Stefan Sackmann, Marlen Hofmann, & Hans Betke. (2013). Towards the Integration of Place-related Information in Disaster Response Processes. 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. 78–83). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Processes in disaster response management (DRM) and business processes are similar due to their general structure and goals. This encourages us to analyze the suitability of business process management tools and methods in the domain of DRM. One main challenge is the coverage of disaster specific aspects by existing process modeling languages. Since interdependencies between time, activities, and place are critical for process planning, we discuss the necessity for model extension. A special focus lies on the integration of place-related information as well as interdependencies resulting from stationary and mobile activities and resources. The integration of such place-related information is discussed as pre-condition for effective and efficient planning of disaster response processes and their successful management by disaster response workflow management systems.
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Ariën J. Van Der Wal, & Tim J. Grant. (2013). Simulating information sharing in crisis response coalitions as a minority game. 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. 120–124). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: A major crisis or disaster attracts a response from multiple organizations. These organizations need to work together as a coalition. To do so effectively, they must share information. Differences in organizational culture give information a scarcity value, leading to the emergence of information markets. As the crisis progresses, organizations learn to work together, building up trust and lowering the “price” for information shared. Organizations that have worked together in previous crises have a price advantage. In short, the information sharing changes dynamically. Evolutionary game theory – And the minority game in particular – has been recently applied to markets in which physical goods are exchanged. This paper presents the first results from simulating an information sharing market in crisis response coalitions as a minority game.
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Jan Rudinsky, & Ebba Thora Hvannberg. (2013). Communication interface for virtual training of crisis management. 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. 125–134). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Since crisis management training requires extensive resources, a computer-simulated environment where communication plays a crucial role, can be an effective and efficient way to complement real-life training. With the aim of designing a simplified communication interface for a training simulator, this paper analyzes the complex communication network of crisis management, based on observations of a real-life, large-scale exercise of emergency services. Three research objectives were pursued to reach this goal. The results show that a selection of the most useful communication metaphors suggests that face-to-face and radio should be provided in a virtual environment. Consolidation of the communication groups highlights two groups, namely, the first responders and commanders. And, the analysis of the communication flow identifies different roles and the information flow between and within the groups. With this approach we aim to provide a single, multi-role interface that will be easily scalable and reconfigurable, while saving implementation costs.
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Thomas Bernard, Mathias Braun, Olivier Piller, Denis Gilbert, Jochen Deuerlein, Andreas Korth, et al. (2013). SMaRT-OnlineWDN: Online security management and reliability toolkit for water distribution networks. 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. 171–176). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Water distribution Networks (WDNs) are critical infrastructures that are exposed to deliberate or accidental contamination. Until now, no monitoring system is capable of protecting a WDN in real time. In the immediate future water service utilities that are installing water quantity and quality sensors in their networks will be producing a continuous and huge data stream for treating. The main objective of the project SMaRT-OnlineWDN is the development of an online security management toolkit for water distribution networks that is based on sensor measurements of water quality as well as water quantity and online simulation. Its field of application ranges from detection of deliberate contamination, including source identification and decision support for effective countermeasures, to improved operation and control of a WDN under normal and abnormal conditions.
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Han Che, & Shuming Liu. (2013). Monitoring data identification for a water distribution system based on data self-recognition 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. 166–170). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Detecting the occurrence of hydraulic accidents or contamination events in the shortest time has always been a significant but difficult task. The simple and efficient way is to identify the sudden changes or outliers hidden in the vast amounts of monitoring data produced minute by minute, which is unpractical for human. A new method, which employs a data self-recognition approach to achieve that automatically, has been proposed in this paper. The autoregressive moving average (ARMA) model was employed in this research to construct the self-recognition model. 56 months monitoring data from Changping water distribution network in Beijing, which was firstly cut into different time-slice series, was used to establish the ARMA model. This provided a prediction confidence interval in order to identify the outliers in the test data series. The results showed a good performance in outlier identification and the accuracy ranges from 90% to 95%.Thus, the ARMA model showed great potential in dealing with monitoring data and achieving the expected performance of data self-recognition technology.
