Imen Bizid, Patrice Boursier, Jacques Morcos, & Sami Faiz. (2015). A Classification Model for the Identification of Prominent Microblogs Users during a Disaster. 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: Content shared in microblogs during disasters is expressed in various formats and languages. This diversity makes the information retrieval process more complex and computationally infeasible in real time. To address this, we propose a classification model for the identification of prominent users who are sharing relevant and exclusive information during the disaster. Users who have shared at least one tweet about the disaster are modeled using three kinds of time-sensitive features, including topical, social and geographical features. Then, these users are classified into two classes using a linear Support Vector Machine (SVM) to evaluate them over the extracted features and identify the most prominent ones. The first results using the actual dataset, show that our model has a high accuracy by detecting most of the prominent users. Moreover, we demonstrate that all the proposed features used by our model are indispensable to achieve this high accuracy.
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Muhammad Imran, Shady Elbassuoni, Carlos Castillo, Fernando Díaz, & Patrick Meier. (2013). Extracting information nuggets from disaster- Related messages in 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. 791–801). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Microblogging sites such as Twitter can play a vital role in spreading information during “natural” or man-made disasters. But the volume and velocity of tweets posted during crises today tend to be extremely high, making it hard for disaster-affected communities and professional emergency responders to process the information in a timely manner. Furthermore, posts tend to vary highly in terms of their subjects and usefulness; from messages that are entirely off-topic or personal in nature, to messages containing critical information that augments situational awareness. Finding actionable information can accelerate disaster response and alleviate both property and human losses. In this paper, we describe automatic methods for extracting information from microblog posts. Specifically, we focus on extracting valuable “information nuggets”, brief, self-contained information items relevant to disaster response. Our methods leverage machine learning methods for classifying posts and information extraction. Our results, validated over one large disaster-related dataset, reveal that a careful design can yield an effective system, paving the way for more sophisticated data analysis and visualization systems.
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Ingo J. Timm, Bernhard Hess, & Fabian Lorig. (2019). Data Acquisition for ad-hoc Evacuation Simulations of Public Buildings. 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: Crowd simulation is suitable to evaluate evacuation strategies but its validity strongly depends on the quality of input
data. The acquisition of adequate input data is particularly challenging when simulating the evacuation of public
buildings such as universities. As they are publicly accessible, the exact number of persons on site is unknown.
Yet, to investigate specific emergency situations by means of simulation, e.g. amok or fire, information is required
about distribution and amount of people within the building at a specific point of time. Due to data privacy, public
buildings do not implement access control. However, data artifacts are available in various information systems,
e.g., wifi data, room administration. Our hypothesis is, that the acquisition and fusion of such data artifacts is
sufficient to enable data-based ad-hoc simulation of evacuation scenarios as decision support for the operations
management. To this end, we introduce a procedure for the situation-dependent collection fusion of simulation
input data. Furthermore, a case study is provided to demonstrate the feasibility of the approach.
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Yasir Javed, Tony Norris, & David Johnston. (2010). Design approach to an emergency decision support system for mass evacuation. 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 is directed primarily to investigating the information needs of emergency managers following recognition of a risk of volcanic eruption. These needs include type of information required during the collection, integration, synthesis, presentation, and sharing of information. This will identify and model the processes underpinning the design of an emergency decision support system (EDSS). Exploration of the information needs, flows, and processes involved in emergency decision making can improve the design of EDSS both in terms of their content and the all-important human-system interfaces that determine their usability.The information attributes and flows then lead to the development of a prototype system that can be evaluated to test and refine the concepts.
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Joanne I. White, & Leysia Palen. (2015). Participatory Mapping for Disaster Preparedness: The Development & Standardization of Animal Evacuation Maps. 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: People who own animals are faced with complex decision making in evacuations. In the US, the Emergency Operations Center is often inundated with calls from animal owners who are aware they are under pre- or mandatory evacuation, but are unsure of what to do about evacuating their animals. Often animal evacuation is a highly improvised activity for owners and responders, though there is a now a general push toward streamlining procedures because of the high impact the matter of animals has on society?s welfare during times of emergency. This paper reports on the use of participatory design methods in a mapping project to support the range of people involved in animal evacuation during mass displacement events. The work provides insight into both procedures and standards for creating evacuation maps that communicate clearly with the public and across the range of emergency responders.
