Vitaveska Lanfranchi, Suvodeep Mazumdar, & Fabio Ciravegna. (2014). Visual design recommendations for situation awareness in social media. In and P.C. Shih. L. Plotnick M. S. P. S.R. Hiltz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2014 Conference Proceedings – 11th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 792–801). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: The use of online Social Media is increasingly popular amongst emergency services to support Situational Awareness (i.e. accurate, complete and real-time information about an event). Whilst many software solutions have been developed to monitor and analyse Social Media, little attention has been paid on how to visually design for Situational Awareness for this large-scale data space. We describe an approach where levels of SA have been matched to corresponding visual design recommendations using participatory design techniques with Emergency Responders in the UK. We conclude by presenting visualisation prototypes developed to satisfy the design recommendations, and how they contribute to Emergency Responders' Situational Awareness in an example scenario. We end by highlighting research issues that emerged during the initial evaluation.
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Vitaveska Lanfranchi, Nadia Noori, & Tudor Sirbu. (2018). GPS-based solution for tracking and protecting humanitarians in conflict zones. In Kees Boersma, & Brian Tomaszeski (Eds.), ISCRAM 2018 Conference Proceedings – 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 334–349). Rochester, NY (USA): Rochester Institute of Technology.
Abstract: The operational environment in which humanitarians operate is unstable and high-risk; when operating in such environments, time becomes a critical factor. Thus, real-time location systems (RTLS) are often deployed in the operational environment to provide awareness of the location of personnel and assets in real-time that would support an informed decision making in the event of responding to emergency. Whilst standard RTLS are very precise, they are not suitable to outdoor spaces; GPS position technology can be used to identify the location of objects and people and to track them. In this paper, first, we present a description of threat scenarios identified based on information from existing security incidents datasets and from interviews with aid workers and security professionals operating in high-risk regions. Second, we describe the implementation of a GPS-based real-time location tracking and alert system for humanitarians operating in conflict zones that supports the identified scenarios.
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Vimala Nunavath, Jaziar Radianti, Tina Comes, & Andreas Prinz. (2015). Visualization of Information Flows and Exchanged Information: Evidence from an indoor fire game. In L. Palen, M. Buscher, T. Comes, & A. Hughes (Eds.), ISCRAM 2015 Conference Proceedings ? 12th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Kristiansand, Norway: University of Agder (UiA).
Abstract: Understanding information flows is essential to improve coordination information systems. Aims of such systems are typically reducing information overload and improving situational awareness. Yet, there is a lack of intuitive and easily understandable tools that help to structure and visualize the ad hoc information flows that occur during search and rescue operations. In this paper, we present the concept of such an analysis, and present findings from an indoor serious fire game. For this game, we describe the interactions of Emergency Responders (ER), including individual information (over-)load, and descriptions of content of communications. This approach therefore provides an effective way to learn about active teams, information flows, exchanged information, and overload.
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Tomasz Opach, Jan Ketil Rød, Bjørn Erik Munkvold, Jaziar Radianti, Kristine Steen-Tveit, & Lars Ole Grottenberg. (2020). Map-based Interfaces for Common Operational Picture. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 506–516). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Common operational picture (COP) map-based interfaces display operational information to support integration of emergency responders. Such interfaces integrate different subsystems and present the resulting information into an overview for enabling situation awareness. Literature shows that they are often developed from non-user-centric perspectives and are defined in technological terms that are not adequately capturing the users' needs. Therefore, the aim of this particular work in progress is to get insight into the features and the role of COP map-based interfaces currently being used in Norway to (1) examine their content, functionality, and design; and (2) to understand how such displays are incorporated into the service context. This study structures the knowledge on map displays that constitute part of the COP services. Using workshop and interviews with the developers and users of existing COP map services, we identify requirements for a common operational symbology and common operational functionality to improve such map services and make them interoperable.
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Tiina Ristmae, Dimitra Dionysiou, Miltiadis Koutsokeras, Athanasios Douklias, Eleftherios Ouzounoglou, Angelos Amditis, et al. (2021). The CURSOR Search and Rescue (SaR) Kit: an innovative solution for improving the efficiency of Urban SaR Operations. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 867–880). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: CURSOR (Coordinated Use of miniaturized Robotic equipment and advanced Sensors for search and rescue OpeRations) is an ongoing European H2020 project with the main objective to enhance the efficiency and safety of Urban Search and Rescue (USaR) operations on disaster sites. CURSOR's approach relies on the integration of multiple mature and emerging technologies offering complementary capabilities to an USaR system, so as to address several challenges and capability gaps currently encountered during first responder missions. The project's research and development are structured around an earthquake master scenario. CURSOR aspires to advance the state-of the-art in several key aspects, including reduced time for victim detection, increased victim localization accuracy, enhanced real-time worksite information management, improved situational awareness and rescue team safety.
