Abstract: This paper presents approaches on how to deal with terminological ambiguities (different understandings of terms in heterogeneous groups of actors) in collaborative systems. First we will give some insight on the conceptual and theoretical foundation surrounding the 'triangle of reference', a model of how linguistic symbols are related to the objects they represent. Then we will describe the results of our exploratory empirical study, which was conducted in Germany, and dealt with inter-organisational crisis communication. Based on this, we will then deduce requirements necessary for supporting and dealing with terminologies, and propose technical approaches for collaborative systems. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: Qualitative research methods like GABEK WinRelan are advantageous tools to analyze and thereby improve crisis management planning and communication systems by interrogating crisis management personnel. Contrary to quantitative methods they help to identify, explore, and structure new important aspects in this field and to formulate more specific research questions. This paper describes the usage and advantages of the qualitative method GABEK WinRelan within crisis management research, particularly within the e-Triage project which aims at the development of an electronic registration system of affected persons in mass casualty incidents. Furthermore it addresses different corresponding research fields like stress within emergency missions and the role GABEK WinRelan could play in examining these research fields. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: The need to gather and use decentralized information and resources in responding to disasters demands an integrated interface that can support large-scale collaboration. This paper describes the development of a collaboration tool interface. The tool will surpass existing groupware and social networking applications, providing easy entry, categorization, and visualization of masses of critical data; the ability to form ad-hoc teams with collaboration protocols for negotiated action; and agent-augmented mixed-initiative tracking and coordination of these activities. The paper reports user testing results concerning the data entry interface, emergent leadership, and the directed negotiation process. The paper also discusses planned enhancements, including formalized collaboration engineering and the use of a disaster simulation test bed.

Abstract: In this paper ongoing developments regarding the conceptual setup and subsequent implementation logic of a seamless spatio-temporal population dynamics model are presented. The DynaPop model aims at serving as basic input for social impact evaluation in crisis management. In addition to providing the starting point for assessing population exposure dynamics, i.e. the location and number of affected people at different stages during an event, knowledge of spatio-temporal population distribution patterns is also considered crucial for a set of other related aspects in disaster risk and crisis management including evacuation planning and casualty assessment. DynaPop is implemented via a gridded spatial disaggregation approach and integrates previous efforts on spatio-temporal modeling that account for various aspects of population dynamics such as human mobility and activity patterns that are particularly relevant in picturing the highly dynamic daytime situation.

Abstract: A central part of the work in Incident Commands (ICs) deals with handling messages that contain relevant information. Classification schemes for messages can be exploited by command staff and assisting tools to support this work, given that a common understanding of the scheme is shared among participants. We present user studies on two such classifications, which imply some disagreement among participants. Interpretations of the studies and a revised scheme are presented. All users in our studies are highly trained experts and represent the state of the art in german IC work.

Abstract: In order to coordinate emergency operations and evacuations, it is vital to accurately assess damage to people, property, and the environment. For decades remote sensing has been used to observe the Earth from air, space and ground based sensors. These sensors collect massive amounts of dynamic and geographically distributed spatiotemporal data every day. However, despite the immense quantity of data available, gaps are often present due to the specific limitations of the sensors or their carrier platforms. This article illustrates how nonauthoritative data such as social media, news, tweets, and mobile phone data can be used to fill in these gaps. Two case studies are presented which employ non-authoritative data to fill in the gaps for improved situational awareness during damage assessments and emergency evacuations.

Abstract: Although quantitative analytical information systems are an important resource for supporting decision-making in disaster operations management, not all aspects of a disaster situation can be easily quantified. For example, although the concept of the disaster resilience of a community has a technical dimension within which one can measure the resistance of the infrastructure against, and the speed of its recovery from, a disaster event, it also has social, organizational, and economic dimensions within which these characteristics may be more difficult to measure. This work-in-progress paper introduces a quantitative framework within which the multi-dimensional nature of such disaster resilience can be represented in a concise manner. This can help to improve understanding of the complexities associated with the concept, and thus directly support decision-making in disaster operations planning and management.

Abstract: Most definitions of disaster resilience incorporate both the capacity to resist the initial impact of a disaster and the ability to recover after it occurs. Being able to characterize and analyze resilient behavior can lead to improved understanding not only of the capabilities of a given system, but also of the effectiveness of different strategies for improving its resiliency. This paper presents an approach for quantifying the transient behavior resulting from a disaster event in a way that allows researchers to not only describe the transient response but also assess the impact of various factors (both main and interaction effects) on this response. This new approach combines simulation modeling, time series analysis, and statistical outlier detection to differentiate between disaster resistance and disaster recovery. Following the introduction of the approach, the paper provides a preliminary look at its relationship to the existing concept of predicted disaster resilience. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: Social Media monitoring has become a major issue in crisis and emergencies management. Indeed, social media may ease the sharing of information between citizens and Public Safety Organizations, but it also enables the rapid spreading of inaccurate information. As information is now provided and shared by anyone to anyone, information credibility is a major issue. We propose an approach to detect rumor in social media. This paper describes our work on semantic graph based information fusion, enhanced with uncertainty management capabilities. The uncertainty management capability enables managing the dierent level of credibility of actors of an emergency (dierent PSO oÿcers and citizens). Functions for information synthesis, conflicting information detection and information evaluation were developed and test during experimentation campaigns. The synthesis and conflicting information detection functionalities are very welcome by end-users. However, the uncertainty management is a combinatorial approach which remains a limitation for use with large amount of information.

Abstract: The basis of this article is an ethnographical study conducted in a German electricity provider company. The energy supply sector is an important domain in the field of emergency management research since electricity providers maintain an important infrastructure in various crisis scenarios. There exist many dependencies and interrelations between power infrastructure providers and authorities and corporations in cases of emergency. The maintenance workers of electricity infrastructures deal on a daily basis with problems that may emerge into a crisis on a larger scale. Our paper focuses this special division of the company – service workers in two different regions, one department located in a major German city and the other in a rural area. The categories of convergence of physical and electronical working appliances and infrastructures and socio-spatially bound knowledge serve to understand and analyse the work practices of the service workers as preliminary investigations to system development. Within these categories we also comment on the methodological implications for ethnographic analysis and technology development processes.

Abstract: Called the Wireless Internet Information System for Medical Response in Disasters, or WIISARD, the use of sophisticated wireless technology to coordinate and enhance care of mass casualties in a terrorist attack or natural disaster is the focus of a federally funded research project at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The project brings together broad-based participation from academia, industry, the military, and emergency responders from the City and County of San Diego.

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.

Abstract: In urban search and rescue (USAR) situations resources are limited and workload is high. Robots that act as team players instead of tools could help in these situations. A Virtual Reality (VR) experiment was set up to test if team performance of a human-robot team increases when the robot act as such a team player. Three robot settings were tested ranging from the robot as a tool to the robot as a team player. Unexpectedly, team performance seemed to be the best for the tool condition. Two side-effects of increasing robot's teammembership could explain this result: Mental workload increased for the humans who had to work with the team-playing robot, whereas the tendency to share information was reduced between these humans. Future research should, thus, focus on team-memberships that improve communication and reduce cognitive workload.