Murray Turoff, Connie White, Linda Plotnick, & Starr Roxanne Hiltz. (2008). Dynamic emergency response management for large scale decision making in extreme events. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 462–470). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Effective management of a large-scale extreme event requires a system that can quickly adapt to changing needs of the users. There is a critical need for fast decision-making within the time constraints of an ongoing emergency. Extreme events are volatile, change rapidly, and can have unpredictable outcomes. Large, not predetermined groups of experts and decision makers need a system to prepare for a response to a situation never experienced before and to collaborate to respond to the actual event. Extreme events easily require a hundred or more independent agencies and organizations to be involved which usually results in two or more times the number of individuals. To accomplish the above objectives we present a philosophical view of decision support for Emergency Preparedness and Management that has not previously been made explicit in this domain and describe a number of the current research efforts at NJIT that fit into this framework.
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Murray Turoff. (2014). Emergency management education and ISCRAM. 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. 533–537). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: This paper presents the author's viewpoints and insights into what should be a major activity for ISCRAM to insure a better future for Emergency Management in general. The overall recommendation is that ISCRAM as a professional society should be very actively involved in setting a standard for an Emergency Management degree program that provides a distinctive major in EMIS (Emergency Management Information Systems). The emphasis and conclusions in this paper are based largely upon the situation in the United States.
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Murray Turoff. (2015). The Paradox of Emergency Management. In L. Palen, M. Buscher, T. Comes, & A. Hughes (Eds.), ISCRAM 2015 Conference Proceedings ? 12th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Kristiansand, Norway: University of Agder (UiA).
Abstract: The role of Emergency Management is to respond effectively to a major emergency that cannot be handled by the day to day independent services such as fire fighters, police, and medical response facilities. However, normal evolutionary processes typically make the ability to respond to disasters more difficult. This leads to long term decision and policy conflicts and incompatibilities about desirable goals, with implications for practitioners and system designers.
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Murali Raman, Magiswary Dorasamy, Saravanan Muthaiyah, & Maniam Kaliannan. (2014). Web-based community disaster management and awareness system (CEMAS) in Malaysia. 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. 384–393). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: Emergency situations are unavoidable. This paper presents the functions inherent in a prototype system that was developed in Malaysia for emergency management. The prototype is potentially useful in Selangor, a state in Malaysia that is prone to natural disasters such as flash floods and landslides. The paper is presented as a report of our on-going project in Malaysia and the intended future work regarding web-based emergency management systems in Malaysia. This prototype development is funded by the Ministry of Education in Malaysia and supported by the National Security Council of Malaysia (Majilis Keselamatan Negara, MKN).
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Monika Magnusson, & Lena-Maria Öberg. (2015). Crisis Training Software and User Needs ? Research Directions. 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: Crisis management training software is gaining researchers? as well as practitioners? interest. In order to truly support organizations it is important that such software responds to actual user needs. The aim of this study is to compare existing initiative described in research with the needs of the users and to identify possible research directions for forthcoming studies. The literature review shows that discussions on users? needs are superficial at best. The software described in research mainly focus on co-located execution of exercises, often in the form of simulations. Furthermore, a ?right or wrong? behavior is usually built-in. Empirical data from a web survey indicate that flexibility in time and space during training is a fundamental user need. This is not particularly acknowledged in earlier research. Neither is the users? wish for better support in designing exercises. We propose that system flexibility, modularity and pedagogy for computer based crisis training are urgent issues for future research.
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Monika Büscher, Markus Bylund, Pedro Sanches, Leonardo Ramirez, & Lisa Wood. (2013). A new manhattan project? Interoperability and ethics in emergency response systems of systems. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 426–431). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: In this paper we discuss ethical challenges arising around IT supported interoperability in multi-agency emergency management and explore some methodological responses.
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Monika Büscher, Lisa Wood, & Sung-Yueh Perng. (2013). Privacy, security, liberty: Informing the design of EMIS. 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. 401–410). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: This paper explores issues of security, privacy and liberty arising in relation to ICT supported emergency management. The aim is to inform the design of emergency management information systems (EMIS) and architectures that support emergent interoperability and assembly of emergency management systems of systems. We show how transformations of social and material practices of privacy boundary management create challenges, opportunities and dangers in this context. While opportunities include development of more efficient and agile emergency management models, building on smart city concepts, dangers include surveillance, social sorting and an erosion of civil liberties. Against this backdrop, we briefly explore human practice focused 'privacy by design' as a candidate design avenue.
