Benedikt Weber, Thomas Deckers, & Frank Wilson. (2013). Interoperability during a cross-border firefighting operation at the dutch-german border. 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. 925–926). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: This practitioner report describes a moor- And turf-fire that occurred in 2011 at the Dutch-German border and was engaged by forces both from the Netherlands and Germany. All involved emergency management organizations were facing interoperability issues when it came to cross-border cooperation, although cooperation handbooks were already in use and the involved organizations were used to work together. The size of the incident and it's remote location called for an increased coordination between all involved actors and across all command levels.
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Connie White, Murray Turoff, & Starr Roxanne Hiltz. (2010). A real time online Delphi Decision System, V 2.0: Crisis management support during extreme events. 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 Delphi Decision Maker system has been designed to support the decision making needs of crisis managers, considering factors such as stress, time pressure, information overload, and uncertainty. It has been built as a module for the Sahana Disaster Management system, a free and open source system. The Design Science research paradigm was used in an iterative development process. Triangulation was employed in the evaluation, analyzing the system against the research questions using both qualitative and quantitative statistics as well as proof of concept. Modifications need to be made for real world use. A second version of the system is under development. Research findings and future research are outlined in this work in progress.
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Gerhard Wickler, Austin Tate, & Stephen Potter. (2007). Integrating discrete event and process-level simulation for flexible training in the I-X framework. 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. 355–359). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The aim of this paper is to describe I-Sim, a simulation tool that is a fully integrated part of the underlying agent framework, I-X. I-Sim controls a discrete event simulator, based on the same activity model that is shared between all I-X components, and multiple process-level simulators that model the continuous change caused by actions that are considered as primitives by the rest of the system. The primary purpose of this tool is to support instructors during exercises that are used for training in emergency response. The main advantage the I-Sim tool gives the instructors is flexibility, allowing them to orchestrate and modify existing training scenarios on the fly, adapting them to trainees' needs as required.
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Rene Windhouwer, Gerdien A. Klunder, & F.M. Sanders. (2005). Decision support system emergency planning, creating evacuation strategies in the event of flooding. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 171–180). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: The Decision Support System (DSS) Emergency Planning is designed for use in the event of sea or river flooding. It makes accessible all the information related to the decision whether to evacuate an area. An important factor in this decision is the time required for the evacuation. The model used by the DSS Emergency Planning system to estimate the time required employs a strategy that prevents congestion on the road network in the area at risk. The use of the DSS Emergency Planning system during the proactive and prevention phases enables disaster containment organisations to prepare better for a flood situation. Moreover, all relevant information is saved and is therefore available for the post-disaster evaluation. The DSS Emergency Planning system can play a significant role in ensuring that the evacuation of an area at risk goes according to plan. In the future the DSS Emergency Planning system can also be used to evacuate people in the event of a nuclear, natural fire or extreme weather disaster.
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Max Wyss. (2005). Earthquake loss estimates applied in real time and to megacity risk assessment. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 297–299). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: Real time loss estimates within one to two hours after major earthquakes are becoming useful for disaster managers and rescue teams to respond rapidly and at an optimal level. Tests show that the accuracy is low, but major disasters can be reliably distinguished from inconsequential earthquakes. Many technical and organizational aspects of these estimates can and should be improved. An analysis of what magnitude of disaster is likely to occur, if a major earthquake should occur near a megacity in a developing country shows that much work needs to be done to mitigate the risk, and that the global community is ill prepared to deal with such large disasters.
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Xinyuan Zhang, & Nan Li. (2020). Assessment of the Correlation between Extreme Weather Event-Induced Human Mobility Perturbation in Urban Areas and their Spatial Characteristics based on Taxi Trajectories. 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. 366–380). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Extreme weather events (EWEs) are significant threats to urban regions. One major reflection of such impact is the EWE-induced perturbation to urban human mobility, which has been documented in a number of recent studies. This study aims to examine the spatial distribution of such perturbation within a city among different areas that are characterized by the type of function and the distance to city center. A case study was conducted on a major rainstorm in the City of Nanjing, China in 2017, based on trajectories of all taxis in the city before and during the rainstorm. It was found that the rainstorm caused decrease in people's travel demand throughout the city, although the magnitude of perturbation and level of resilience notably differed among areas of different functional types. In addition, the urban mobility in areas distant from the city center were relatively less influenced by the rainstorm.
