Marta Poblet Balcell, Stan Karanasios, & Vanessa Cooper. (2018). Look after Your Neighbours: Social Media and Vulnerable Groups during Extreme Weather Events. 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. 408–415). Albany, Auckland, New Zealand: Massey Univeristy.
Abstract: Emergency management organisations across the world routinely use social media to reach out populations for preparedness and response to extreme weather events. In this paper we present a preliminary analysis of social media strategies towards vulnerable populations in the State of Victoria (Australia). Using the notion of vulnerability in an emergency management context (e.g. older persons, socially/geographically isolated persons, people with disabilities, refugee/recent migrant communities) we explore whether and how organisations address vulnerable groups with targeted messages. Our initial findings suggest that organisations do not tend to interact directly with these groups. Rather, reliance on 'information brokers' (intermediary organisations and individuals with an expected duty of care) seems to be a preferred strategy.
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Maryam Shahbazi, Christian Ehnis, Majid Shahbazi, & Deborah Bunker. (2018). Tweeting from the Shadows: Social Media Convergence Behaviour During the 2017 Iran-Iraq Earthquake. 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. 416–427). Albany, Auckland, New Zealand: Massey Univeristy.
Abstract: Official policies, socioeconomic and demographic factors influence how individuals cope with, and respond to natural disasters. Understanding the impact of these factors in social media crisis communications studies is difficult. This paper focuses on convergence behaviour during social media crisis communication in an environment where the access to commercial social media platforms is highly restricted. This study is designed as a case which analyses 41,745 Tweets communicated during an earthquake event and for the two weeks after. This research aims to understand how different communities use social media services for communication during extreme events. The content of the Tweets shows users' attitudes toward government policies as well as the social difficulties of ethnic groups reflecting on the use of social media in crises communication. The results indicate a “political effect” on this online crisis communication. This behaviour was not expected and has been underreported in the current body of knowledge.
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Ulrich Meissen, Markus Hardt, & Agnès Voisard. (2014). Towards a general system design for community-centered crisis and emergency warning systems. 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. 155–159). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: Early Warning Systems (EWS) provide an effective measure for better disaster preparedness, response, and mitigation. The effectiveness of EWS depends highly on the ability to distribute alert message to the persons that will be affected. In this context mobile devices play already a vital role in the ability to reach people in time and at the endangered location. Most existing approaches focus on mass dissemination methods via SMS and Cell-Broadcasting. As these approaches are effective to inform masses about a disaster with one message for all they have their weaknesses in telling the people how to respond according to their location and provide individual guidance (e.g. by maps) within specific communities. Research in disaster management gives strong evidence that the later is often crucial for better disaster response. Accordingly, we witness an increasing demand for more community-centered warnings systems solutions. This paper introduces the general foundations and architecture for alert services on mobile devices that adapt incoming alert information to the profile and situation of user groups and even individual users. The approach is scalable for different communitycentered warning systems. Its first applicability and community engagement effects are shown in the example of the community-centered public disaster alert system in Germany and a target group specific weather hazard alert system, KATWARN and WIND with currently over 2.5 million subscribed users, which was developed by the authors.
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Torbjørg Træland Meum. (2014). An action design research approach to developing emergency management systems. 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. 175–179). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: We propose Action Design Research (ADR) as an approach to promote user participation and mutual learning in the design and development of systems for emergency management based on social media technologies. We outline some design challenges related to the dynamic and evolving nature of social media, and emphasize an iterative design process that is strongly oriented toward collaboration and change involving both the researcher and the user community. In particular, we emphasize the transformative power of social media and argue for design approaches that take into account the new dimension of e-participation throughout the design process.
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Nick LaLone, Andrea H. Tapia, Nathan A. Case, Elizabeth MacDonald, Michelle Hall, & Matt Heavner. (2015). HYBRID COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN CROWDSOURCED EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS. 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: In this paper we present Aurorasaurus: a website, a mobile application, and a citizen science initiative that allows a community of users to report and verify sightings of the Aurora Borealis. Through ad-hoc data indirectly offered through social media, a community of citizen scientists verify sightings of the Aurora Borealis. These verified data are tested against currently existing aurora-forecasting models. The insights these data provide are transformed into map and text-based forms. In addition, notifications are sent to interested participants in a timely manner. This is a design test-bed for an early warning system (EWS) that is capable of detecting and communicating the earliest signs of disaster to community members in near real time. Most importantly, this system incorporates community participation in improving the quality of data mined from Twitter and direct community contributions.