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Mohammadreza Khalilbeigi, Immanuel Schweizer, Dirk Bradler, Florian Probst, & Jürgen Steimle. (2010). Towards computer support of paper workflows in emergency management. 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: A crucial aspect for large-scale disaster management is an efficient technology support for communication and decision-making processes in command and control centers. Yet, experiences with the introduction of novel technologies in this setting show that field professionals tend to remain attached to traditional workflows and artifacts, such as pen and paper. We contribute the results of a comprehensive field study which analyzes how the information flow is currently performed within different units and persons in the command and control center. These findings provide insights into key aspects of current workflows which should be preserved by novel technological solutions. As our second contribution, by using a participatory design approach and based on our findings, we present a novel approach for computer support in command and control centers. This relies on digital pens and paper and smoothly integrates traditional paper-based workflows with computing, thereby combining the advantages of paper and those of computers.
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Min Song, & Peishih Chang. (2008). Automatic extraction of abbreviation for emergency management websites. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 93–100). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In this paper we present a novel approach to reduce information proliferation and aid better information structure by automatically generating extraction of abbreviation for emergency management websites. 5.7 Giga Byte web data from 624 emergency management related web sites is collected and a list of acronyms is automatically generated by proposed system (AbbrevExtractor). Being the first attempt of applying abbreviation extraction to the field, this work is expected to provide comprehensive and timely information for emergency management communities in emergency preparedness, training and education. Future work is likely to involve more data collection and intelligent text analysis for dynamically maintaining and updating the list of acronyms and abbreviations.
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Miguel Ramirez de la Huerga, Victor A. Bañuls, & Murray Turoff. (2015). A Scenario-based approach for analyzing complex cascading effects in Operational Risk Management. 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 is the first paper to apply Cross Impact Analysis (CIA) and Interpretative Structural Modeling (ISM) methods for analyzing complex cascading effects in Operational Risk Management in an industrial environment. Its main objective is to improve the understanding of the overall picture of an organization?s risks. The paper summarizes the development of a CIA-ISM method of the interaction of 18 critical events of an industrial plant as a first step to improving organizational resilience based on the company?s own estimations as well as the estimates of a panel. The main benefit of using these methods is to know the relationships between different risks and consequences, direct links, indirect and cascading effects. Having the possibility of knowing a full risk map and being able to make a forecast will help to mitigate the unexpected effects and have a better response after an emergency situations is the same as being more resilient.
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Michael J. Chumer, & Murray Turoff. (2006). Command and control (C2): Adapting the distributed military model for emergency response and emergency management. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 465–476). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: The military use of Command and Control (C2) has been refined over centuries of use and developed through years of combat situations. This C2 model is framed as process, function, and organization, suggesting that emergency response organizations and emergency management structure their non military C2 and subsequent response scenarios within the C2 framework established in this paper.
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Michael Holzhüter, & Ulrich Meissen. (2020). A Decentralized Reference Architecture for Interconnected Systems in Emergency Management. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 961–972). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Optimal communication and information exchange are key elements for handling complex crises or disaster situations. With the increasing number of heterogeneous ICT systems, also raises the importance of adequate support for interconnectivity and information logistics between stakeholders to thoroughly gather information and to make quick but precise decisions. The main purpose of the information exchange is then to manage the crisis as quickly as possible, to provide full information to protect first responders' health and safety, to optimally dispatch resources, and to ensure coordination between different relief forces. Based on an end user survey with a particular focus on first responders, this paper introduces an evolutionary architecture to enable information exchange in crises situation or disasters. The aim is to provide a decentralized approach among heterogeneous ICT-systems which abstracts from the underlying communication technologies and heterogeneity of connected systems and fulfills the functional and non-functional requirements from end users.
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Michael Ammann, Tuomas Peltonen, Juhani Lahtinen, Kaj Vesterbacka, Tuula Summanen, Markku Seppänen, et al. (2010). KETALE Web application to improve collaborative emergency management. 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: KETALE is a database and web application intended to improve the collaborative decision support of the Finnish Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority (STUK) and of the Finnish Meteorological Institute (FMI). It integrates distributed modeling (weather forecasts and dispersion predictions by FMI, source term and dose assessments by STUK) and facilitates collaboration and sharing of information. It does so by providing functionalities for data acquisition, data management, data visualization, and data analysis. The report outlines the software development from requirement analysis to system design and implementation. Operational aspects and user experiences are presented in a separate report.