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Sarp Yeletaysi, Frank Fiedrich, & John R. Harrald. (2008). A framework for integrating GIS and systems simulation to analyze operational continuity of the petroleum supply chain. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 586–595). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Crisis and disaster management is a field that requires the understanding and application of tools and knowledge from multiple disciplines. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005 have proven that U.S. petroleum infrastructure is vulnerable to major supply disruptions as a direct result of disasters. Due to the structure of U.S. oil supply chain, primary oil production centers (i.e. PADD* 3) are geographically separated from primary demand centers (i.e. PADD 1), which creates a natural dependency between those districts. To better understand the extent of those dependencies and downstream impacts of supply disruptions, a multi-disciplinary research approach is necessary. The cross-disciplines in this research include disaster management, critical infrastructure and oil supply chain management, and the utilization of geographic information systems (GIS) and systems simulation. This paper specifically focuses on the framework for integrating GIS and systems simulation as analysis tools in this research.
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Bo Yu, & Guoray Cai. (2012). Coordination of emergency response operations via the event-based awareness mechanism. 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: Emergency response involves collaboration among search and rescue workers, medical staff, transportation coordinators, and others to save human lives and minimize damages. While carrying out local activities, members of the teams must also attend to new events happening elsewhere that may affect their work, and be prepared to adjust their activities accordingly. This paper describes a computer supported coordination system, DACE (Dependency-based Awareness and Coordination Environment), which offers a scalable solution to coordination in emergency response. The system serves as a cognitive aid to human actors in both maintaining a group mental model of the overall collaborative activities and their dependencies, and determining the effects of events as they propagate through the web of dependencies. We demonstrate the principles and utility of the DACE system through a hypothetical scenario of search and rescue exercise. This work contributes to the goal of scaling up awareness-based coordination in emergency response. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Yuanyuan Li, Wenguo Weng, Tao Chen, & Hongyong Yuan. (2014). A Chinese earthquake database for casualty modelling. 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. 493–497). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: In order to conduct empirical casualty modelling in China, Chinese historical earthquake events is the essential basis. However, commonly used casualty databases that focus on Chinese earthquakes and provide comprehensive information rarely exist. Regarding this situation, we derived an earthquake casualty database of Mainland China from authorized Chinese published data sources. The casualty database records 520 earthquake events with magnitude 5.0 and greater where at least one casualty is recorded in the time span from 186 BC through December 2011. Each earthquake case contains information on seismic parameters, deaths tolls, number of heavy injuries and light injuries, as well as areas and population of affected regions from intensity VI to intensity IV. Compared with PAGER-CAT, this casualty database provides 146 unique earthquake events and provides more detailed information on heavy injuries and light injures, as well as areas and exposure population of affected regions. This casualty database is an essential supplement for global casualty databases and provides a basis for earthquake casualty modelling on post-earthquake risk estimation in China.
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Zeno Franco, Nina Zumel, John Holman, Kathy Blau, & Larry E. Beutler. (2009). Evaluating the impact of improvisation on the incident command system: A modified single case study using the DDD simulator. 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: This study attempted to evaluate the utility of the Incident Command System (ICS) in varying disaster contexts. ICS is mandated in the United States and practitioners assert that it is an effective organizing system for emergency management. However, researchers contend that the utility of ICS is conflated with inter-team familiarity gained during ICS exercises. A military team-in-the-loop simulator was customized to represent the problems, resources, and command structures found in civilian led disaster management teams. A modified single case design drawn from behavioral psychology was used to explore possible casual relationships between changes team heterogeneity and performance. The design also allowed for the evaluation of improvisation on performance. Further, psychological factors that may underpin improvisation were explored. In addition to some preliminary empirical findings, the successes and difficulties in adapting the DDD simulator are briefly discussed as part of an effort to achieved greater interdisciplinary integration.
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Zeno Franco, Nina Zumel, & Larry E. Beutler. (2007). A ghost in the system: Integrating conceptual and methodology considerations from the behavioral sciences into disaster technology research. 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. 115–124). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: As the complexity of disasters increases, a transdisciplinary conceptual framework designed to address three key variables-technology, disaster severity, and human characteristics-must be developed and elaborated. Current research at the nexus of disaster management and information science typically addresses one or two of these factors, but rarely accounts for all three adequately-thus rendering formal inquiry open to a variety of threats to validity. Within this tripartite model, several theories of human behavior in disaster are explored using the response of the Federal Government and the general public during Hurricane Katrina as an illustrative background. Lessons learned from practice-based scientific inquiry in the social sciences are discussed to address concerns revolving around measurement and statistical power in disaster studies. Finally, theory building within the transdisciplinary arena of disaster management and information science is encouraged as a way to improve the quality of future research.
