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James E. Powell, Linn Marks Collins, & Mark L.B. Martinez. (2009). Using architectures for semantic interoperability to create journal clubs for emergency response. In S. J. J. Landgren (Ed.), ISCRAM 2009 – 6th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Boundary Spanning Initiatives and New Perspectives. Gothenburg: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In certain types of “slow burn” emergencies, careful accumulation and evaluation of information can offer a crucial advantage. The SARS outbreak in the first decade of the 21st century was such an event, and ad hoc journal clubs played a critical role in assisting scientific and technical responders in identifying and developing various strategies for halting what could have become a dangerous pandemic. This research-in-progress paper describes a process for leveraging emerging semantic web and digital library architectures and standards to (1) create a focused collection of bibliographic metadata, (2) extract semantic information, (3) convert it to the Resource Description Framework /Extensible Markup Language (RDF/XML), and (4) integrate it so that scientific and technical responders can share and explore critical information in the collections.
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Raj Prasanna, Lili Yang, & Malcolm King. (2009). GDIA: A cognitive task analysis protocol to capture the information requirements of emergency first responders. In S. J. J. Landgren (Ed.), ISCRAM 2009 – 6th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Boundary Spanning Initiatives and New Perspectives. Gothenburg: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: As a partial requirement of the development of an information system for the UK fire and rescue services, this paper describes the development and application of a protocol capable of capturing the information requirements of fire and rescue first responders. After evaluating the existing techniques commonly used in difficult decision-making environments, a Goal Directed Information Analysis (GDIA) protocol is proposed. The clearly defined, repeatable steps of GDIA make it a requirements-gathering protocol which can be easily administered by an investigator without any prior knowledge or experience of the tool. This makes GDIA one of the very few information requirements-gathering protocols capable of capturing the requirements of the emergency-related domains.
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Markus Quaritsch, Robert Kuschnig, Hermann Hellwagner, & Bernard Rinner. (2011). Fast aerial image acquisition and mosaicking for emergency response operations by collaborative UAVs. In E. Portela L. S. M.A. Santos (Ed.), 8th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: From Early-Warning Systems to Preparedness and Training, ISCRAM 2011. Lisbon: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Small-scale unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have recently gained a lot of interest for various applications such as surveillance, environmental monitoring and emergency response operations. These battery-powered and easy-to-steer aerial robots are equipped with cameras and can promptly acquire aerial images. In this paper we describe our system of multiple UAVs that are able to fly autonomously over an area of interest and generate an overview image of that area. Intuitive and easy user interaction is a key property of our system: The user specifies the area of interest on an electronic map. The flight routes for the UAVs are automatically computed from this specification and the generated overview is presented in a Google-Earth like user interface. We have tested and demonstrated our multi-UAV system on a large fire service drill. Our system provided a high-resolution overview image of the 5.5 ha large test site with regular updates, proved that it is easy to handle, fast to deploy, and useful for the firefighters.
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Giorgio Rascioni, Susanna Spinsante, Ennio Gambi, & Daniele Falcone. (2008). DTT technology for rural communities alerting. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 12–17). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The transition from analog to digital television broadcasting has opened the way to a number of new services, enabled by the advanced potentialities offered by interactive applications. Considering the wide diffusion of TV receivers among people living both in towns and rural areas, and how many people, either old or young, educated or not, are familiar with the TV box, it is reasonable to exploit such a capillary and widespread technology to reach immediately and directly almost the total population in a certain area. Among the possible applications, emergency and alert information dissemination can play a vital role in improving the communities response and reaction to natural or man made disasters. Focusing on this topic, this paper proposes an alert dissemination service exploiting an MHP interactive application developed ad hoc for DVB-T broadcasting, to force the direct delivery of emergency information to TV users.
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Christian Reuter, Oliver Heger, & Volkmar Pipek. (2013). Combining real and virtual volunteers through social media. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 780–790). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Recent studies have called attention to the improvement of “collaborative resilience” by fostering the collaboration potentials of public and private stakeholders during disasters. With our research we consider real and virtual volunteers in order to detect conditions for cooperation among those citizen groups through social media. Therefore we analysed the usage of Twitter during a tornado crisis to look for role patterns and aspects that helped volunteer groups in the virtual to emerge, and matched the data with an interview study on experiences, attitudes, concerns and potentials professional emergency services recounted in the emergence of volunteer groups in the real. While virtual groups seem to easily form and collaborate, the engagement of real volunteers is decreasing according to the perception of professionals. We discuss the dynamics in both tendencies and suggest design implications (use of existing social networks, promotion and awareness, connection among volunteers, connection to emergency services and systems) to support both types of volunteer groups, which lead to a software prototype.
