with a Local Chain of Survival. In V. L. Thomas J. Huggins (Ed.), Proceedings of the ISCRAM Asia Pacific Conference 2022 (pp. 117–129). Palmerston North, New Zealand: Massey Unversity.
Abstract: Out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and choking are two emergencies where the rapid action of a bystander can increase the victim's chances of survival. Few bystanders act because they are not aware of their role as the first link in the chain of survival. Working on collaboration among a local chain of survival and using applications to improve communication and provide tutorials of actions to perform can be used to overcome this issue. We investigate these elements in the context of the Geneva Chain of Survival using simulations. The results show that an optimal collaboration means a lead’s handover between the intervening parties. Collaboration can be degraded by problems of communication, panic , and confusion. Applications constitute a valuable addition to enhance the dispatcher's awareness and to help guide the CPR while not extending the intervention time. Finally, the debriefing that follows enables the acquisition of competencies through experiential learning that relies on emotions.
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Jack Pagotto, & Darrell O'Donnell. (2012). Canada's multi-agency situational awareness system – Keeping it simple. 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 Canadian Multi-Agency Situational Awareness System (MASAS) is rapidly becoming Canada's national system for exchanging emergency management incident-relevant information amongst multiple agencies and jurisdictions. Through the use of structured information aligned with open standards, and a centrally managed open architecture, MASAS provides a trusted virtual community with the ability to seamlessly exchange emergency management information. MASAS offers an information exchange architecture that is based around a highly resilient system of data aggregation hubs that are easily accessible directly or through third party commercial tools by emergency management officials at all levels, from the smallest community in the most remote areas of Canada's north to key federal stakeholders such as the federal Government Operations Centre or the Canadian military. This paper highlights the key design principles, experimental activities, and technology implementation strategies that are positioning MASAS as a Canadian success story in the making – from coast to coast to coast. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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John S. Park Jr., & David Waxman. (2005). Enabling cross-organization interoperability through dynamic directory integration. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 83–88). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Dynamic Team Management for Cross-organization Collaboration was developed by IBM, in cooperation with the U. S. Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) and MITRE (a federally funded research and development organization), to support participating organizations in the U.S. Homeland Security/Homeland Defense Command and Control Advance Concept Technology Demonstration (HLS/D C2 ACTD). Dynamic Team Management includes finding and accessing information about resources (people) with whom you need to communicate and collaborate on a mission or task. Used in conjunction with collaboration tools and other applications, DTM supports constructing cross-organization teams of individuals to address particular missions or tasks, based on emerging needs. DTM demonstrates approaches to overcoming many of the challenges of building the best teams for each mission/task, accommodating information sharing preferences of participating organizations, directory integration automation, dynamically scaling to meet cross-organization communication and collaboration requirements, and achieving organizational interoperability.
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Pestana, M. C., & Vieira, V. (2023). Crowdfunding analysis collaboration between citizens and response actors for Crisis Communication in Disaster Relief. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (p. 1083). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: In 2022, the global Emergency Event Database EM-DAT documented 387 occurrences of natural hazards and disasters, leading to the death of 30,704 individuals and impacting the lives of 185 million people. Crisis communication technology can help to support this scenario, providing appropriate support and efficient response to the affected Community. The communication between response actors, composed of professionals from operational centers, citizens, and affected communities should flow collaboratively. The population in the surrounding area where the event is provoked should be notified or may provide information for the response actors by means of some platform for crisis communication and anagement. Collaborative platforms for crisis communication are a research topic that is still under investigation. It is known that nowadays there are difficulties related to establishing effective crisis communication. The problems are related to delays in responses, conflicting information, diverse public opinion, bad resource allocation, and geographical mapping issues. In this scenario, a collaborative platform could be used as a model to serve as communication support. Collaborative computing, cooperation, location-based, disaster response, blockchain, and trust are the most related subjects to this area and represent an open field for future research. In this way, we started to research crowdfunding platform as a solution that can englobe all these features. About crowdfunding supported by govern, the research Lee et al. 2016 shows that: crowdfunding can offer an efficient mechanism to improve participatory budgeting and facilitate private–public collaboration while providing