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Jun Zhuang, John Coles, Peiqiu Guan, Fei He, & Xiaojun Shan. (2012). Strategic interactions in disaster preparedness and relief in the face of man-made and natural disasters. 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: Society is faced with a growing amount of property damage and casualties from man-made and natural disasters. Developing societal resilience to those disasters is critical but challenging. In particular, societal resilience is jointly determined by federal and local governments, private and non-profit sectors, and private citizens. We present a sequence of games among players such as federal, local, and foreign governments, private citizens, and adaptive adversaries. In particular, the governments and private citizens seek to protect lives, property, and critical infrastructure from both adaptive terrorists and non-adaptive natural disasters. The federal government can provide grants to local governments and foreign aid to foreign governments to protect against both natural and man-made disasters. All levels of government can provide pre-disaster preparation and post-disaster relief to private citizens. Private citizens can also make their own investments. The tradeoffs between protecting against man-made and natural disasters – specifically between preparedness and relief, efficiency and equity – and between private and public investment, will be discussed. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Andrea Zielinski, & Ulrich Bügel. (2012). Multilingual analysis of twitter news in support of mass emergency events. 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: Social media are increasingly becoming a source for event-based early warning systems in the sense that they can help to detect natural disasters and support crisis management during or after disasters. In this work-in-progress paper we study the problems of analyzing multilingual twitter feeds for emergency events. The present work focuses on English as “lingua franca” and on under-resourced Mediterranean languages in endangered zones, particularly Turkey, Greece, and Romania Generally, as local civil protection authorities and the population are likely to respond in their native language. We investigated ten earthquake events and defined four language-specific classifiers that can be used to detect earthquakes by filtering out irrelevant messages that do not relate to the event. The final goal is to extend this work to more Mediterranean languages and to classify and extract relevant information from tweets, translating the main keywords into English. Preliminary results indicate that such a filter has the potential to confirm forecast parameters of tsunami affecting coastal areas where no tide gauges exist and could be integrated into seismographic sensor networks. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Hans Zimmermann. (2006). Availability of technologies versus capabilities of users. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 66–71). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: The regulatory environment is no longer the primary hindrance to the full application of telecommunications technology in the service of emergency response, disaster prevention and relief, and crisis management. Nowadays the restricting factor is the lack of knowledge about the capabilities, but also the limitations, of the multitude of specialized and of public communication systems. This paper will analyze the situation with the help of some practical examples and will recommend an interdisciplinary multi-stakeholder based approach to an educational concept for emergency and disaster telecommunications.
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Christopher W. Zobel. (2010). Comparative visualization of predicted disaster resilience. 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 disaster resilience triangle is a simple but effective tool for illustrating the relationship between the initial impact of a disaster event and the subsequent time to recovery. This tool can also be expanded, however, to provide an analytic measure of the level of resilience exhibited by a particular entity in a given disaster situation. We build upon the previous work in this area by developing a new approach for visualizing and analyzing the tradeoffs between the two primary defining characteristics of the disaster resilience triangle. This new approach supports strategic decision making in a disaster planning environment by providing a straightforward means for directly comparing the relative predicted resilience of different critical facilities within an organization, with respect to both location and type of risk.
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Marian Zulean, & Gabriela Prelipcean. (2014). Emergency preparedness in the European union. 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. 513–517). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: European Union is an important global actor – in terms of economy, welfare and soft security – but its institutional development and ambitions has to consider both the issues of grand challenges, resilience, disaster management, in accordance with its citizens' will and skills. The Lisbon Treaty as well as the recent legislation on civil protection produced incremental change and improved the Emergency Management. However, there are not studies to check how the new institutions, the knowledge flows or decisions work. The final goal of this short paper is to structure an inquiring system and design a research project on assessing the civil protection policy in the EU through a Delphi study with experts and practitioners. While the first part frames the issues the second part will design the methodology and sampling strategy for a Delphi technique.
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