Abstract: In this paper we present an ontology-based system for managing emergency alert notifications. Our purpose is to generate emergency alerts that are accessible to different kinds of people, paying special attention to more vulnerable collectives like impaired people. By adapting alerts to different devices and users we can allow Emergency Management Systems (EMS) to communicate with collectives like blind or deaf people whom otherwise will be unreachable by usual channels. Moreover, if we consider the constrains imposed by the nature of the emergency situations we can also improve the information transmission to cope with situational disabilities (e.g. smoke during a fire can cause low vision problems). We centered our system architecture on two characteristics: The first one is an ontology that codifies knowledge about accessibility, devices, disabilities, emergencies and media so the alert notification can be tailored according to different parameters; the second one is the use of an open standard like the CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) that enables our system to interoperate with other existing systems.

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: In this paper we describe a disaster management system. It is assumed that each individual in the field is equipped with a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) and that can communicate with other PDAs in the vicinity. Together the PDAs form an ad-hoc network. Users can enter their own observations to the PDA, like the position of victims, or a description of the current situation at particular location (e.g. smoke, emergency exits, traffic congestion). This information is entered in a special iconic language. Reversibly, the PDAs inform the users on the overall current situation of the crisis. In order to come to a shared view of the world, the knowledge that is present in the network has to be shared and fused. The proposed way to communicate is via a shared blackboard. This approach facilitates communication in a time and place independent way.

Abstract: Communication plays a vital part in today's crisis management. Communication-channels and information systems in crisis management are often used separately. Our case study suggests an Integrated Crisis Communication (ICC) approach, which integrates all available communication-channels and information systems in one stakeholder oriented approach. The basis of this article is a case study of a 2-year research project with one of Germany's largest energy providers. The article starts with outlining the need for a communication-oriented crisis management. It presents results and findings from our research and explicates the main functionality the prototype we developed. Open questions and future research questions are outlined at the end.

Abstract: In the field of information systems for disaster management there is a large variety of data formats, specifications and standards. Most of these standards only cover a specific part of this area, for example formats for geospatial data or message exchange. This diversity of isolated solutions, however, prevents those systems from interacting and exchanging data. To improve the interoperability in this sector there is a strong need for an integrated interoperable system architecture that is suitable for stand-alone systems as well as for the communication in a distributed heterogeneous system environment. This paper shows an approach for such a system architecture. It presents the Disaster Management Markup Language (DMML), which provides an architecture of data structures, services and service interfaces for crisis response systems. Furthermore, the Disaster Management Interoperability Framework (DMIF) is introduced, which supplies a software-engineering layout for DMML. Finally, the implementation of the DMMapML module is presented, which handles data involved in the situation report. The basic structure of this implementation is described and its potential contribution to the interoperability of crisis response systems.

Abstract: The magnitude seven earthquake that rocked Haiti has been a devastating disaster for the small country (USGS 2010). They are not alone in this crisis, however. When the earthquake struck, thousands of US citizens responded by donating money, resources, people, and time to aid in the disaster relief. To respond to the incident and to create a secure information-sharing environment, the Florida Miami-Dade County and State Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) were activated. The main information system in use at the Miami-Dade EOC is WebEOC, a web-based crisis information management system that aids in secure coordination and collaboration among EOC staff, liaisons, and emergency managers. As a result of the earthquake response efforts using this system, we have identified seven main insights and lessons learned with respect to crisis information management software. In this paper, we discuss Miami-Dade's role in the Haitian relief efforts and how this lead to these insights and lessons learned.

Abstract: This paper presents the results of our research on the development of a Dialog Action Manager-DAM as part of a complex crisis management system. Imagine the utility of such an automatic system to detect the crisis and to provide support to people in contexts similar to what happened recently at the underground in London and Madrid. Preventing and handling the scenarios of terrorism and other crisis are nowadays maybe the most important issues for a modern and safe society. In order to automate the crisis support, DAM simulates the behavior of an employee at the crisis centre handling telephone calls from human observers. Firstly, the system has to mimic the natural support for the paradigm 'do you hear me?' and next for the paradigm 'do you understand me?'. The people witnessing the crisis event as well as human experts provide reports and expertise according to their observations and knowledge on the crisis. The system knowledge and the data communication follow the XML format specifications. The system is centered on the results of our previous work on creating a user-centered multimodal reporting tool that works on mobile devices. In our paper we describe the mechanisms for creating an automatic DAM system that is able to analyze the user messages, to identify and track the crisis contexts, to support dialogs for crisis information disambiguation and to generate feedback in the form of advice to the users. The reasoning is done by using a data frame and rule based system architecture and an alternative Bayesian Network approach. In the paper we also present a series of experiments we have attempted in our endeavor to correctly identify natural solutions for the crisis situations.