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Franclin Foping, & Ioannis M. Dokas. (2013). A saas-based early warning information fusion system for critical infrastructure safety. 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. 156–165). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Maintaining the critical infrastructures, such as Drinking Water Treatment Plants (DWTP), transportation, power generation and communications systems, in a safe state is a complex problem. The effective collaboration, as well as the collection aggregation and dissemination of early warning information among the stakeholders of the Safety Management System (SMS) responsible for the safety of these critical infrastructures are some of the challenges that need to be addressed. This paper argues that the Software as a Service (SaaS) deployment model can offer new ways of enhancing the fusion of early warning information during the operation phase of critical infrastructures. It presents the requirements, the architecture and a number of features of a working prototype SaaS-based early warning information fusion system for DWTP safety issues in the Republic of Ireland. It is the first time that a SaaSbased working prototype system is reported of providing early warning information fusion services in the literature.
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Sung Pil Moon, Yikun Liu, Steven O. Entezari, Afarin Pirzadeh, Andrew Pappas, & Mark Pfaff. (2013). Top health trends: An information visualization tool for awareness of local health trends. 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. 177–187). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: We developed an intelligent information visualization tool to enable public health officials to detect healthrelated trends in any geographic area of interest, based on Twitter data. Monitoring emergent events such as natural disasters, disease outbreaks, and terrorism is vital for protecting public health. Our goal is to support situation awareness (SA) for personnel responsible for early detection and response to public health threats. To achieve this goal, our application identifies the most frequently tweeted illnesses in a ranked chart and map for a selected geographic area. Automated processes mine and filter health-related tweets, visualize changes in rankings over time, and present other keywords frequently associated with each illness. User-centered visualization techniques of monitoring, inspecting, exploring, comparing and forecasting supports all the three stages of SA. An evaluation conducted with experts in health-related domains provided significant insights about awareness of localized health trends and their practical use in their daily work.
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Benjamin Schooley, Abdullah Murad, Yousef Abed, & Thomas Horan. (2013). A mHealth system for patient handover in emergency medical services. 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. 188–198). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: This research uses multiple methods to investigate the use of an enterprise mobile multimedia information system aimed at improving handover of patient and emergency incident information from pre-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to hospital emergency department providers. A field study was conducted across EMS and hospital organizations in the Boise, Idaho region of the United States for three months to examine use of the system and to assess practitioner perspectives. Findings include perceived benefits and challenges to using digital audio recordings and digital pictures, captured using a smartphone application, for improving the timeliness, completeness, accuracy, convenience, and security of patient information for handover in EMS; limitations on how much data can be collected in the field due to a wide variety of contextual constraints; and a need to better understand the value of video within the EMS handover context.
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Simon French, Nikolaos Argyris, William J. Nuttall, John Moriarty, & Phillips J. Thomas. (2013). The early phase of a radiation accident: Revisiting thinking on evacuation and exclusion zones. 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. 296–300). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: We are just beginning a two year research project on the management of nuclear risk issues, paying particular attention to environmental, financial and safety issues. One aspect that concerns us is to avoid the assumption that any future accident will be similar to a past accident. In the cases of Chernobyl and Fukushima, it was possible both to evacuate the local population to impose a substantial exclusion zone, and we recognize that for many potential accidents this would be the case. But for some nuclear plant, it may not be so because of the large number of local inhabitants or because of some key industrial or societal infrastructure. We would like to take the opportunity of the ISCRAM conference to discuss this issue with a wide audience.
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Tina Comes, Frank Schätter, & Frank Schultmann. (2013). Building robust supply networks for effective and efficient disaster response. 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. 230–240). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: The effective and efficient distribution of relief goods is a key challenge in disaster management. Typically, adhoc supply networks (SNs) need to be built, in which various actors with different interests collaborate. Although information is sparse and highly uncertain, time for SN design is short, and important strategic decisions (e.g., location of facilities), whose revision requires investing substantial time, effort and resources, must be made promptly. This paper presents an iterative approach for the design of robust SNs that combines (i) an optimisation model to identify promising alternatives to be analysed in detail, (ii) a scenario-based approach to analyse the weaknesses of these alternatives and generate alternative solutions for comparison and benchmarking, and (iii) a decision support module for detailed comparisons and consensus building. By following the iterative approach, successively robust SNs are created to enable effective and efficient disaster response. We illustrate our approach by an example from the Haiti 2010 earthquake.