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Eli Rohn. (2006). Data integration potentiometer in DERMIS. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 326–333). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Dynamic Emergency Response Management Information Systems must integrate data from heterogeneous and autonomous resources. We propose a mathematically based approach for evaluating and quantifying the potential of a successful automatic integration between pairs of data resources. The integration potential, expressed as a percent, should influence assumptions and procedures of emergency response planners.
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Beate Rottkemper, & Kathrin Fischer. (2013). Decision making in humanitarian logistics – A multi-objective optimization model for relocating relief goods during disaster recovery operations. 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. 647–657). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Disaster recovery operations rarely proceed smoothly and disruptions often require the redistribution of relief items. Such a redistribution has to be carried out taking into account both the current disruption and the uncertainty regarding possible future incidents in the respective area. As decisions have to be made fast in humanitarian operations, extensive optimization runs cannot be conducted in such a situation. Nevertheless, sensible decisions should be made to ensure an efficient redistribution, considering not only satisfaction of needs but also operational costs, as the budget is usually scarce in the recovery phase of a disaster. In this work, different scenarios are generated and then solved with a multiobjective optimization model to explore possible developments. By evaluating the results of these scenarios, decision rules are identified which can support the decision maker in the actual disaster situation in making fast, but nevertheless well-founded, decisions.
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Angel Ruiz-Zafra, Ana-Gabriela Núñez, Carmen Penadés, José H. Canós-Cerdá, & Marcos R. S. Borges. (2014). SUCRE: Supporting users, controllers and responders in emergencies. 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. 255–259). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: We use the term “Personal Safety Assistants” (PSAs) to refer to a family of mobile information systems that intend to reduce the risks of both citizens and responders in emergency responses. Using their mobile devices, they can access to personalized views of the emergency plans including context-aware evacuation instructions or real time guidance to specific locations for rescue operations, among others. Additionally, both responders and citizens act as context sources sending fresh information (e.g. pictures of damaged areas) to the command and control center, increasing situational awareness. In this paper, we show how the SUCRE infrastructure collects and processes contextual information to improve the information infrastructure during responses. We describe the current status of the system and outline the incoming enhancements.
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André Sabino, Rui Nóbrega, Armanda Rodrigues, & Nuno Correia. (2008). Life-saver: Flood emergency simulator. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 724–733). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This paper proposes an agent-based simulation system for Dam Break Emergency Plan validation. The proposed system shows that integrating GIS data with an agent-based approach provides a successful simulation platform for the emergency plan validation process. Possible strategies to emergency plan modeling and representation are discussed, proposing a close relation with the actual workflow followed by the entities responsible for the plan's specification. The simulation model is mainly concerned with the location-based and location-motivated actions of the involved agents, describing the likely effects of a specific emergency situation response. The simulator architecture is further described, based on the correspondence between the representation of the plan, and the simulation model. This includes the involving characteristics of the simulation, the simulation engine, the description of the resulting data (for the later evaluation of the emergency plan) and a visualization and interaction component, enabling the dynamic introduction of changes in the scenario progression.
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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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Maria A. Santos, António Gonçalves, Sandra Silva, Nuno Charneca, & Miguel Gamboa. (2004). Dam break emergency response Information System. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2004 – 1st International Workshop on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 27–32). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Although considered of low risk, incidents with dams may cause significant damage both directly and indirectly. Direct losses are usually easier to assess (assuming human lives are quantifiable), but indirect losses are difficult to measure and may take some time before the original situation is restored. Disaster prevention and vulnerability reduction have been topics of major concern in many local, national or international organisations for some years. These can be accomplished through emergency management which begins with hazard identification and planning for disaster mitigation but encompasses other activities as risk analysis, risk response and recovery. Therefore, an emergency management system with capacity to: i) forecast critical situations; ii) warn the population as well as the authorities; and iii) support the civil protection system to deal with an emergency, is a most helpful tool to minimize the impact of an accident. The Information System described herein fulfils mainly the third objective, i.e. it is intended to help the Civil Protection System in Portugal, to respond to an emergency caused by the failure of a dam. It is an Internet-based application, which integrates all relevant data for the implementation of a dam emergency plan. These data include the main characteristics of the dam and its reservoir, the character-isation of the dam downstream valley as well as the response procedures to be followed in an emergency. © Proceedings ISCRAM 2004.