Abstract: Role Transferability is a basic requirement for emergency management systems. Role specification, relationship expression, and transfer regulations are critical elements of this requirement. This paper discusses the role transferability requirement for emergency management systems; emphasizes that role specification is an underlying mechanism for role transfer; proposes a revised E-CARGO (Environment-Class, Agent, Role, Group, Object) model for role transfer in a group; and presents an algorithm to validate role transfer while maintaining group viability.

Abstract: One of the main design challenges of any Emergency Management System (EMS) is the diversity of users and responsibilities that must be considered. Modelling the access capabilities of different communities of users is a relevant concern for which the RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) paradigm provides flexible and powerful constructs. In this paper we describe how we used an RBAC meta-model to specify at different levels of abstraction the access policy of a specific EMS called ARCE (Aplicación en Red para Casos de Emergencia). This approach has made it possible to face access modelling at earlier development stages, so that stakeholders got involved in analytical and empirical evaluations to test the correctness and effectiveness of the access policy. Moreover, since the RBAC meta-model is embedded into a web engineering method, we put into practice a holistic process which addresses different design perspectives (structure, navigation, presentation, interaction and access) in an integrated way.

Abstract: This paper presents a requirements model of the activities of the response phase of a crisis management simulator. The model was constructed based on three types of incidents in three different countries, and it derives from extensive requirements elicitations in meetings, field visits and workshops with a broad range of stakeholders from multiple agencies. A second contribution of the paper is the application of work model consolidation and lessons learned therefrom. A third contribution of the paper is an analysis of the similarities and differences of three different crisis management systems in the transport sector in three different European countries.

Abstract: This paper presents results from a field experiment of IT-use in emergency response work of a fire crew. A prototype has been developed to probe for instances of sensemaking supported by IT-use in such work. The findings have been analyzed in relation to research on design of emergency management information systems and sensemaking theory. Key findings from the field experiment suggest that there is a potential conflict between the role-based emergency management information systems and the shared use of information technology of first responders. Further it is advocated that prototypes should be used to explore the extrinsic of the work practice difficult to uncover using only direct-observation or interviews.

Abstract: There is a growing need to understand how mobile devices are used to reach people in a crisis. This study focuses on how work organizations play a gatekeeping role in how their employees receive crisis information. Relying on research in the digital divide and organizational justice, this study compares two different types of organizations and their policies banning or allowing mobile devices at work. Three major themes emerged: having omnipotent supervisors, being powerless workers, and experiencing information holes. These themes highlight the burden placed on organizations to create more inclusive digital policies to ensure that employees do not fall through the net of crisis management systems. Additionally, these findings necessitate new discussions among crisis and emergency management scholars that include the current understanding of the digital divide, specifically as it relates to digital inequality in the workplace.

Abstract: Correct information is a vital resource during disasters. Without adequate information, response actions may be ineffective. What is the source of information of emergency management systems? Besides that originated from sensors, the emergency team and the public in general, a very relevant source is government data, such as demographic and geographic data, road maps, etc. The heterogeneity of information formats is a well-known problem that affects organizations and communities that want to access public data. Today, most public agencies provide access to their data, but the great majority is unreadable by automated mechanisms. Besides, most of them do not provide a dictionary meaning for the published content. A solution to this problem is of particular importance to emergency response organizations that need access to all information available to better respond to disasters and crisis. The linked open data (LOD) initiative allows the interconnection of data, using standards in the context of the semantic web approach. In ideal conditions, government agencies publish their public data, thus allowing the use of automated data concerned consumers, whether they are other government agencies or citizens. Efforts aimed to link government data are growing in several countries around the world. This talk presents the LOD concepts and describes an architecture that uses LOD in the design of an Emergency Management System. It describes a scheme for collecting available data from government agencies, such as departments of health, transport, works, that can supply information needs during an emergency response operation.