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Julien Coche, Aurelie Montarnal, Andrea Tapia, & Frederick Benaben. (2020). Automatic Information Retrieval from Tweets: A Semantic Clustering Approach. 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. 134–141). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Much has been said about the value of social media messages for emergency services. The new uses related to these platforms bring users to share information, otherwise unknown in crisis events. Thus, many studies have been performed in order to identify tweets relating to a crisis event or to classify these tweets according to certain categories. However, determining the relevant information contained in the messages collected remains the responsibility of the emergency services. In this article, we introduce the issue of classifying the information contained in the messages. To do so, we use classes such as those used by the operators in the call centers. Particularly we show that this problem is related to named entities recognition on tweets. We then explain that a semi-supervised approach might be beneficial, as the volume of data to perform this task is low. In a second part, we present some of the challenges raised by this problematic and different ways to answer it. Finally, we explore one of them and its possible outcomes.
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Ke Wang, Yongsheng Yang, Genserik Reniers, Jian Li, & Quanyi Huang. (2021). An Attribute-based Model to Retrieve Storm Surge Disaster Cases. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 567–580). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: In China, storm surge disasters cause severe damages in coastal regions. One of the most important tasks is to predict affected regions and their relative damage levels to support decision-making. This study develops a two-stage retrieval model to search the most similar past disaster case to complete prediction. Based on spatial attributes of cases, the top-ranking past cases with a similar location to the target case are selected. Among these past cases, the most similar past case is selected by disaster attribute similarities. Three typical storm surge case studies have been used and implemented into this proposed model and the results show that all the most affected regions can be predicted. The proposed model simplifies the prediction process and updates results quickly. This study provides useful information for the government to make real-time response plans.
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Kevin D. Henry, & Tim G. Frazier. (2015). Scenario-Based Modeling of Community Evacuation Vulnerability. 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: Evacuation models can be used to determine evacuation capacity, by estimating the time required for evacuating populations to leave areas exposed to a hazard. Disaster management practices and evacuation modeling are generally carried out to prepare for ?worst-case? conditions. However, hazard severity is highly variable. Performing evacuation modeling for multiple hazard scenarios may provide flexibility and a comprehensive understanding of evacuation capacity. A case study was undertaken to analyze the merit of scenario-based evacuation modeling. Results demonstrate a difference in clearance time between maximum and historic tsunami scenario modeling. During a smaller-scale event, allowing the maximum scenario population to evacuate can add congestion and inhibit evacuation of at-risk populations. Managing evacuation can improve evacuation efficiency by preventing unneeded congestion. Results show that traditional worst-case-scenario modeling may lead to overestimation of time needed to evacuate. Planning under such a scenario may increase risk to smaller-scale hazards.
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Diego Klappenbach, Silvia Hollfelder, Andreas Meissner, & Stefan Wilbert. (2004). From analog voice radio to ICT: Data communication and data modeling for the German NBC Reconnaissance Vehicle. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2004 – 1st International Workshop on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 145–150). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: In Germany, the public safety system is largely organized by the German Federal States, which operate, among other equipment, a fleet of Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Reconnaissance Vehicles (NBC RVs) to take measurements in contaminated areas. Currently, the NBC RVs, which have been centrally designed and procured by the German Center for Civil Defense, verbally report measured values to a Central Control Unit (CCU) over the assigned Public Safety Organization (PSO) analog voice radio channel. This procedure has several disadvantages. The channel is not secure, puts a natural limit on the achievable throughput and thus on the number of NBC RVs that can be operational simultaneously. Also, while data is being reported, other PSO members are blocked from sending. Finally, a proprietary model is used to structure the NBC RV data, so the data can only be aggregated and evaluated at the CCU but not by any other PSO unit. To overcome these problems, we propose in this paper a heterogeneous and flexible communication platform that complies with reliability and coverage requirements for PSO. More specifically, our proposed system is designed to replace current ways of communicating between NBC RVs and the CCU. We also propose to standardize data structures for data exchange to enable PSO cooperation. A drastically higher number of measured values can then be transmitted to the CCU, and the data can be processed in a much more effective manner in the CCU as well as in cooperating PSO task forces. Ultimately, this will improve NBC RV missions and consequently shorten PSO response time when dealing with NBC disasters. © Proceedings ISCRAM 2004.