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Tina Comes, Valentin Bertsch, & Simon French. (2013). Designing dynamic stress tests for improved critical infrastructure resilience. 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. 307–311). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: This paper outlines an approach to support decision-makers in designing resilient critical infrastructure (CI) networks. As CIs have become increasingly interdependent disruptions can have far-reaching impacts. We focus on the vulnerability of CIs and the socio-economic systems, in which they are embedded, independent from any initial risk event. To determine which disruptions are the most severe and must be avoided, quantitative and qualitative assessments of a disruption's consequences and the perspectives of multiple stakeholders need to be integrated. To this end, we combine the results of consequence models and expert assessments into stress test scenarios, which are evaluated using multi-criteria decision analysis techniques. This approach enables dynamic adaption of the stress tests in the face of a fast changing environment and to take account of better information about interdependencies or changing preferences. This approach helps make trade-offs between costs for resilient CIs and potential losses of disruptions clearly apparent.
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Simone De Kleermaeker, & Jan Verkade. (2013). A decision support system for effective use of probability forecasts. 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. 290–295). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Often, water management decisions are based on hydrological forecasts, which are affected by inherent uncertainties. It is increasingly common for forecasters to make explicit estimates of these uncertainties. Associated benefits include the decision makers' increased awareness of forecasting uncertainties and the potential for risk-based decision-making. Also, a more strict separation of responsibilities between forecasters and decision maker can be made. A recent study identified some issues related to the effective use of probability forecasts. These add a dimension to an already multi-dimensional problem, making it increasingly difficult for decision makers to extract relevant information from a forecast. Secondly, while probability forecasts provide a necessary ingredient for risk-based decision making, other ingredients may not be fully known, including estimates of flood damage and costs and effect of damage reducing measures. Here, we present suggestions for resolving these issues and the integration of those solutions in a prototype decision support system (DSS). A pathway for further development is outlined.
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Philip Degener, Henning Gösling, & Jutta Geldermann. (2013). Decision support for the location planning in disaster areas using multi-criteria methods. 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. 278–283). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: In this paper, a multi-criteria facility location model is represented. The model is meant to support relief organisations to determine the best warehouse location to stock emergency relief supplies in the pre-disaster phase of a natural disaster. As a result of the prepositioning of the goods the relief organisations are able to respond immediately to an occurring disaster. In consideration of a multiplicity of quantitative and qualitative objectives a criteria hierarchy is developed which can be adapted to any specific disaster area by omitting irrelevant goals. Afterwards the multi-criteria methods PROMETHEE I+II as well as different sensitivity analysis are described and the model is applied on a local level in a flood-prone area in Bangladesh. Small organisations with restrictive financial and personnel resources can especially benefit from the clear structure of the model and the user friendliness and high transparency of the PROMETHE I+II methods.
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Jill L. Drury, Gary L. Klein, Jennifer Mathieu, Yikun Liu, & Mark Pfaff. (2013). Sympathetic decisions: Incorporating impacts on others into emergency response decision spaces. 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. 199–209). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: We designed two decision support tools and employed them during a one-week, simulation-driven experiment that included emergency responders acting in their real-life roles. Each tool visualized a “decision space”: A diagrammatic depiction of the relative desirability of one option versus another, including the inherent uncertainty in the potential outcomes. One requirement was to develop a tool accounting for the impacts of decisions on others, so that emergency responders can make “sympathetic decisions.” For example, one decision space enabled responders to request resources from surrounding jurisdictions while also considering the potential negative effects on the lending organizations. Another decision space enabled responders to engage in a strategic dialogue with the public: “listening” to the public's greatest concerns by mining social media to measure emotion, and thereby suggesting strategic communications addressing those concerns. We report how we designed the decision spaces and the qualitative results of using these spaces during the experiment.