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Cláudio Sapateiro, & Pedro Antunes. (2009). An emergency response model toward situational awareness improvement. In S. J. J. Landgren (Ed.), ISCRAM 2009 – 6th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Boundary Spanning Initiatives and New Perspectives. Gothenburg: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: When facing emergency scenarios, several contingent factors may strongly condition the pre-defined response procedures. The proposed approach takes the perspective that an emergency response tool may guide the response effort. The tool adopts a conceptual model grounded on existing situation awareness models and research work done with High Reliability Organizations. The model structures the emergency management process in a set of dimensions that should be collaboratively correlated by the involved participants in order to mitigate the disruptive situation. An instantiation of the proposed approach is also described in the paper, focusing on IT service desk teams addressing emergency incidents that may compromise business continuity.
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Tim Schoenharl, Greg Madey, Gábor Szabó, & Albert-László Barabási. (2006). WIPER: A multi-agent system for emergency response. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 282–287). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: This paper describes the proposed WIPER system. WIPER is intended to provide emergency planners and responders with an integrated system that will help to detect possible emergencies, as well as to suggest and evaluate possible courses of action to deal with the emergency. The system is designed as a multi-agent system using web services and the service oriented architecture. Components of the system for detecting and mitigating emergency situations can be added and removed from the system as the need arises. WIPER is designed to evaluate potential plans of action using a series of GIS enabled Agent-Based simulations that are grounded on realtime data from cell phone network providers. The system relies on the DDDAS concept, the interactive use of partial aggregate and detailed realtime data to continuously update the system and allow emergency planners to stay updated on the situation. The interaction with the system is done using a web-based interface and is composed of several overlaid layers of information, allowing users rich detail and flexibility.
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Benjamin Schooley, Brian Hilton, Yoonmi Lee, Rondalynne McClintock, Samuel-Ojo Olusola, & Thomas Horan. (2010). CrashHelp: A GIS tool for managing emergency medical responses to motor vehicle crashes. 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 paper presents the research, design, and development of a comprehensive trauma information system inclusive of 911dispatch, Emergency Medical Services, and hospital trauma information. A proof-of-concept GIS based information system was designed and developed for use by trauma and emergency medical practitioners. Methods used include end-user focus group discussions, quantitative and qualitative data analysis, and an iterative system development process. A framework from prior research was utilized; a framework that considers the visualization of emergency medical events across an end-to-end continuum of patient care. Analyses performed provided a multi-layered understanding of the practical and theoretical implications of using an end-to-end information schema for emergency response and trauma health systems.
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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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Alexander Smirnov, Tatiana Levashova, & Nikolay Shilov. (2010). Ubiquitous computing in emergency: Profile-based situation response. 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: Ubiquitous computing opens new possibilities to various aspects of human activities. The paper proposes an approach to emergency situation response that benefits of the ubiquitous computing. The approach is based on utilizing profiles to facilitate the coordination of the activities of the emergency response operation members. The major idea behind the approach is to represent the operation members together with information sources as a network of services that can be configured via negotiation of participating parties. Such elements as profile structure, information source model and negotiation protocol are described in detail.
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Alexander Smirnov, Tatiana Levashova, & Nikolay Shilov. (2013). Context-based knowledge fusion patterns in decision support system for emergency 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. 597–606). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: The purpose of this paper is discovery of context-based knowledge fusion patterns. Knowledge fusion is considered as an appearance of new knowledge in consequence of processes ongoing in decision support systems. The knowledge fusion processes are considered within a system intended to support decisions on planning emergency response actions. The knowledge fusion patterns are generalized with regard to preservation of internal structures and autonomies of information and knowledge sources involved in the knowledge fusion and to knowledge fusion results. The found patterns give a general idea of knowledge fusion processes taking place at the operational stage of decision support system functioning, i.e. the stage where context-aware functions of the system come into operation. As a practical application, such patterns can support engineers with making choice of knowledge sources to be used in the systems they design.