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Michael Alles, Alexander Kogan, Miklos Vasarhelyi, Starr Roxanne Hiltz, & Murray Turoff. (2004). Assuring homeland security: Continuous monitoring, control and assurance of Emergency Preparedness. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2004 – 1st International Workshop on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 1–7). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: This paper examines the potential relationships of Auditing and Emergency Preparedness with respect to the domain of the design of Emergency Response Information Systems. It proposes normative objectives for the integration of all these areas in the design of future organizational systems. It also proposes a series of steps to evolve in this direction and create a new interdisciplinary professional community to guide research and development for this field of endeavor. © Proceedings ISCRAM 2004.
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McCreadie, R., & Buntain, C. (2023). CrisisFACTS: Buidling and Evaluating Crisis Timelines. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 320–339). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: Between 2018 and 2021, the Incident Streams track (TREC-IS) developed standard approaches for classifying information types and criticality of tweets during crises. While successful in producing substantial collections of labeled data, TREC-IS as a data challenge had several limitations: It only evaluated information at type-level rather than what was reported; it only used Twitter data; and it lacked measures of redundancy in system output. This paper introduces Crisis Facts and Cross-Stream Temporal Summarization (CrisisFACTS), a new data challenge piloted in 2022 and developed to address these limitations. The CrisisFACTS framework recasts TREC-IS into an event-summarization task using multiple disaster-relevant data streams and a new fact-based evaluation scheme, allowing the community to assess state-of-the-art methods for summarizing disaster events Results from CrisisFACTS in 2022 include a new test-collection comprising human-generated disaster summaries along with multi-platform datasets of social media, crisis reports and news coverage for major crisis events.
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Maurice McGinley, Andrew Turk, & David Bennett. (2006). Design criteria for public emergency warning systems. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 154–163). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: This paper describes the development of a public emergency messaging system in Western Australia. A set of design criteria were identified by a review of relevant published literature, a survey of current practice in Australia, and consultation with local stakeholders. The system should support: Multiple Recipients, Multiple Channels, Multiple Hazards, Multiple Stakeholders, Multiple Senders, Multiple Platforms, and Write Once Message Composition. A prototype system was built according to these design criteria, based on the Common Alerting Protocol version 1.0. The design was validated in trials simulating messages sent during a tropical cyclone and a bushfire. A total of 56 trial participants from identified stakeholder groups were surveyed with regard to their experience of the prototype system. Overall, the prototype system functioned successfully and participants reported high levels of satisfaction. The paper describes this research project and the initial stages of the subsequent development of a production system, called APECS.
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Matthew Guardascione, & Allen E. Milewski. (2010). Feedback mechanisms in automated emergency management training. 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: This study explored automated training for emergency managers and the effects of feedback on performance. A prototype emergency management training application was built to allow the usage of either immediate feedback or delayed, “hotwash” feedback. Users were split into two groups and asked to carry out two emergency management scenarios using one of the feedback mechanisms, and the difference in scores between each feedback type were analyzed There was a general increase in performance across sessions. Further, the improvements in scores between each feedback type showed that users performed significantly better when using the hotwash feedback mechanism compared with the immediate feedback mechanism. In contrast to the performance data, preference data showed no overall differences between the two procedures, although each user had a strong preference for one or the other feedback mechanism. The implications for the design of training systems offering both procedures are discussed.
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Massimo Cossentino, Davide, rea Guastella, Salvatore Lopes, Luca Sabatucci, & Mario Tripiciano. (2022). From Textual Emergency Procedures to Executable Plans. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 200–212). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: Crisis response and management often involve joint actions among different actors. This is particularly true in cross border cooperation, i.e. when actors belong to different countries. This is the operative context of the NETTUNIT research project, which long-term objective is to provide automatic support to emergency management. Modelling emergency plans is challenging because they are usually written in free-form text, thus in a form that is very far from being automatically processed and executed. In other words, it is non-trivial to define workflows capable of managing and monitoring emergency plans. To complicate the problem, typically an emergency evolves in a highly dynamic environment, so there is the need for run-time adaptation. In this paper, we propose a roadmap for producing executable workflows from emergency free-text plans. We set up our current progress in the project and focus on the sub-problem of identifying a suitable modelling notation. We also propose two improvements with respect to the state of the art: 1) a specific diagram focusing on events, roles and responsibilities in a goal-oriented fashion; 2) some guidelines for depicting the emergency plan at hand with a modelling notation.