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Terje Gjøsæter, Jaziar Radianti, & Weiqin Chen. (2019). Understanding Situational Disabilities and Situational Awareness in Disasters. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: In this paper, a scenario-based approach augmented with personas typically used in universal design and
interactive design domains is used to illustrate the occurrence of situational disabilities in emergency situations,
and to show how environmental factors can trigger these situational disabilities. With the help of personas
representing selected archetypical characteristics and roles, the scenarios are further examined to show how these
situational disabilities can affect the situational awareness of different stakeholders, not only in the command and
control centers, but also first responders in the field as well as affected members of the public. This approach
provides a better understanding of the importance of universal design of ICT for Emergency Management, not
only for people with disabilities and the elderly, but for anyone.
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Terje Gjøsæter, Jaziar Radianti, & Weiqin Chen. (2020). Towards Situational Disability-aware Universally Designed Information Support Systems for Enhanced Situational Awareness. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 1038–1047). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: This paper takes on the challenge of designing situational awareness information systems that take into account not only the prevalence of so-called demons of situational awareness, but also situational disabilities that will typically occur in a disaster situation, both in the control room and in the field among the general public as well as first responders. It further outlines how a situational awareness information system process model can be adapted and used as a basis for designing situational awareness information support systems that address these issues with the help of Universal Design principles.
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Stella Polikarpus, Tobias Ley, & Katrin Poom-Valickis. (2021). Collaborative Authoring of Virtual Simulation Scenarios for Assessing Situational Awareness. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 229–237). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Situational awareness (SA), the ability to perceive, comprehend and predict situation around you and it is a key in attending any incident as critical foundation for successful decision-making. Because incidents are solitary events, development and assessment of SA presents a significant challenge. In this article we analyze the authoring process of twenty-two scenarios implemented in the XVR on-scene virtual simulation software used to assess rescue incident commanders' (ICs) SA. To allow the scenarios to be used by different assessors, the Collaborative Authoring Process Model for Virtual Simulation Scenarios (CAPM) was developed. In Estonia, 473 assessments were recorded in Effective Command database and analysed by all three levels of SA as recommended by Endsley (2000). Introduction of CAPM resulted in scenarios being re-used by different assessors for authentic SA measuring. In the last sections of this article, we introduce our suggestions to improve virtual scenario design and SA research.
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Stas Simon Krupenia, Cécilia Aguero, & Kees C.H.M. Nieuwenhuis. (2012). The value of different media types to support command and control situation awareness. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: We investigated the value of different media types (Photo, Video, Audio) to support the situational awareness of a Command and Control (C2) officer monitoring three simultaneous military operations. Twenty-one Polish soldiers individually monitored the real-time battlefield information collected by three (virtual, scripted) platoons. Twice during the monitoring task a series of Situation Awareness (SA) probes were presented (Endsley, 1995). At the end of the task, participants were also given a series of meta-SA probes and preference questions. We found that Video supported Level 2 SA (comprehension) better than the other two media types. We also found that participants preferred to receive information in the Photos and Audio clips than in Video. We conclude that if the goal of the C2 team is to better understand the global situation, then providing the persons-in-the-field with video cameras is a valid solution. However, we obtained no evidence to suggest that such an approach supports the ability to predict what may occur in the future (Level 3 SA). © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Simon Tucker, Vitaveska Lanfranchi, Neil Ireson, Alfonso Sosa, Gregoire Burel, & Fabio Ciravegna. (2012). Straight to the information I need: Assessing collational interfaces for emergency response. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: Collational interfaces gather information from a range of sources and present them to users. Information overload is tackled by processing information in the back-end and providing interactive means to filter and browse data. Such interfaces have applications in emergency response – giving users the right information to act effectively. In this paper we explore a collational interface for emergency response, carrying out a user study that compares it to a paper based interface and one which presents data without collating it. We demonstrate that a collational interface allows users to build a picture of an emergency, but not necessarily in less time. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Shideh Dashti, Leysia Palen, Mehdi P. Heris, Kenneth M. Anderson, T. Jennings Anderson, & Scott Anderson. (2014). Supporting disaster reconnaissance with social media data: A design-oriented case study of the 2013 Colorado floods. In and P.C. Shih. L. Plotnick M. S. P. S.R. Hiltz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2014 Conference Proceedings – 11th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 632–641). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: Engineering reconnaissance following an extreme event is critical in identifying the causes of infrastructure failure and minimizing such consequences in similar future events. Typically, however, much of the data about infrastructure performance and the progression of geological phenomena are lost during the event or soon after as efforts move to the recovery phase. A better methodology for reliable and rapid collection of perishable hazards data will enhance scientific inquiry and accelerate the building of disaster-resilient cities. In this paper, we explore ways to support post-event reconnaissance through the strategic collection and reuse of social media data and other remote sources of information, in response to the September 2013 flooding in Colorado. We show how tweets, particularly with postings of visual data and references to location, may be used to directly support geotechnical experts by helping to digitally survey the affected region and to navigate optimal paths through the physical space in preparation for direct observation.