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Flávio E. A. Horita, & João Porto De Albuquerque. (2013). An approach to support decision-making in disaster management based on volunteer geographic information (VGI) and spatial decision support systems (SDSS). 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. 301–306). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: The damage caused by recent events in Japan in 2011 and USA in 2012 highlighted the need to adopt measures to increase the resilience of communities against extreme events and disasters. In addition to the conventional and official information that is necessary for adaptation to disasters, recently, common citizens residents in the affected areas also began contributing with voluntary qualified and updated information. In this context, this work-in-progress presents an approach that uses voluntary information – Also known by VGI (Volunteered Geographic Information) – As a data source for Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) in order to assist the decision-making in disaster management. Our approach consists of a framework that integrates voluntary and conventional data, a SDSS and processes and methods for decision-making. As a result, it is expected that this approach will assist official organizations in disaster management by providing mechanisms and information.
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Magnus Jändel, Sinna Lindquist, & Linus Luotsinen. (2013). Social coverage maps. 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. 241–250). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: This paper introduces Social Coverage Maps (SCM) as a visual representation of the societal impact of localized disruptions in urban areas. Incited by the recent deliberate interruption of wireless services for the purpose of crowd control in San Francisco, we focus on the use of SCMs for representing emergent effects of electronic warfare. As a prequel we discuss maps and other visualizations as representations of human behaviour and relations. The SCM concept is defined and grounded in simulation-based parameters. Using an experimental scenario based on cell phone jamming in a city we show how SCMs are generated using an agent-based population simulator. We find that Social Coverage Maps could become a useful tool for analysing emergent effects of actions and events including electronic warfare, roadblocks, smoke, teargas, chemical and radioactive contamination with applications in operational and emergency planning as well as crisis management.
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Stella Moehrle. (2013). Modeling of countermeasures for large-scale disasters using high-level petri nets. 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. 284–289). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: In order to support decision-making in large-scale disasters, IT-based decision support systems provide appropriate countermeasures to respond to the event. For the implementation of measures, logical and temporal dependencies have to be considered. Furthermore, factors influencing the choice of measures should be taken into account. This paper presents a generic approach to modeling sequences of countermeasures using Highlevel Petri Nets including information about the influencing factors and endangered objects. Moreover, an approach to combining several nets is proposed, which establish new sequences for recommendation. The research is part of the development of a generic decision support system for large-scale disasters. Consequently, the focus is on modeling in a generic manner and on automatic processing.
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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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Thomas Münzberg, Tim Müller, Stella Möhrle, Tina Comes, & Frank Schultmann. (2013). An integrated multi-criteria approach on vulnerability analysis in the context of load reduction. 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. 251–260). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Load reduction is an emergency measure to stabilize an electrical grid by decoupling some supply areas to balance the demand and supply of electricity in power grids. In the decoupled areas, power outages may cause important consequences, which may propagate further via the network of interdependent infrastructures. Therefore, support is needed to choose the regions to be decoupled. This paper describes an approach to analyze the risk triggered by load reduction that can be used for disaster management and load reduction scheme optimization. The core of our work is the vulnerability assessment that takes into account the consequences of load reduction on economy and society. The approach facilitates participatory decision support by making the vulnerability of regions especially in urban transparent.
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Thomas Münzberg, Ulrich Berbner, Tina Comes, Hanno Friedrich, Wendelin Groß, Hans-Christian Pfohl, et al. (2013). Decision support for critical infrastructure disruptions: An integrated approach to secure food supply. 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. 312–316). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Supplies of food and water are essential in disaster management, particularly in the very early chaotic phases when demand and available resources are highly uncertain, information systems are disrupted, and communication between communities, food suppliers, retail and emergency authorities is difficult. As many actors and organisations are involved in ever more complex food supply chains, cooperation and collaboration are vital for efficient and effective disaster management. To support decision-makers facing these problems, this paper introduces a scenario-based approach that integrates simulation of disruptions in food supply chains, and qualitative expert assessment to develop consistent scenarios that show the consequences of different strategies. To choose the best individual measures for all relevant actors and to compare it with the best overall strategy approaches from multi-criteria decision analysis are used.