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Kuntke, F., Bektas, M., Buhleier, L., Pohl, E., Schiller, R., & Reuter, C. (2023). How Would Emergency Communication Based On LoRaWAN Perform? Empirical Findings of Signal Propagation in Rural Areas. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 1042–1050). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies are typically promoted for Internet-of-Things (IoT) applications, but are also of interest for emergency communications systems when regular fixed and mobile networks break down. Although LoRaWAN is a frequently used representative here, there are sometimes large differences between the proposed range and the results of some practical evaluations. Since previous work has focused on urban environments or has conducted simulations, this work aims to gather concrete knowledge on the transmission characteristics in rural environments. Extensive field studies with varying geographic conditions and comparative tests in urban environments were performed using two different hardware implementations. Overall, it was found that the collected values in rural areas are significantly lower than the theoretical values. Nevertheless, the results certify that LoRaWAN technology has a high range that cannot be achieved with other common technologies for emergency communications.
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Jaana Kuula, Pauli Kettunen, Vili Auvinen, Santtu Viitanen, Olli Kauppinen, & Tuomo Korhonen. (2013). Smartphones as an alerting, command and control system for the preparedness groups and civilians: Results of preliminary tests with the finnish police. 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. 42–51). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Traditional mobile phones have been used for alerting purposes by utilizing their SMS and cell broadcasting features. They do however not suit for demanding alerting and command purposes, for the observation of special forces, rescue officers and civilians, or for the post-evaluation of the operation. Current 3G and 4G/LTE smartphones can do all this, but the empirical evidence is missing. This article reports of the preliminary tests which the University of Jyväskylä has made with the Finnish Police for alerting civilians and for commanding two special groups of the police with smartphones. Smartphones were also used for observing police officers' position and status and for post-evaluating action during and after the operation. The study supports using smartphones for alerting, command and control purposes. Because of external distractions alerts are noticed better at night than in the daytime. In active hours personal alerts should be given not only by a voice alarm but by stimulating 2-3 senses at the same time. Noticing of smartphone alerts might be improved also by using some additional reception device with the handset.
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Landsberg, L., Gleibs, T., & Mudimu, O. A. (2023). Design of a Systems Theory Approach for the Evaluation of C2-Systems. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 692–700). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: The course of large-scale incidents as well as disasters can reveal weaknesses in command and control (C2) systems, which make adjustments necessary. Also, new technologies may require C2-systems to be adapted to achieve their full potential for improving incident command. This paper deals with an approach to enable the comparison and evaluation of different C2-systems or their adaptations in order to find the best possible customizations for C2-systems. To this purpose, systems theory is used to unify the approaches of different research disciplines. Within the C2-system boundaries, distinctions were made to represent three different levels of evaluation: “Physical Characteristics”, “Structures and Processes” as well as “C2-system-effectiveness”. During the implementation of the evaluation methods from the different research disciplines into the systems theory approach, it became apparent that the comprehensive approach is desirable, but that broad knowledge and expertise is necessary, especially at the highest evaluation level “C2-system-effectiveness”.
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Vitaveska Lanfranchi, Suvodeep Mazumdar, & Fabio Ciravegna. (2013). Evaluating the real usability of a C2 system – Short and controlled vs long and real. 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. 62–66). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Command and Control systems (C2) need to be highly usable to efficiently support communication during crisis situations. Short-term usability evaluations are typically carried out because of the cost and time advantage. However, even the most realistic evaluations (simulations) do not reflect the real issues encountered “in the wild”, such as the operators' stress or the multiple foci of attention. In this paper we carry out an experiment to measure the changes in usability of a C2 system between a short-term simulation and a long-term “in the wild” evaluation. We demonstrate that short-term usability measurements can differ significantly from long-term “in the wild” ones. Our results indicate that a different approach to usability assessment is needed when dealing with critical systems, that takes into account the temporal horizon and assesses the system in real-life conditions.
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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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Ana Laugé, Josune Hernantes, & Jose Mari Sarriegi. (2013). Disaster impact assessment:A holistic framework. 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. 730–734). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: One of the important aspects of the crisis management consists in a comprehensive analysis of the impacts generated and their associated cost. The capacity to carry out an efficient holistic management, through the development of preventive measures and response programs relies on a proper estimation of impacts which helps to mitigate the harshness or can even avoid impacts in face of future crises. The aim of this paper is to analyse existing methodologies for natural disasters' impact evaluation, the identification of the different impact categories as well as the explanation of a natural disasters impact framework, which includes a list of indicators for a correct impact assessment. The framework also analyses the evolution of impacts, that is, how immediate impacts can also generate delayed impacts.