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Shalini Kurapati, Gwendolyn Kolfschoten, Alexander Verbraeck, Thomas M. Corsi, & Frances Brazier. (2013). Exploring shared situational awareness in supply chain disruptions. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 151–155). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Risk and volatility in the form of political issues, natural disasters, terrorism etc., are impending dangers to the normal functioning of today's world. Supply Chains (SCs) are the backbone to societal functions and are heavily affected when such events occur. SC professionals have limited preparedness to deal with disruptions. Shared Situational Awareness (SSA) by means of information sharing, coordination and collaboration among SC partners, can significantly improve the recovery capacity of supply chains from disruptions. To prepare SC professionals for disruptions, a serious game (a tabletop board game) has been developed. The game serves both as an instrument to explore SSA during disruptions and as a training tool for SC practitioners. The paper discusses the design, development and applicability of the serious game based on an SSA framework in multistakeholder systems.
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Sandra König, & Stefan Schauer. (2019). Cascading Threats in Critical Infrastructures with Control Systems. In Z. Franco, J. J. González, & J. H. Canós (Eds.), Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management. Valencia, Spain: Iscram.
Abstract: Critical infrastructures (CIs) increase in complexity due to numerous dependencies on other CIs but also due to the ongoing digitalization in the industry sector. This yields an increased risk of failure of a single CI as the overall systems gets very fragile and sensitive to errors Failure of a single component may affect large parts of an infrastructure due to cascading effects. One way to support functionality of a CI is the use of Industrial Control Systems (ICS) that allow monitoring remote sites and controlling processes. However, this is an additional source for threats as recent cyber-attacks have shown. Further, the additional information for such cyber systems is often not efficiently combined with existing information on the physical infrastructure. We here propose a method to combine these two sources of information in order to estimate the impact of a security incident on CIs, taking into account cascading effects of threats. An implementation of the model allows simulation of the dynamics inside a CI and yields a record of the status of each asset of the CI. The way the assets change their states illustrates the consequences of an incident on the entire CI. Visualization of the results provides an overview on the situation of the entire CI at a certain point of time and a sequence of such visualization over an entire period of time illustrates the changes over time. The results from this analysis may be used to support security officers in analyzing the current (hybrid) state of their CI in case of an incident and thus increase the hybrid situational awareness.
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Robin E. Mays, Mark Zachry, Murat, A., & Mark P. Haselkorn. (2011). Aligning border security workflow and decision making with supporting information and communication systems. 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: As part of the National Center for Border Security and Immigration (NCBSI) led by the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), researchers from the University of Washington, Wayne State University, and UTEP conducted a three-site study of border security operations and the role of command, control and communication (C3) systems in support of those operations. While inevitably bringing some positive capability to the environment, if C3 systems are not consciously aligned with desired practices and decision-making, the implications will not always be for the better. This is especially true of C3 systems in the border security environment because these systems are intimately intertwined with complex and critical workflow and decision-making processes, often in the context of complex and, at times, competing missions.
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Robert Power, Bella Robinson, John Colton, & Mark Cameron. (2015). A Case Study for Monitoring Fires with Twitter. In L. Palen, M. Buscher, T. Comes, & A. Hughes (Eds.), ISCRAM 2015 Conference Proceedings ? 12th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Kristiansand, Norway: University of Agder (UiA).