a high level of transparency in the budget decision process. Besides, the platform could allow the involvement of the population, for example in providing survival resources such as food, water, and medicines for disaster victims, medical assistance, and other critical services. For example, during a pandemic scenario, crowdfunding platforms assisted in augmenting traditional relief efforts. Besides, it is important to know insights into the needs of those affected communities Saleh et al. 2021. Crowdfunding platforms indicate to the governmental institutions which communities are affected and where the available funds can be directed. This Phd research proposal aims: • To study the factors that influence the success of the crowdfunding approach by applying techniques of sentiment analysis, geographical mapping, and duration of the campaign and collected amount. • To conduct a systematic review of guidelines for how to use crowdfunding to mobilize resources and support for the response effort. • To develop a case study of crowdfunding in the Brazilian context, compared with other scenarios, and how government can use crowdfunding to map and support the flood incidents in the Brazilian Northeast area. develop a model based on crowdfunding aiming to improve collaboration between response actors and citizens. Crowdfunding platforms show the progress of a campaign, helping to improve the transparency and accountability in the response effort. By making progress of the outcomes of the response effort visible to the public. Crowdfunding campaigns can serve as a community engagement and participation in the response effort. By involving the citizens in the response effort, government helps to build a sense of ownership and responsibility among the community.
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Pestana, M. C., Vieira, V., & Ribeiro, A. (2023). Crowdsourcing and collaboration for crisis communication: a systematic review. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (p. 1072). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: Establishing collaborative communication in crisis solutions provides appropriate support and efficient response to the public when an emergency scenario appears. The public comprises a crowd of humans involved in their quotidian activities. Communication should flow collaboratively between operational centers, civils, and public institutions professionals. Crowdsourcing is a technique that supports communication between the diverse public by using people collaboration. This paper’s primary goal is to study the state-of-the-art regarding crowdsourcing and collaboration for crisis communication. A systematic literature review guided this study. As a result, 20 papers have been selected about solutions that support communication for crises in the last ten years. Findings reveal solutions whose requirements provide rapid emergency response, good coordination between the agents and the crowd, and trustful data passing through a validation process.
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Phil Hanson, & Caitlin McDougall. (2018). Enabling Collaborative and Resilient Emergency Management Efforts: DFES and Western Australia's Adoption of a Common Operating Picture. In Kristin Stock, & Deborah Bunker (Eds.), Proceedings of ISCRAM Asia Pacific 2018: Innovating for Resilience – 1st International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management Asia Pacific. (pp. 75–82). Albany, Auckland, New Zealand: Massey Univeristy.
Abstract: Following two Major Incident Reviews and a request from WA's governing emergency management body, DFES WA acknowledged that their incident management processes were not supporting seamless communication and collaboration. After identifying their unique needs, DFES implemented two web-enabled platforms: WebEOC, a Crisis Information Management System and Whispir, a multichannel notifications solution. Both systems offer DFES and, in turn, WA communities a level of transparency, collaboration and accuracy not previously available. Recently, six of WA's key government agencies have connected their WebEOC platforms via a single information hub. Through this, they can share and disseminate crucial information within a common operating picture, have complete situational awareness, and rapidly and intelligently prepare for and respond to incidents. WA is the first Australian state to have such a platform implemented and, through these efforts, its agencies are ensuring increased efficiency, collaboration and resiliency for themselves and the wider WA population.
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Christian Reuter, Oliver Heger, & Volkmar Pipek. (2013). Combining real and virtual volunteers through social media. 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. 780–790). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Recent studies have called attention to the improvement of “collaborative resilience” by fostering the collaboration potentials of public and private stakeholders during disasters. With our research we consider real and virtual volunteers in order to detect conditions for cooperation among those citizen groups through social media. Therefore we analysed the usage of Twitter during a tornado crisis to look for role patterns and aspects that helped volunteer groups in the virtual to emerge, and matched the data with an interview study on experiences, attitudes, concerns and potentials professional emergency services recounted in the emergence of volunteer groups in the real. While virtual groups seem to easily form and collaborate, the engagement of real volunteers is decreasing according to the perception of professionals. We discuss the dynamics in both tendencies and suggest design implications (use of existing social networks, promotion and awareness, connection among volunteers, connection to emergency services and systems) to support both types of volunteer groups, which lead to a software prototype.