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Sophia B. Liu, Leysia Palen, Jeannette N. Sutton, Amanda L. Hughes, & Sara Vieweg. (2008). In search of the bigger picture: The emergent role of on-line photo sharing in times of disaster. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 140–149). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Eyewitness photography is increasingly playing a more significant role in disaster response and recovery efforts. This research elaborates on the ways in which members of the public participate during times of disaster by closely examining the evolving role of a prominent photo-sharing website, Flickr, in events that have occurred since its launch in February 2004. We discuss features of Flickr's emerging evolutionary growth as a community forum for disaster-related grassroots activity based on the findings from our qualitative study of 29 groups across six disasters over Flickr's nearly three-year lifespan. Our findings discuss efforts toward the development of norms that attempt to guide the nature of social practice around photographic content during disaster response and recovery efforts.
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Nathaniel Inglis Steinfeld. (2012). Federal emergency and disaster requests for tribal lands. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: Indian tribes have a special relationship with the federal government that dates back to the establishment of the United States. Federal disaster law, however, treats tribes as local governments and gives little weight to the historic relationship and lands of tribes. Instead of communicating as sovereign governments, tribes must first submit a disaster request to state officials, who then have discretion in transmitting the information to the federal government. This additional step in communication harms two important goals in disaster response on tribal lands: Efficiency and respectfulness in emergency communication and assistance. This paper examines how the legal framework that frames that intergovernmental communication. With this short introduction, this paper hopes to draw attention to the unique characteristics of tribal government, Indian law, and disasters on tribal land. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Andrea H. Tapia, Kartikeya Bajpai, Bernard J. Jansen, & John Yen. (2011). Seeking the trustworthy tweet: Can microblogged data fit the information needs of disaster response and humanitarian relief organizations. In E. Portela L. S. M.A. Santos (Ed.), 8th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: From Early-Warning Systems to Preparedness and Training, ISCRAM 2011. Lisbon: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Message data has, as yet, not been adopted by large-scale, international humanitarian relief organizations in an instrumental fashion. While the largest of these organizations have adopted messaging as part of their Public Relations functions, few have used any form of message data originating in the field, at the time of disaster. The message data being contributed by bystanders and those affected by a disaster, as it is happening, has largely been deemed as unverifiable and untrustworthy, and thus construed as unsuitable for incorporation into established mechanisms for organizational decision-making. In this paper, we describe the discursive barriers to the use of microblogged data by Humanitarian NGOs during times of disaster. We present data and findings from a study involving representatives from thirteen humanitarian organizations. Our analysis suggests that the organizational barriers, both in terms of function and structure, and the data itself, form barriers to organizational use of microblogged data. We propose three socio-technical solutions to surpassing adoption bottlenecks, namely bounded microblogging, microblogged data as contextual data, and/or use of computational solutions.
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Andrea H. Tapia, Kathleen A. Moore, & Nichloas J. Johnson. (2013). Beyond the trustworthy tweet: A deeper understanding of microblogged data use by disaster response and humanitarian relief organizations. 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. 770–779). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: In this paper we present findings from interviews conducted with representatives from large international disaster response organizations concerning their use of social media data in crisis response. We present findings in which the barriers to use by responding organizations have gone beyond simple discussions of trustworthiness to that of more operational issues rather than mere data quality. We argue that the landscape of the use of microblogged data in crisis response is varied, with pockets of use and acceptance among organizations. We found that microblogged data is useful to responders in situations where information is limited, such as at the beginning of an emergency response effort, and when the risks of ignoring an accurate response outweigh the risks of acting on an incorrect one. In some situations, such as search and rescue operations, microblogged data may never meet the standards of quality required. In others, such as resource and supply management, microblogging data could be useful as long as it is appropriately verified and classified.
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Andrea H. Tapia, Nicolas LaLone, & Hyun-Woo Kim. (2014). Run amok: Group crowd participation in identifying the bomb and bomber from the Boston marathon bombing. 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. 265–274). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: In this paper we tell a version of the story of the bombing of the Boston Marathon. At first, two online groups gathered images, video and textual information concerning the bombing of the Boston Marathon and shared these with the FBI and amongst themselves. Secondly, these groups then created mechanisms to conduct their own investigation into the identities of the perpetrators. Finally, the larger national media followed the results of these online group investigations and reported these as fact to a national audience. We choose Twitter as our data repository and conducted quantitative analyses of tweets sent during the Boston Bombing. The implications for not incorporating public crowd participation within the standard operating procedures of emergency services may result in either a loss of public confidence in the slow-moving nature of official response to uncontrollable, dangerous and irresponsible public and media participation that exacerbates the negative effects of any disaster.