Abstract: This paper presents a user configurable monitoring system to track in near-real-time tweets describing fire events. The system targets fire related words in a user defined region of interest published on Twitter which are further processed by a text classifier to determine if they describe a known fire event of interest. The system was motivated from a case study that examined a corpus of tweets posted during active bushfires. This demonstrated that useful information is available on Twitter about fire events from people who are in the vicinity.
We present an overview of the system describing how it is initially configured by a user to focus on specific fire events in Australia, the development of a text classifier to identify tweets of interest, especially those with accompanying photos, and the monitoring system that can track multiple events at once.
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Richard Arias-Hernandez, & Brian Fisher. (2013). An interaction approach to enhance situational awareness and the production of anticipatory actions in emergency operation centers. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 488–496). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Recent findings from fieldwork conducted at emergency operation centers (EOC) suggest that currently deployed emergency management information systems (EMIS) are not supporting properly the anticipation of individual actions in cooperative work. We present these findings in this paper and introduce joint action theory as an interaction approach to design technologies that explicitly provide for this kind of support. Our main arguments are: (1) contemporary EMIS are affecting negatively cooperative work at EOCs due to their lack of support for the anticipation of individual actions; (2) Available theory that emphasizes the role of anticipation on cooperative work is not impacting on the design of EMIS due to misalignments between the theory and contemporary situations; (3) Joint action theory provides an alternative framework to correct these misalignments; and (4) Joint action theory provides designers of EMIS with guides for an interaction design that supports anticipatory actions in EOCs.
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Rebecca E. Carella, & Susan P. McGrath. (2006). ARTEMIS personal area networks for emergency remote triage and information management. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 592–597). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: The Automated Remote Triage and Emergency Management Information System (ARTEMIS) project seeks to provide situational awareness to all level of commands in order to increase patient survival rate during emergencies. By moving the burden of triage off of the medic and into an automated system, more time will be able to be spent on casualty care rather than assessment. Continual monitoring of responders and casualties will alert medics of critical changes in a patient's health that might normally have gone undetected after a patient is initially triaged. ARTEMIS employs a network of embedded sensors worn by responders and casualties to gather the data required for greater situational awareness and to relay the data back to appropriate levels of command both on the field and in remote locations.
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Paulini, M. S., Duran, D., Rice, M., Andrekanic, A., & Suri, N. (2023). KENNEL Threat Detection Boxes for First Responder Situational Awareness and Risk Management. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 208–219). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: KENNEL is a deployable IoT-based system consisting of a network of unattended ground sensors, known as Threat Detection Boxes (TDBs), which may be outfitted with any variety of custom and commercial-off-the-shelf sensors for hazard detection. The KENNEL system fills a technological gap for sensor fusion, interpretation, and real-time alerting via existing information management systems, such as Team Awareness Kit (TAK). First responders face a critical need for improved situational awareness, detection, and response to hazardous events. KENNEL provides a first of its kind, low-cost sensing & data fusion platform that is highly extensible, configurable, and self-sustaining, opening a world of modernization and innovation possibilities across the first responder domain. TDBs may also be statically or ad hoc deployed, improving flexibility, stand-off hazard detection, and resilience in the operational domain. From critical infrastructure monitoring to wearables, the system affords timeliness of critical information for effective risk management and increased personnel safety.
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Paul S. Earle, & David J. Wald. (2006). Rapid post-earthquake information and assessment tools from the U.S. geological survey national earthquake information center. In M. T. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2006 – 3rd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 402–408). Newark, NJ: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: A suite of post-earthquake information products and assessment tools are produced and distributed by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Earthquake Information Center (NEIC). These products range from the rapid determination of earthquake magnitude and location to tools that provide situational awareness following earthquake catastrophes. The NEIC distributes earthquake location, magnitude, and supporting information through many sources including, text message, pager, and the Internet (e-mail, web-pages and RSS feeds). To aid in the rapid determination of an earthquake's impact, the NEIC has developed tools to 1) map the observed shaking intensity reported from the region affected by the earthquake (Community Internet Intensity Maps), and 2) quantify the number of people exposed to severe shaking (Prompt Assessment of Global Earthquakes for Response).