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Lennart Landsberg, Jörg Schmidt, & Ompe Aimé Mudimu. (2022). Synthesising Comparisons to Develop a Generic Command and Control System. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 392–403). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: Large and small incidents challenge emergency services around the world. Regardless of the size of the incident, command and control (C2)-systems are used to manage the situation, allowing a rapid and coordinated intervention. As all implemented actions result from the outputs of C2-systems, they are a fundamental component of the response. That is why they must be highly reliable and efficient. A research initiative is therefore addressing the approach of evaluating C2-systems on a scenario basis and using key performance indicators (KPI). To ensure that the KPIs can be applied to any form of incident control, a generic C2-system was developed by comparing and merging six German- and English-language C2-systems as well as one international standard. With this step, a comprehensive and detailed C2-system was developed, which is presented in this paper.
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Leorey Marquez, Pawan Gamage, Dhirendra Singh, Vincent Lemiale, Trevor Dess, Peter Ashton, et al. (2023). SEEKER: A Web-Based Simulation Tool for Planning Community Evacuations. In V. L. Thomas J. Huggins (Ed.), Proceedings of the ISCRAM Asia Pacific Conference 2022 (pp. 8–24). Palmerston North, New Zealand: Massey Unversity.
Abstract: Bushfires cause widespread devastation in Australia, one of the most fire-prone countries on earth. Bushfire seasons are also becoming longer and outbreaks of severe bushfires are occurring more often. This creates the problem of having more people at risk in very diverse areas resulting in more difficult mass evacuations over time. The Barwon Otway region in Victoria’s Surf Coast Shire is one such area with evacuation challenges due to its limited routes in and out of coastal areas and its massive population surges during the tourist season and holiday periods. The increasing gravity of the bushfire threat to the region has brought about the Great Ocean Road Decision Support System (GOR-DSS) project, and the subsequent development of a disaster evacuation tool to support emergency management organisations assess evacuation and risk mitigation options. This paper describes the design and development of SEEKER (Simulations of Emergency Evacuations for Knowledge, Education and Response). The SEEKER tool adds another level of intelligence to the evacuation response by incorporating agent-based modelling and allows emergency management agencies to design and run evacuation scenarios and analyse the risk posed by the fire to the population and road network. Furthermore, SEEKER can be used to develop multiple evacuation scenarios to investigate and compare the effectiveness of each emergency evacuation plan. This paper also discusses the application of SEEKER in a case study, community engagement, and training.
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Benedikt Ley, Volkmar Pipek, Tim Siebigteroth, & Torben Wiedenhöefer. (2013). Retrieving and exchanging of information in inter- Organizational crisis management. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 812–822). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Information is the most valuable resource for coping and recovery work in crisis management. It is the foundation for coordination, collaboration and decision-making. However, several challenges face information retrieval, evaluation and exchange processes in inter-organizational crisis management. On the one hand, due to the dynamic nature of crisis situations, information demands are hardly predictable and change in the course of time. Moreover, inter-organizational issues like terminology issues, policy constrains or even the lack of awareness about information available are influencing factors and need to be considered in designing appropriate ICT. In this paper we report from an empirical study, where we had a closer look on information retrieval and exchange practices in scenarios of medium to large power outages in Germany on an interorganizational level. Derived from these results, we were able to present a reference implementation of an interorganizational information repository (IOIR) and report our findings from a related evaluation.
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Lili Yang, Qun Liu, Shuang-Hua Yang, & Dapeng Yu. (2015). Evacuation Planning with Flood Inundation as Inputs. 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: Recent flooding events happening in our city demonstrate frequency and severity of floods in the UK, highlighting the need to plan and prepare, and efficiently defend. Different from the numerous evacuation model and optimization algorithms, this paper aims to address flood evacuation planning with flood inundation as inputs. A dynamic flooding model and prediction to estimate the development of both surface water and flooding from rivers and watercourses has been fed into evacuation planning at various levels. A three-step approach is proposed. The first step is to identify assembly point designation. The second step is to find the candidate shortest path from each assembly point to all safe areas for all evacuees with consideration of possible inundation. The last step is to determine the optimal safe area for evacuees in the inundation area. The work presented in this paper has emphasized timing issue in evacuation planning. A case study is given to illustrate the use of the approach.
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P. Lin, & S.M. Lo. (2005). The application of quickest flow problem in urban evacuation planning. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 129–130). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: The provision of evacuation plan for people living in populated urban area is necessary to reduce the possible casualties under disasters. Time-varying quickest flow problem (TVQFP), which can simultaneously optimize the evacuation schedule, evacuation locations and evacuation routes, is adopted to optimize the evacuation planning of a city to minimize the clearance time of residents in danger. The integration of optimization model with GIS environment enables emergency managers to easily identify possible bottlenecks and to observe evacuation patterns in vivid pictures for further analysis and evaluation.