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Christian Reuter, Volkmar Pipek, Torben Wiedenhöefer, & Benedikt Ley. (2012). Dealing with terminologies in collaborative systemsfor crisis 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 presents approaches on how to deal with terminological ambiguities (different understandings of terms in heterogeneous groups of actors) in collaborative systems. First we will give some insight on the conceptual and theoretical foundation surrounding the 'triangle of reference', a model of how linguistic symbols are related to the objects they represent. Then we will describe the results of our exploratory empirical study, which was conducted in Germany, and dealt with inter-organisational crisis communication. Based on this, we will then deduce requirements necessary for supporting and dealing with terminologies, and propose technical approaches for collaborative systems. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Jakob Rogstadius, Claudio Teixeira, Evangelos Karapanos, & Vassilis Kostakos. (2013). An introduction for system developers to volunteer roles in crisis response and recovery. 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. 874–883). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Technological advances, such as software tools for citizen reporting, first responder support, and online collaborative information management and mapping, are enabling new or improved forms of volunteering in humanitarian crisis. However, the change is largely driven by the technical community and many proposed solutions are never integrated into community response efforts, indicating mismatches between designs and real world needs. This paper offers readers with a technical background insight into roles, goals and constraints of humanitarian crisis response. In particular, we present three seemingly conflicting views regarding how citizens can contribute to response activities as spontaneous volunteers. With examples from two field studies and grounded in literature review, we integrate the three viewpoints into a framework explaining how the roles of volunteers and trained professionals shift with increasing severity and scale of a crisis. Based on this framework, we also discuss high-level opportunities for supporting crisis response with new software tools.
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Rustenberg, K., Radianti, J., & Gjøsæter, T. (2023). Exploring Demons for the Establishment of Team Situational Awareness. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 636–648). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: Individual situational awareness (SA) is crucial for building team SA, which is necessary for achieving a shared understanding of a situation, making informed decisions, and taking appropriate actions. This article examines the communication barriers that emerge when transitioning from individual to team SA in emergency management scenarios. We observed two emergency exercises on “ongoing life-threatening violence” and dam failure causing hospital congestion. The study was complemented with interviews with participants of these exercises, aiming at identifying barriers called SA-demons in the team setting. We discovered barriers that hinder the establishment of team SA, including a vicious cycle of mistrust, a fragmented information trap, a false feeling of mastery trap, and a decaying memory trap. These barriers can stem from individual, organizational, or technological factors. To complement existing SA theories, we applied the Cynefin framework and found that standard operating procedures can be potential barriers when transitioning into chaotic or complex domains.
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David J. Saab, Edgar Maldonado, Razvan Orendovici, Louis-Marie Ngamassi Tchouakeu, Kang Zhao, Annemijn Van Gorp, et al. (2008). Building global bridges: Coordination bodies for improved information sharing among humanitarian relief agencies. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 471–483). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Information is a critical component to improved inter-agency coordination during disaster response. Coordinated information and communication technologies deployments as well as coordinated information management processes are important tools in the provision of this information. However, multilateral agency coordination faces many challenges, which has sparked the formation of coordination bodies. This research examines three such bodies and describes their organizational arrangements as well as identifies common challenges they face to effective coordination. It finds that the bodies differ on a variety of dimensions including funding mechanisms, autonomy, and number of members, which will likely have implications for the strategies they employ. Also, the coordination bodies identify a lack of standardization, capacity and information availability and analysis as challenges to improved coordination.