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Olawunmi George, Rizwana Rizia, MD Fitrat Hossain, Nadiyah Johnson, Carla Echeveste, Jose Lizarraga Mazaba, et al. (2019). Visualizing Early Warning Signs of Behavioral Crisis in Military Veterans: Empowering Peer Decision Support. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: Several attempts have been made at creating mobile solutions for patients with mental disorders. A preemptive approach would definitely outdo a reactive one. This project seeks to ensure better crisis detection, by assigning patients (veterans) to caregivers (mentors). This is called the mentor-mentee approach. Enhanced with the use of mobile technology, veterans can stay connected in their daily lives to mentors, who have gone through the same traumatic experiences and have overcome them. A mobile application for communication between veterans and their mentors has been developed, which helps mentors get constant feedback from their mentees about their state of well-being. However, being able to make good deductions from the data given as feedback is of great importance. Under-represent ing or over-representing the data could be dangerously misleading. This paper presents the design process in this project and the key things to note when designing a data visualization for
timely crisis detection and decision-making.
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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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Peter Berggren, Molly Lundberg, Joeri van Laere, & Björn J E Johansson. (2019). Community resilience towards disruptions in the payment system. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: This paper presents a study where nine Swedish citizens were interviewed about their concerns and expectations, from a customer perspective, in relation to a 10 day disruption in the payment system. The purpose of the study was to understand the customer?s perspective in order to provide input to the development of a simulation environment. This simulation environment aims at allowing different stakeholders to experience how a disruption in the payment system affects the local community and thereby create understanding of how resilience is built and affected. The research questions were: What do customers expect to get access to? When? What are customers prepared for? How does this differ among different customer groups? The results indicate some understanding of how such a crisis affects the local community and what the informants expects to happen. The respondents represented a diversity of socio-economic backgrounds from rural and urban parts of the municipality.
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Reem Abbas, & Tony Norris. (2018). Inter-Agency Communication and Information Exchange in Disaster Healthcare. In Kees Boersma, & Brian Tomaszeski (Eds.), ISCRAM 2018 Conference Proceedings – 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 886–892). Rochester, NY (USA): Rochester Institute of Technology.
Abstract: In a disaster, the main agencies of healthcare and relief are usually health and disaster management organisations. Although these two disciplines share the same vision of care provision to disaster victims, experience shows that poor communication between them can negatively impact the collaboration needed to ensure the quality and coordinated delivery of effective healthcare. This paper presents the current findings of an on-going investigation to determine and reduce the barriers to smooth and effective communication and information exchange.
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Robert Soden, Leysia Palen, Claire Chase, Derya Deniz, Erin Arneson, Leah Sprain, et al. (2015). The Polyvocality of Resilience: Discovering a Research Agenda through Interdisciplinary Investigation & Community Engagement. 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 paper presents findings from an interdisciplinary research effort studying community resilience in Boulder, Colorado. Boulder is a progressive region with a history of environmental leadership. The area is currently in the process of recovering from major flooding and has launched several new initiatives related to building long-term resilience to natural disasters and other stressors. In our research, we consider the stakeholders involved in building local resilience as well as the different and often contradictory framings of the concept. This study takes a phenomenological and inductive approach to understanding resilience. In contrast to more reductionist frameworks that are frequently offered, we argue that this allows for greater understanding of the polyvocal and emergent qualities of resilience.
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Robin Batard, Caroline Rizza, Aurélie Montarnal, Frédérick Bénaben, & Christophe Prieur. (2019). Taxonomy of post-impact volunteerism types to improve citizen integration into crisis response. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and particularly Social Media, drastically changed communication channels and organization during a crisis response. In this context, new forms of citizen initiatives appear, contributing to situational awareness, providing new profiles of stakeholders and broadening the scope of volunteerism in disaster situations. Thus, given the increasing need to understand and take citizen initiatives into account, this article provides a taxonomy of volunteerism types in crisis contexts, based on a literature review on the subject. Mapped on two main dimensions: the status (who they are) and the focus (what they are doing), multiple types of volunteers are presented on this taxonomy. Then, the article deals with possible use of this taxonomy towards integration of citizen initiatives into the crisis response.