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Michael K. Lindell. (2011). Evacuation modelling: Algorithms, assumptions, and data. 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: Survey researchers need to, Find out what assumptions evacuation modelers are making and collect empirical data to replace incorrect assumptions;, Obtain data on the costs of evacuation to households, businesses, and local government; and, Extend their analyses to address the logistics of evacuation and the process of re-entry. Evacuation modelers need to, Incorporate available empirical data on household evacuation behavior, and, Generate estimates of the uncertainties in their analyses. Cognitive scientists need to, Conduct experiments on hurricane tracking and evacuation decision making to better understand these processes, and, Develop training programs, information displays, and performance aids to assist local officials who have little or no previous experience in hurricane evacuation decision making.
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Daniel Link, Kenny Meesters, Bernd Hellingrath, & Bartel A. Van De Walle. (2014). Reference task-based design of crisis management games. 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. 592–596). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: Serious games are an effective tool for giving players a hands-on, immersive experience of crisis situations. To simplify the design of such games while ensuring their relevance, we propose a design method that is based on reference tasks. The feasibility of this approach is demonstrated by the improved design of the serious game “Disaster in my Backyard” that has been played during ISCRAM Summer school 2013. The design incorporates humanitarian logistics, search-and-rescue and coordination tasks. We also present the lessons learned from this instantiation of the game and give an outlook towards future research, such as the evaluation of tools for crisis response and management through the use of serious games and reference tasks.
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Edward Mahinda, & Brian Whitworth. (2004). Evaluating flexibility and reliability in emergency response information systems. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2004 – 1st International Workshop on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 93–98). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Flexibility, variously known as adaptability, tailorability, and customizability, has long been recognized as important in information system (IS) success. Reliability has known value in IS for the resulting predictability it bestows on a system. However increasing flexibility can increase possible paths for system breakdown, and so contribute to failure, i.e. increasing flexibility can reduce reliability. Reliability and flexibility seem in design “tension”, as one creates change and the other resists it. The combination of reliability and flexibility has been called “ robustness”, and it seems a desirable integration particularly for emergency response systems. However typically these two areas are studied separately. Our approach to evaluating the combination of reliability and flexibility is to define two distinct requirements that neither overlap nor contradict, and can be assessed by system users. A questionnaire instrument for users is proposed for measurement of the flexibility and reliability of a system. © Proceedings ISCRAM 2004.
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Marc van den Homberg, Lydia Cumiskey, Esther Oprins, Pablo Suarez, & Anja van der Hulst. (2015). Are you Ready! to take early action? Embedding serious gaming into community managed DRR in Bangladesh. 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 applies a Game-based Learning Evaluation Model (GEM) to assess whether the early warning ? early action serious game ?Ready!? is an effective component to add to existing Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) training curricula, facilitated by NGO staff and applied at the community level. We developed a paper-based survey with 17 five-level Likert items and 15 open questions addressing the different GEM indicators to question 16 NGO staff, and used a simplified set of five questions with emoticons for 58 community people. The results showed that the staff saw great potential in embedding Ready! in DRR processes and that the community highly appreciated the game. The GEM was found to be a useful methodology to evaluate the effectiveness of this serious game. However, in the context of a lower educated and partly illiterate community, the importance of designing an individual, largely visual assessment instrument instead of a paper-based survey was acknowledged.
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Martin Hilljegerdes, & Ellen-Wien Augustijn-Beckers. (2019). Evaluating the effects of consecutive hurricane hits on evacuation patterns in Dominica. 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: The Caribbean island of Dominica is at constant risk of being hit by tropical storms during the hurricane season.
Therefore, Dominica and areas in similar situations need to raise their resilience to natural hazards. The potential
consequences of climate change intensify this risk. After a hurricane hit, repair of damage to buildings and
infrastructure can take several months. As hurricane frequency is increasing and time between hurricanes
fluctuates, modeling sequences of hurricane events can help to determine different evacuation strategies. This
paper introduces an agent-based model, simulating two hurricane events in one season. The prototype simulates
the movement of evacuees over a road network and damage to buildings and infrastructure. Initial results show
marked differences between road movements of evacuees during a second evacuation. Although shifts in the
average shelter occupation are small (up to 2%) for our case study, this can indicate that adjustments to shelter
capacities are necessary.
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