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Ahmed Nagy, Lusine Mkrtchyan, & Klaas Van Der Meer. (2013). A CBRN detection framework using fuzzy logic. 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. 266–271). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Identifying a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incident (CBRN) is a challenge. Evidence and health symptoms resulting from CBRN malevolent incident overlap with other normal non malevolent human activities. However, proper fusion of symptoms and evidence can aid in drawing conclusions with a certain degree of credibility about the existence of an incident. There are two types of incidents directly observable, overt, or indirectly observable, covert, which can be detected from the symptoms and consequences. This paper describes a framework for identifying a CBRN incident from available evidence using a fuzzy belief degree distributed approach. We present two approaches for evidence fusion and aggregation; the first, two level cumulative belief degree (CBD) while the second is ordered weighted aggregation of belief degrees (OWA). The evaluation approach undertaken shows the potential value of the two techniques.
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Mohamed Sediri, Nada Matta, Sophie Loriette, & Alain Hugerot. (2013). Crisis clever, a system for supporting crisis managers. 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. 261–265). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Crisis management is a special type of collaborative approach in which the actors are subject to an uninterrupted stress. It is a quite significant issue because the consequences of crises can bring huge damages (human and economic loses). In order to learn from expertise and reduce consequences, we present in this paper our first results related to the definition of structure and interfaces in order to handle experience of crisis management. The project aims to define the CCS (Crisis Clever System) as a decision making environment based on the emergency experience feedback (Experience representation and use).
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Michael E. Stiso, Aslak Wegner Eide, Ragnhild Halvorsrud, Erik G. Nilsson, & Jan Håvard Skjetne. (2013). Building a flexible common operational picture to support situation awareness in crisis management. 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. 220–229). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Decision support systems for emergency management tend to focus on making a lot of data meaningful to particular users via a common operational picture (COP). This paper describes one such system, but one that goes further by making the COP flexible enough to support multiple users. Large crises involve frequent role switching between different actors in a response. Hence, predicting the support needs of a given user of a COP is difficult at best, complicating the design process. The solution described here is to use interactive information overlays to enable different users to fit the COP to their particular SA needs. The design was evaluated in two user workshops and a demonstration. In general, it was well-received, but domain experts cautioned that the tool must be usable not only in large crises but in everyday operations, or else it will not be used.
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Adam Widera, Hanns-Alexander Dietrich, Bernd Hellingrath, & Jörg Becker. (2013). Understanding humanitarian supply chains – Developing an integrated process analysis toolkit. 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. 210–219). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: In this paper we present the development of an integrated process analysis toolkit for humanitarian logistics. The toolkit integrates a conceptual and a technological component. Our approach follows a case study-based modeling and design approach. The developed concept was evaluated in two humanitarian organizations. Based on these results we extended and integrated the tool-supported process analysis approach, which is ready to use for the structural and quantitative analysis of humanitarian logistics processes. The toolkit can be applied in humanitarian organizations as a decision support tool for designing, planning and executing their logistics processes. Thus, the application affects the preparedness of humanitarian organizations as well as their response performance. The process analysis toolkit is embedded in an overall research agenda with the objective to provide humanitarian organizations with the capabilities to identify, monitor, and improve their logistics processes respecting the organization specific objectives.
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Shengcheng Yuan, Ma Ma, H. Zhang, & Yi Liu. (2013). An urban traffic evacuation model with decision-making capability. 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. 317–321). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Traffic evacuation is one of the most challenging problems in a mega city due to crowded road conditions. This study focuses on developing a traffic evacuation model with decision-making capability. The model basically consists of two modules. The first one is a decision-making support module which runs very fast and provides short-forecast. The second one is a simulation module, which is used for simulating real evacuation process and for overall performance evaluation with vehicle tracking model. The first module can be considered as a “local” module as only partial information, such as traffic information in certain junctions is available. The second module can be considered as a global module which provides traffic directions for junction, and effective using of road-nets. With integration of two modules, overall system optimization may be achieved. Simulation cases are given for model validation and results are satisfied.
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