Abstract: Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have increased in popularity in recent years and are now involved in many activities, professional and otherwise. First responders, those teams and individuals who are the first to respond in crisis situations, have been using UAVs to assist them in locating victims and identifying hazards without endangering human personnel needlessly. However, professional UAV controllers tend to be heavy and cumbersome, requiring both hands to operate. First responders, on the other hand, often need to carry other important equipment and need to keep their hands free during a mission. This work considers enabling first responders to control UAVs with single-handed gestures, freeing their other hand and reducing their encumbrance. Two sets of gesture UAV controls are presented and implemented in a simulated environment, and a two-part user study is conducted: the first part assesses the comfort of each gesture and their intuitive association with basic flight control concepts; and the second evaluates two different modes of gesture control in a population of users including both genders, and first responders as well as members of the general populace. The results, consisting of both objective and subjective measurements, are discussed, hindrances and problems are identified, and directions of future work and research are mapped out.

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: When an adverse event escalates into a criminal investigation, it becomes very difficult to control and combine information into a manageable format. The PROBE project addresses this problem by developing two generations of working prototypes capable of undergoing live field tests and evaluation by a wide-ranging community of CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, Explosives) responders. The paper reports the derivation of preliminary user requirements for PROBE based on interviews and observations of a large-scale simulated CBRNE exercise. Five Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) researchers shadowed specialists representing different responder agencies (Emergency Medical Services, police, hazardous materials expert) during the three-hour exercise. Relying on cognitive ethnography, a variant of the concept of distributed cognition, video and audio recordings were merged with notes taken during the exercise and used to derive the preliminary user requirements. The study showed that these could be extracted from a relatively small set of behaviors and different types of utterances made by the active participants in the exercise. The paper concludes with a take-away message for researchers wishing to observe CBRNE exercises in which the command post event management team is collocated.

Abstract: In disaster scenarios, emergency operators/first responders need to collaborate in order to reach a common goal. The use of mobile devices and applications in these scenarios is very valuable as they can improve collaboration, coordination, and communication amongst team members. But there are also risks involved while using these mobile applications, e.g., decreasing of performance. Most of the tasks are highly critical and time demanding, e.g., saving minutes could result in saving people's life. Therefore, it is unacceptable to use systems that lack proper interaction principles. In this paper, we provide some suggestions, in the form of lessons learned and/or hints for possible future research activities, on how to effectively support on-the-field collaboration of emergency operators. Such suggestions are based on the authors' experience in a recently concluded successful research project on the use of mobile devices for supporting first responders.

Abstract: The work of first responders is marked by unpredictable situations, quick decisions and peak performance. Gathering all important information related to an emergency situation forms the basis for a meaningful and purposeful planning and action. For example during an accident scene the execution of complex individual orders is crucial. The many rescue facilities, rescue vehicles, and first responders needed lead to complex workflows. Real-life exercises are necessary to train controllers and first responders in handling these special situations, but are difficult and costly to organize. This paper gives a short overview of such an exercise and draws a rough practitioner-based vision of a potential simulation-based interactive system that could support exercise leaders and decision makers towards an effective utilization of real-life exercise data.

Abstract: Using actors from different societal sectors can improve the response operation quality in emergency management. The different roles, tasks and responsibilities these actors have in response operations and the legal frameworks they work within influence their needs for proper information system support. There is thus a substantial need to study and systemize the concept of “new actors” before providing them with technical solutions. In this study, a framework is constructed showing 14 dimensions of new actors that need to be considered when new actors are studied in more detail.

Abstract: As the deployment of situational awareness mechanisms such as geothermal sensors, use of social network sites, and information and communication technologies (e.g., cell phones) become increasingly widespread to emergency responders, the problem of alert analysis has become very important. Broadcast of large amounts of alerts sent back to command centers for processing may impair the ability of analysts to connect dots that may otherwise adequately enable them to make informed decisions in a timely fashion. This paper investigates trends and patterns embedded in alert notifications generated over a given period of time in order to uncover correlations that may exist in the data. Data for this study are obtained from the National Center for Crisis and Continuity Coordination (NC4). We employ classical time series analysis to understand, explain and predict trends and patterns in the data. This work presents results obtained thus far in the quest for the effect of passage of time on alert patterns. Implications of this work in practice and research are discussed.