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Steen-Tveit, K., Snaprud, M. H., Heinecke, J. E., & Fure Nora. (2023). Towards a Co-Created Emergency Management Collaboration Repository. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 20–32). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: The need for information systems (ISs) to aid emergency management (EM) has been well established. Yet, despite the acknowledged benefits of ISs for EM, the support of ISs in the preparedness phase is weak. Complex EM operations require coordinated efforts across emergency organizations, which are facing enormous challenges related to the method of collaboration to cope with the impact. This paper presents an ongoing project initiated to develop an emergency management collaboration repository for a range of emergency responders, focusing on emergency cross-organizational collaboration, information sharing, exercises, and evaluations. A participatory design approach was applied for the system requirements elicitation and was carried out in two workshops with several EM stakeholders.
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Sung-Yueh Perng, & Monika Büscher. (2015). Uncertainty and Transparency: Augmenting Modelling and Prediction for Crisis Respons. 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: Emergencies are characterised by uncertainty. This motivates the design of information systems that model and predict complex natural, material or human processes to support understanding and reduce uncertainty through prediction. The correspondence between system models and reality, however, is also governed by uncertainties, and designers have developed methods to render ?the world? transparent in ways that can inform, fine-tune and validate models. Additionally, people experience uncertainties in their use of simulation and prediction systems. This is a major obstacle to effective utilisation. We discuss ethically and socially motivated demands for transparency.
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Jeannette N. Sutton. (2010). Twittering Tennessee: Distributed networks and collaboration following a technological disaster. 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: Informal communication channels are often the primary means by which time-sensitive hazard information first reaches members of the public. The capacity for informal communications has been recently transformed by the widespread adoption of social media technologies, such as the micro-blogging service Twitter, which allows individuals to interact with a broad audience over great distances. During a disaster or crisis event, this networked communication mechanism provides a means to communicate information and facilitate collaboration both locally and among distributed networks. This paper examines the use of Twitter following a technological disaster, showing how geographically dispersed individuals broadcast information about the impact of the disaster and its long-term effects, in contrast with the dearth of participation among public officials and industry representatives. Non-local users challenged authoritative accounts of the disaster and corrected misinformation. Conclusions are provided for policy makers and suggestions are offered for further research.
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Mark F. Taylor, & Russell J. Graves. (2005). Adaptive risk-readiness decision support for infrastructure protection. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 161–169). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: This paper presents a system concept for integrating the mass of information critical to infrastructure protection operations. Our main focus and contribution lies in (1) coupling risk assessments into a dynamic decision support process, and (2) providing a collaboration and visualization decision support interface for representing complex and changing infrastructure protection information. The system concept supports adaptive decision making based upon dynamic risk and readiness assessments. Users benefit from having a more comprehensive and up-to-date risk picture on which to base their judgments.
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Louis-Marie Ngamassi Tchouakeu, Carleen Maitland, Andrea H. Tapia, & Kartikeya Bajpai. (2011). Humanitarian organizational collaboration: Information technologies as necessary but not sufficient. 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: 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.
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Hans-Peter Thamm, Thomas Ludwig, & Christian Reuter. (2013). Design of a process model for unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in emergencies. 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. 478–487). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: The electricity network is one of the most important infrastructures in modern industrialized societies. In the case of power outages, the society becomes aware of their dependence on electricity and organizations responsible for recovery work need precise information about the location and the type of the damage, which are usually not available. Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS), commonly known as drones, are aircrafts without a human pilot on board and may help to collect this information. While many technical approaches for UAS exist, a systematic process model for using UAS in emergencies based on the organizations needs is still missing. Based on the presentation of current types of UAS, approaches of using UAS and workshops with organizations responsible for recovery work (police and fire department, public administration, power supplier) this paper presents a process model for UAS in emergencies, especially power outages, which takes both theoretical findings and human experiences into consideration.