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Massimiliano De Leoni, Fabio De Rosa, Andrea Marrella, Massimo Mecella, Antonella Poggi, Alenka Krek, et al. (2007). Emergency management: From user requirements to a flexible P2P architecture. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 271–279). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The most effective way to design an emergency management system matching user needs is to perform a User-Centered Design; it relies on continuous interactions with end-users in order to understand better and better how organizations are arranged during emergencies, which data are exchanged and which steps are performed by organizations to face disastrous events. In this paper we (i) illustrate the methodology used to collect the user requirements for the emergency management system developed in the European research project WORKPAD, and (ii) describe the WORKPAD high level architecture stemming from such requirements. Specifically, the methodology is applied in the context of Regional Civil Protection of Calabria (Italy) and is used as basis to provide more general user requirements for emergency management systems.
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Martine Couturier, & Edith Wilkinson. (2005). Open advanced system for improved crisis management (OASIS). In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 283–286). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: The OASIS Project addresses the Strategic objective 2.3.2.9, “Improving Risk Management”, of the second call for tender of the European Commission FP6 Information Society Technologies program. The objective of OASIS is to define and develop an Information Technology (IT) framework based on an open and flexible architecture and using standards that will be the basis of a European Emergency Management system. OASIS is intended to facilitate the cooperation between the information systems used by civil protection organisations, in a local, regional, national or international environment. This Disaster and Emergency Management system aims to support the response operations in the case of large scale as well as local emergencies.
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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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Mark Wood. (2005). Cell@lert, for government-to-citizen mass communications in emergencies; 'It's about time'. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 323–326). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Cell Broadcasting has been an existing feature of GSM, UMTS, CDMA and PDC for many years, which however is rarely used. It has three attributes that make it very good for Government to Citizen mass communications in emergencies. 1) It uses reserved capacity for this feature; traffic does not take its bandwidth. Therefore it works even if the cellular system is in full overload, as it always is during disasters. 2) It can place millions of text messages on mobile phone within seconds, and is scalable to any size of broadcast including international scale without any additional time penalty. Most mobile phones have the capability now, so there is no need to build more infrastructures or replace phones. 3) By selecting the individual cells to be used, specific areas can be targeted with different messages, so that people in one area can be asked to evacuate, while in another they can be advised to stay. The government of Holland is the first in the world to adopt the technology, which will be operational by May 2005.
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Mark Parent, Jean-François Gagnon, Tiago H. Falk, & Sébastien Tremblay. (2016). Modeling the Operator Functional State for Emergency Response Management. 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: New technologies are available for emergency management experts to help them cope with challenges such as information overload, multitasking and fatigue. Among these technologies, a wide variety of physiological sensors can now be deployed to measure the Operator Functional State (OFS). To be truly useful, such measures should not only characterize the overall OFS, but also the specific dimensions such as stress or mental workload. This experiment aimed to (1) design a multi-dimensional model of OFS, and (2) test its application to an emergency management situation. First, physiological data of participants were collected during controlled experimental tasks. Then, a support vector classifier of mental workload and stress was trained. Finally, the resulting model was tested during an emergency management simulation. Results suggest that the model could be applied to emergency management situations, and leave the door open for its application to emergency response on the field.
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Mark Latonero, & Irina Shklovski. (2010). Respectfully yours in safety and service: Emergency management & social media evangelism. 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: In this paper we consider how emergency response organizations utilize available social media technologies to communicate with the public in emergencies and to potentially collect valuable information using the public as sources of information on the ground. We discuss the use of public social media tools from the emergency management professionals. viewpoint with a particular focus on the use of Twitter. Little research has investigated Twitter usage in crisis situations from an organizational perspective. This paper contributes to our understanding of organizational innovation, risk communication, and technology adoption by emergency management. An in-depth case study of Public Information Officers of the Los Angeles Fire Department highlights the importance of the information evangelist within emergency management organizations and details the challenges those organizations face with an engagement with social media and Twitter. This article provides insights into practices and challenges of new media implementation for crisis and risk management organizations.
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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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