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Marco Romano, Teresa Onorati, Paloma Díaz, & Ignacio Aedo. (2014). Improving emergency response: Citizens performing actions. 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. 170–174). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: The role of common citizens within the emergency management (EM) process is crucial in order to support efficiently the operators' activities during the response phase. Moreover, their participation is strictly related to their profile and their experience in previous events. In a previous contribution we identified the different roles that the citizens can play for an effective cooperation with the EM workers. In this paper, we introduce an emergency tool based on a mobile application designed to support the activities of the citizens acting as Agent. The Agents have specific capabilities recognized by the EM Operation Center (OC) to execute actions under the remote supervision of the EM operators. The proposed tool allows the Agents to receive information from the OC and to visualize it through an advanced visualization modality. In particular, available information is previously collected by the center from the witnesses and the affected people that have alerted about it.
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Ryo Otaka, Osamu Uchida, & Keisuke Utsu. (2018). Prototype of Notification and Status Monitoring System Using LINE Smartphone Application to Support Local Communities. 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. 450–458). Albany, Auckland, New Zealand: Massey Univeristy.
Abstract: Japanese society is aging rapidly, so an increasing number of households currently consists of only elderly single people or couples. We propose a system that uses LINE (a mobile communication application) for sending notices containing information from local governments to elderly or physically disabled people, as well as for efficient monitoring by local governments and social workers of the health conditions and statuses of such people. Our system can be used by anyone who has a smartphone with LINE installed. We have also conducted an operational test of a prototype of our system.
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Shada Alsalamah, Hessah Alsalamah, Jaziar Radianti, Sakher Alqahtani, Thamer Adnan Nouh, Mohamed Abomhara, et al. (2018). Information Requirements for Disaster Victim Identification and Emergency Medical Services:Hajj Crowd Disaster Case Study. In Kees Boersma, & Brian Tomaszeski (Eds.), ISCRAM 2018 Conference Proceedings – 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 861–873). Rochester, NY (USA): Rochester Institute of Technology.
Abstract: Disturbing crowd disaster incidents have been witnessed in every corner of the planet, which often lead to extensive difficulties, especially when they involve mass multi-nation casualties. When conducting Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) tasks, starting from finding the missing, curing the injured, and identifying the deceased, the challenge in such disasters is the lack of information to provide Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and conduct DVI in a timely manner. The literature presents fragmented solutions that can equip either post-mortem DVI or EMS with solutions to facilitate data collection and dissemination, but they do not consider a holistic solution that allows access to the victims' right information when needed. In this paper, we analyze information needs across multi-disciplines, as well as the requirements for technical support that can help manage the identification process. Recommendations should lay a sound foundation for future multi-disciplinary research in the areas of DVI, EMS, crowd disaster, health informatics, information security and software engineering in the health sphere.
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Shuji Nishikawa, Osamu Uchida, & Keisuke Utsu. (2018). Introduction of a Tracking Map to a Web Application for Location Recording and Rescue Request. 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. 459–468). Albany, Auckland, New Zealand: Massey Univeristy.
Abstract: We developed a web application for location recording and rescue request using Twitter (T-Pl@ce). This application helps supported users (e.g., older adults, persons with disabilities, and children) who require support to share their location coordinates via Twitter. Supporting users (e.g., families, relatives, or neighbors) of the supported user can then check the location coordinates of the supported user when required. When the supported user needs to be rescued, he/she can post a rescue request on Twitter by pressing the “Rescue request” button on the application. In this study, we introduce the e-mail notification function to reliably notify a rescue request to the system administrator. In addition, to track the location of the supported user, we introduce a location tracking function. Then, the administrator, the emergency assistance employees (e.g., rescue experts or social workers), or the supporting user can refer to the request and the location tracking page and execute the support and rescue activities.
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Sofie Ivarsson. (2015). New method for evaluation of crisis communication in exercises ? involve the public. 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: In 2014, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) carried out a comprehensive crisis communication multi-sector exercise. To evaluate communication in exercises there is a need for involving the public as they are the primary target group in most crises. Systematically involving the public in evaluation of exercises has only been done a few times in Sweden and there are no known international attempts. We therefore developed a method where a representative sample of 2 000 persons was drawn from the Swedish population register and invited to assess communication during the exercise. The so-called ?Public Network? finally consisted of 99 people who contributed extensively with 395 assessment questionnaires. This paper describes the method, the results and experiences. We encourage other organizations to involve the public in exercises for evaluation purposes. The results show that there is a willingness among the public to contribute to the development of crisis preparedness.