Abstract: In this paper we describe the approach adopted and experiences gained during a project to develop a general architecture that aims to harness advanced sensor, modelling and Grid technologies to assist emergency responders in tackling emergencies (specifically fire emergencies). Here we focus on the command and control aspects of this architecture, and in particular, on a query-based approach that has been adopted to allow end users to interact with available models of physical and other phenomena. The development of this has provided a number of insights about the use of such models, which along with the approach itself, should be of interest to any considering similar applications.

Abstract: As a partial requirement of the development of an information system for the UK fire and rescue services, this paper describes the development and application of a protocol capable of capturing the information requirements of fire and rescue first responders. After evaluating the existing techniques commonly used in difficult decision-making environments, a Goal Directed Information Analysis (GDIA) protocol is proposed. The clearly defined, repeatable steps of GDIA make it a requirements-gathering protocol which can be easily administered by an investigator without any prior knowledge or experience of the tool. This makes GDIA one of the very few information requirements-gathering protocols capable of capturing the requirements of the emergency-related domains.

Abstract: During crises directly affected people and observers join social media communities to discuss the event. They may share information relevant to response coordination, for example, specific resource needs. However, responders face a massive data overload and lack the time to monitor social media traffic for important and trustworthy information. To address these challenges, response teams may attempt manual filtering methods, resulting in limited coverage and quality. Hence, we propose a computational framework for extracting specific resource-related information, and an interface for identifying and engaging with influential participants in the dynamic, evolving social media community. Our approach helps to identify those virtual responders who serve both as sources and disseminators of important information to assist in coordinated emergency response.

Abstract: The adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies across various real-world applications for human performance augmentation demonstrates an unprecedented opportunity for emergency management. However, the current exploration of AI technologies such as computer vision and natural language processing is highly focused on emergency response and less investigated for the preparedness and mitigation phases. The training exercises for emergency services are critical to preparing responders to perform effectively in the real-world, providing a venue to leverage AI technologies. In this paper, we demonstrate an application of AI to address the challenges in augmenting the performance of instructors or trainers in such training exercises in real-time, with the explicit aim of reducing cognitive overload in extracting relevant knowledge from the voluminous multimodal data including video recordings and IoT sensor streams. We present an AI-infused system design for multimodal stream analytics and lessons from its use during a regional training exercise for active violence events.

Abstract: In the situation of mass casualty incidents in Germany the questions that always remain are what and how much resources are needed to provide the best response. Furthermore, there are many local-specific constraints that exist, such as the density of hospitals nearby, what their surgery capacities are like, the distance between the local rescue bases and the incident scene as well as the level of preparedness of first responders. This paper describes an organisational approach to elaborate the specific tactical strategies that take part in preparedness planning. Furthermore, this paper will give insight and explore a simulation information system to support local medical response managers in elaborating those strategies in an office environment.

Abstract: Emergency response operations in large-scale urban/suburban disaster events is often addressed by the standard protocols and international guidelines for collapsed buildings, heavy debris, etc. However, a wide range of First Responder (FR) operations need to address various other contexts, work environments and hazards. In this paper, two real disaster events are explored as use cases for such urban/suburban FR operations, namely a flash flood and a wildfire, both in Attica, Greece (2017-2018). Based on our team's experience from these mobilizations and active participation in both these events as FR actor in the field, we present the challenges, the complexity of such multi-aspect disaster events, the limitations of emergency response, the technology gaps of the FR teams, as well as the lessons learned during these deployments. Finally, we make some notes on future prospects and possible advancements in tools and technologies that would greatly enhance the operational safety and readiness of the FR teams in such events.