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Thomas Ludwig, Christian Reuter, Ralf Heukäufer, & Volkmar Pipek. (2015). CoTable: Collaborative Social Media Analysis with Multi-Touch Tables. 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: To be able to take efficient measures in crisis management, it is essential for emergency services to get as much details about an actual situation on-site as possible. Currently content from social media plays an important role since those platforms are used to spread crisis-relevant data within the population. Our contribution presents a concept which supports the situation assessment practices of emergency services by collaboratively evaluating and by analyzing citizen-generated content from social media using a multi-touch table. The concept was implemented based on a Microsoft PixelSense and evaluated with 14 participants. The results reveal the impact of subjectivity of the participants, their positioning around the table as well as the uniqueness of social media posts on the collaborative situation assessment with multi-touch tables.
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Thomas Theodoridis, George Katsikas, Nicholas Vretos, & Petros Daras. (2022). A Symbiotic Orchestration Module for Multi-agent Collaboration in Disaster Response Scenarios. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 771–780). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: This paper presents the Symbiotic Orchestration Module, which facilitates the collaboration of smart agents in disaster response scenarios. By effectively orchestrating the actions of different agents in critical situations towards a common goal, it enhances the individual capabilities of the agents and unlocks new possibilities that are not available when agents act isolated. To achieve this, the Symbiotic Orchestration Module is composed of four sub-modules: a) the Mission Controller, which is responsible for keeping track of ongoing missions, agent allocations and for handling non-collaborative missions, b) the Symbiotic Operation Control Module, which handles collaborative missions proposed by the system, c) the Task Allocation Module, which automatically assigns available robots to incoming missions based on robot capabilities and mission requirements, and d) the Task Recognition and Optimal Sequencing Module, which is responsible for recognizing opportunities for agent collaboration and for system-wide goal optimization.
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Tobias Andersson Granberg, Niklas Danielsson, Anna Fredriksson, Johan Nordstrom, Sofie Pilemalm, Richard Tjernstrom, et al. (2016). Using Semi-professionals in Emergency 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: The term semi-professional can be used to denote occupational groups that do not have emergency response as their primary profession but who get additional responsibilities within rescue and response, e.g. by performing a first response or assisting the professional emergency services. In this study, four different groups of possible semi-professional resources are analyzed and compared. Similarities and differences between the four groups are discussed. Factors, important for the successful implementation of a cross-sector collaboration of this kind, are highlighted. The preliminary results show that all four groups have the potential to act as semi-professional resources within emergency response. Interestingly, the basic requirements are the same for all groups, despite different prerequisites.
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Brian M. Tomaszewski, & Alan M. MacEachren. (2006). A distributed spatiotemporal cognition approach to visualization in support of coordinated group activity. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 347–351). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Technological advances in both distributed cooperative work and web-map services have the potential to support distributed and collaborative time-critical decision-making for crisis response. We address this potential through the theoretical perspective of distributed cognition and apply this perspective to development of a geocollaborationenabled web application that supports coordinated crisis management activities. An underlying goal of our overall research program is to understand how distributed cognition operates across groups working to develop both awareness of the geographic situation within which events unfold, and insights about the processes that have lead to that geographic situation over time. In this paper, we present our preliminary research on a web application that addresses these issues. Specifically, the application (key parts of which are implemented) enables online, asynchronous, map-based interaction between actors, thus supporting distributed spatial and temporal cognition, and, more specifically, situational awareness and subsequent action in the context of humanitarian disaster relief efforts.
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Willem Treurniet, Kim Van Buul-Besseling, & Jeroen Wolbers. (2012). Collaboration awareness – A necessity in crisis response coordination. 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 crisis management involvement of a large number of organizations is required. Not only the first responders need to take action, but also organizations and entities like civil authorities, public utility and crisis teams are responsible for critical infrastructures as well as the community. A key element for effective collaboration is situation awareness; having a common operational picture. So far research has mainly focused on situation awareness. However, several incidents show that situation awareness alone is not sufficient for reaching effective collaboration among the organizations involved. Collaboration awareness is a second key element. Knowing the needs, goals, expectations, culture, capabilities and procedures of the crisis management partners makes collaboration more effective. In this paper we elaborate our research focusing on what organizations need to know about each other in order to collaborate effectively. Finally, we describe the possible measures for increasing the collaboration awareness. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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