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Adriaan Ter Mors, Xiaoyu Mao, Nicola Roos, Cees Witteveen, & Alfons H. Salden. (2007). Multi-agent system support for scheduling aircraft de-icing. 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. 467–478). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Results from disaster research suggest that methods for coordination between individual emergency responders and organizations should recognize the independence and autonomy of these actors. These actor features are key factors in effective adaptation and improvisation of response to emergency situations which are inherently uncertain. Autonomy and adaptability are also well-known aspects of a multi-agent system (MAS). In this paper we present two MAS strategies that can effectively handle aircraft deicing incidents. These MAS strategies help improve to prevent and reduce e.g. airplane delays at deicing stations due to changing weather conditions or incidents at the station, where aircraft agents adopting pre-made plans that would act on behalf of aircraft pilots or companies, would only create havoc. Herein each agent using its own decision mechanism deliberates about the uncertainty in the problem domain and the preferences (or priorities) of the agents. Furthermore, taking both these issues into account each proposed MAS strategy outperforms a naive first-come, first-served coordination strategy. The simulation results help pilots and companies taking decisions with respect to the scheduling of the aircraft for deicing when unexpected incidents occur: they provide insights in the impacts and means for robust selection of incident-specific strategies on e.g. deicing station delays of (individual) aircraft.
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Sébastien Tremblay, Daniel Lafond, Jean-François Gagnon, Vincent Rousseau, & Rego Granlund. (2010). Extending the capabilities of the C3Fire microworld as a testing platform for research in emergency response 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: The present paper describes the C3Fire microworld and the testing capabilities it provides for research in emergency response management. We start with a general description of C3Fire and report extensions that add a new subtask (search and rescue) relevant to the context of emergency response and a vocal communication system. We then describe how various organizational structures can be designed using this task environment and several metrics of major interest for research in crisis management, related to task performance, communication, coordination effectiveness, monitoring effectiveness, recovery from interruptions, detection of critical changes, and team adaptation. The microworld constitutes a highly flexible testing platform for research in team cognition, cognitive systems engineering and decision support for crisis management.
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Sébastien Tremblay, Peter Berggren, Martin Holmberg, Rego Granlund, Marie-Eve Jobidon, & Paddy Turner. (2012). A multiteam international simulation of joint operations in crisis response. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: Concepts such as trust, shared understanding, cultural differences, mental workload, and organizational structure all impact upon the effectiveness of an organization (e.g., Tindale & Kameda, 2000), and even more so in the context of large scale multinational operations (e.g, Smith, Granlund, & Lindgen, 2010). In order to study these concepts we plan a multinational, distributed experiment with participants from three nations collaborating in the same virtual environment: Canadian, British, and Swedish participants will work together as part of a multinational MTS to deal with a complex task and gain control of a crisis situation. Empirical research on MTS remains limited (see, e.g., DeChurch & Marks, 2006) particularly at the multinational level where the investigation of MTS has been so far focused on case studies and exercises (e.g., Goodwin, Essens, & Smith, 2012). Therefore, there is a need to empirically study multinational MTS in order to assess the specific issues that multinational operations face, notably cultural and languages differences. The simulation environment used as experimental platform for this project is C3Fire (www.c3fire.org, Granlund & Granlund, 2011). C3Fire creates an environment whereby teams must work together to resolve a crisis in the firefighting domain, with the goal of evacuating people in critical areas, putting out the forest fire, and protecting buildings and other areas of value from the burning forest fire. This platform makes it possible to study participants' collaborative processes when dealing with a set of crisis scenarios in the context of a simulated emergency response situation. To deal efficiently with the crisis management operation, participants need to prioritize between different objectives, identify and protect critical areas, and plan and implement activities based on given resources. All these tasks are distributed between team members, compelling participants to exchange information and coordinate within and between teams to execute the task. The task is divided into three areas of responsibility as follows: 1) Information and Planning, responsible for situation assessment and providing the operating picture; 2) Operation and Logistic, responsible for intervention and resource management; and 3) Search and Rescue, responsible for research and management of civilians. C3Fire is designed to: 1) achieve an optimal compromise between internal and external validity; 2) show flexibility in scenario configuration (spectrum of units and roles – including search and rescue functions; Tremblay et al., 2010), allowing researchers to capture emergency response and crisis management and rapid response planning; 3) be highly configurable for testing many different types of teams (e.g., hierarchical vs. horizontal organizations); and 4) readily provide objective, non-intrusive metrics for assessing teamwork effectiveness (including macrocognitive functions and team processes) as well as quantitative measures of task performance (that take into account conflicting mission goals). © 2012 ISCRAM.
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