Abstract: ALARM is a modular IT-solution to support emergency medical service (EMS) providers and rescue staff in mass casualty incident response and training. Seven modules were implemented, covering the entire process from preliminary triage, treatment support and resource management to tactical information and registration. Communication technology is used to close information and documentation gaps. The system uses medical algorithms and telemedicine to improve patient treatment. The ALARM system generates logs automatically including procedural time stamps and outcome factors such as triage and transport categories. This allows an objective analysis and comparison of missions and opens a new approach to evidence based MCI management and training. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: Emergency management in highly dynamic situations consists of exploring options to solve a planning problem. This task can be supported through the use of visual cues that are based on domain knowledge of the current domain. We present an approach to use visualization of critical constraints in timelines and hierarchical views as decision support in mass-casualty emergency situations.

Abstract: The development of sustainable tsunami early warning systems (TEWS) requires the adoption of proven standards for components on all system levels. This is crucial to ensure the successful operation of the overall system in the long term. Currently, components, data formats and models used to build an individual TEWS come from independent development efforts, using non-standardized proprietary interfaces. Integrating these components into a TEWS requires additional work effort due to the proprietary technologies and formats. This article discusses alternative cost-effective approaches. The successful integration of the TEWS system components depends critically on the adoption and application of industry standards and good practices. From this perspective, this article examines the role of tsunami simulation models, and the challenge to integrate the data products generated from independent tsunami models for a TEWS. The significance of tsunami simulation products, consisting of data and metadata, for the overall early warning workflow is described, including data exchange (among multiple TEWS) and information visualization in combination with additional spatial information. As an outcome, the use of standardized data formats for simulation products is recommended for future work. This approach is demonstrated on a simulation of the March 2011 Tohoku-Oki mega thrust earthquake.

Abstract: The present paper introduces a comprehensive Transportation Security Risk Assessment Framework for assessing related risks and provides cohered contingency management procedures in interconnected, interdependent and heterogeneous transport networks. The proposed approach includes elements, methodological tools and approaches found in the literature, in addition to operational experience from the organization of major events.

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.

Abstract: The dynamic nature of crisis response operations and the rigidity of workflow modelling languages are two things that do not go well together. A recent alternative approach to workflow management systems that allows for more flexibility is the iTask system. It uses an embedded functional language for the specification of workflow models that integrates control-flow with data-flow in dynamic data-dependent workflow specifications. Although there is a variety of publications about the iTask workflow definition language (WDL) and its implementation, its applications have been limited to academic toy examples. To explore the iTasks WDL for crisis response applications, we have developed an iTask specification of the Search And Rescue (SAR) workflow of the Netherlands Coast Guard. In this specification we capture the mix of standard procedures and creative improvisation of which a SAR operation exists.

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.

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.

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.

Abstract: Emergency Managers face a number of critical problems related to the compilation, validation, and use of Emergency Procedures. Traditional approaches do not provide enough expressiveness to accurately specify emergency procedures covering each possible scenario. As a result of this situation, Emergency Procedures are not as useful as they should be, neither in prevention nor during resolution of an emergency. In this work, we present an approach that merges two techniques to provide the broad expressiveness required when specifying Emergency Procedures. To represent sequences on actions performed by different participants we use workflow techniques. On the other hand, we use rules to represent available or mandatory actions according to the state of the system during the emergency. These rules are expressed in dynamic logic as the underlying formalism. Our approach provides more expressiveness and precision for the specification of Emergency Procedures, offering better conditions for their verification and validation. As a case study we have used part of a city subway Emergency Procedure.

Abstract: This paper describes five problem areas of communication that occur during crisis response. These areas are communication infrastructure, situation awareness, individual and organizational common ground, form and content of messages, and communication paths through organizations. Five focus groups with Swedish field personnel from national and international crises were performed. The main contribution of this article is a hypothesis, based on the outcomes of the focus groups, about the relation between communication problems and how they interact with crisis response work.

Abstract: Collaboration and task management is challenging in distributed, dynamically-formed teams, typical in large scale disaster response scenarios. Ineffective collaboration may potentially result in poor performance and loss of life. The increased adoption of sensor rich mobile devices allow for mobile context to be leveraged. In this paper, we present Overseer, an agent-based system that exploits context information from mobile devices to facilitate collaboration and task allocation. We describe how mobile context can be used to create dynamic role-based assignments to enhance collaboration and effective task management.