|
Linda Plotnick, Elizabeth Avery Gomez, Connie White, & Murray Turoff. (2007). Furthering development of a unified emergency scale using Thurstone's Law of Comparative Judgment: A progress report. 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. 411–418). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In disasters, local civilians on or near the scene, are often first to respond and give aid. Therefore, the public needs to be well-informed with accurate, time critical information. However, a primary information source is event-specific scales that are inconsistent in their categorization and measurement, adding confusion to public responsiveness. These scales are not extendable to new emergencies in a changing world. We argue for development of a unified emergency scale to facilitate communication and understanding. This scale will inform local communities with regional community-specific information, and will be extendable for further use by professional responders. Research in progress elicited 15 dimensions of an emergency using a Delphi-like process and then ranked the dimensions by importance utilizing Thurstone's Law of Comparative Judgment. Contributions of this paper are to highlight the need for an unequivocal, unified scale and further its development.
|
|
|
Teun Terpstra, & Hanneke Vreugdenhil. (2011). Filling in the blanks: Constructing effective flood warning messages using the Flood Warning Communicator (FWC). 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: This paper reports the progress that is being made in developing a software tool (the Flood Warning Communicator, FWC) that helps communication professionals constructing effective flood-warning messages. The program provides authorities with a warning message that contains open spaces where event specific information can be inserted. The program uses a database containing (parts of) phrases. Based on the specific situation, a communication professional receives the most suitable standard phrase by clicking on information buttons in a user interface. Together, the phrases form the warning message that sometimes requires minor adjustments such that it suits the specific circumstances. FWC is a well working prototype that allows constructing messages for web sites and short text messages (sms). Research is needed to test and validate these warning messages. In addition, cooperation with public authorities is necessary to make the program suitable for local circumstances (e.g., safety regions and municipalities).
|
|