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Suvodeep Mazumdar, Stuart N. Wrigley, Neil Ireson, & Fabio Ciravegna. (2015). Geo-fence driven crowd-sourcing for Emergencies. 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: For some emergency situations an effective response can be reliant on sensor data (e.g. river level, traffic flow, weather conditions) to provide situation awareness, in order to help authorities make informed decisions. Gathering data in a traditional approach, i.e. using precise physical sensors, is a highly expensive task, involving procurement, installation and maintenance of a number of sensors. As a result, the coverage of sensors is limited and only the regions deemed most important by authorities are monitored. However, regions currently not being monitored can have an urgent need to be sensed depending on emergencies or situations. We present a high-level overview of the Locaware system, which employs a flexible geofencing approach to enable crowdsourcing by requesting citizens and volunteers to help authorities formulate a greater situation awareness of a region under consideration. While the Locaware system is motivated for water monitoring, our approach can be applied in other contexts.
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Andrea H. Tapia, Nicolas LaLone, Elizabeth MacDonald, Reid Priedhorsky, & Hall Hall. (2014). Crowdsourcing rare events: Using curiosity to draw participants into science and early warning systems. 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. 135–144). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: This research presents a centralized boundary object website and mobile app focused on allowing participants to participate in developing an early warning system through space weather and the beauty of the aurora borealis. Because of the beauty and majesty of auroral activity, people will seek information about when and where these unpredictable events occur. This activity, commonly referred to as nowcasting, can be combined with scientific data collected from observatories and satellites and serve as an early warning system with potentially far greater accuracy and timeliness than the current state of the art. We believe that long-term engagement with a citizen science tool will help bridge the many social worlds surrounding the aurora borealis and lead to the development of an early warning system that may correlate the visibility of the northern lights to violent space weather. We hope this will lead to other real time crowdsourced early warning systems in the future.
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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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Zeno Franco, Katinka Hooyer, Rizwana Rizia, A B M Kowser Patwary, Mathew Armstrong, Bryan Semaan, et al. (2016). Dryhootch Quick Reaction Force: Collaborative Information Design to Prevent Crisis in Military Veterans. 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: Crises range from global catastrophes to personal disasters. However, systematic inquiry on crises rarely employs a comparative approach to examine commonalities between these seemingly very different events. We argue here that individual psychosocial disasters can inform a broader discussion on crises. Our approach applies general crisis theory to a smartphone based psychosocial support system for US military veterans. We engaged in a process designed to explore how veteran peer-to-peer mentorship can be augmented with IS support to display potential early warning signs as first step toward preventative intervention for high risk behaviors. To gain a better understanding of how military veterans might benefit from such a system, this article focuses on a community collaborative design process. The co-design process used the Small Stories method, allowing important cultural characteristics of to emerge, illuminating considerations in IS design with military veterans, and highlighting how humans think about crisis events at the individual level.
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Zeno Franco, Katinka Hooyer, Tanvir Roushan, Casey O'Brien, Nadiyah Johnson, Bill Watson, et al. (2018). Detecting & Visualizing Crisis Events in Human Systems: an mHealth Approach with High Risk Veterans. In Kees Boersma, & Brian Tomaszeski (Eds.), ISCRAM 2018 Conference Proceedings – 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 874–885). Rochester, NY (USA): Rochester Institute of Technology.
Abstract: Designing mHealth applications for mental health interventions has largely focused on education and patient self-management. Next generation applications must take on more complex tasks, including sensor-based detection of crisis events, search for individualized early warning signs, and support for crisis intervention. This project examines approaches to integrating multiple worn sensors to detect mental health crisis events in US military veterans. Our work has highlighted several practical and theoretical problems with applying technology to evaluation crises in human system, which are often subtle and difficult to detect, as compared to technological or natural crisis events. Humans often do not recognize when they are in crisis and under-report crises to prevent reputational damage. The current project explores preliminary use of the E4 Empatica wristband to characterize acute aggression using a combination of veteran self-report data on anger, professional actors simulating aggressive events, and preliminary efforts to discriminate between crisis data and early warning sign data.
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