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Oleg Aulov, Adam Price, & Milton Halem. (2014). AsonMaps: A platform for aggregation visualization and analysis of disaster related human sensor network observations. In and P.C. Shih. L. Plotnick M. S. P. S.R. Hiltz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2014 Conference Proceedings – 11th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 802–806). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: In this paper, we describe AsonMaps, a platform for collection, aggregation, visualization and analysis of near real-time, geolocated quantifiable information from a variety of heterogeneous social media outlets in order to provide emergency responders and other coordinating federal agencies not only with the means of listening to the affected population, but also to be able to incorporate this data into geophysical and probabilistic disaster forecast models that guide their response actions. Hurricane Sandy disaster is examined as a use-case scenario discussing the different types of quantifiable information that can be extracted from Instagram and Twitter.
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Norman Groner, & Charles Jennings. (2012). Describing pipeline emergency response communications using situational awareness informational requirements and an informational flow analyses. In Z.Franco J. R. L. Rothkrantz (Ed.), ISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings – 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Vancouver, BC: Simon Fraser University.
Abstract: The Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies at John Jay College, CUNY, has begun work on developing best practices for hazardous material pipeline emergency response plans. The approach involves modeling a generic goal-based interagency emergency communications system using a two-step process. First, a situational awareness information requirements analysis will describe the informational requirements essential to an effective emergency response. The requirements analysis involves a goal decomposition approach where the information requirements are related to actionable decisions, goals and emergency response roles. Second, an information flow analysis will informational sources and means to provide required information. The same panel of experts will complete both analyses. Once the communications system is described, a separate Delphi group will use a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) to estimate the criticality of the components described in the situational awareness requirements and information flow analyses. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Nitesh Bharosa, Jaco Appelman, & Peter De Bruin. (2007). Integrating technology in crisis response using an information manager: First lessons learned from field exercises in the Port of Rotterdam. 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. 63–70). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Integrating information technology (IT) in crisis management networks is a difficult and long-term endeavor. First responders must establish situational awareness and take decisions under time pressure with incomplete information. Partly, this can be mitigated by adopting more advanced IT, however practice shows that adoption is hampered because of the required change in routines and procedures. We believe that we can moderate a change in routines and stimulate the adoption of technology by introducing a new role: the information manager (IM). This paper presents some results of the first round of field observations. The main conclusion is that the IM is instrumental where it concerns, speeding up the process of establishing situational awareness and improving the information structures. In order to further improve the production of situational awareness we suggest that further research should address the issues of the internalization of process guidelines and enhancing the adaptability of information systems.
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Naveen Ashish, & Sharad Mehrotra. (2010). Community driven data integration for emergency response. In C. Zobel B. T. S. French (Ed.), ISCRAM 2010 – 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Defining Crisis Management 3.0, Proceedings. Seattle, WA: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This paper describes our work in progress on an approach and technology for providing integrated data access in situational awareness applications – particularly for disaster and emergency response. The key new aspect of our work is an approach where information aggregation, processing, and integration capabilities are offered as a service to any new application builder. Further, we provide a framework for possibly reusing prior information integration knowledge, the development of which demands the major fraction of time and complexity in a new application, in a customized fashion for new application. Our overall goal is to provide a framework where integrated access to critical data in an emergency response situation can be enabled very rapidly and by personnel with basic IT and data handling expertise. Our approach, while general purpose, is currently motivated by and grounded in the context of situational awareness systems for incident commander decision support in the fire response domain.
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Nathan Elrod, Pranav Mahajan, Monica Katragadda, Shane Halse, & Jess Kropczynski. (2021). An Exploration of Methods Using Social Media to Examine Local Attitudes Towards Mask-Wearing During a Pandemic. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 345–358). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: During the COVID-19 health crisis, local public offcials expend considerable energy encouraging citizens to comply with prevention measures in order to reduce the spread of infection. During the pandemic, mask-wearing has been accepted among health offcials as a simple preventative measure; however, some local areas have been more likely to comply than others. This paper explores methods to better understand local attitudes towards mask-wearing as a tool for public health offcials' situational awareness when preparing public messaging campaigns. This exploration compares three methods to explore local attitudes: sentiment analysis, n-grams, and hashtags. We also explore hashtag co-occurrence networks as a starting point to begin the filtering process. The results show that while sentiment analysis is quick and easy to employ, the results oer little insight into specific local attitudes towards mask-wearing, while examining hashtags and hashtag co-occurrence networks may be used a tool for a more robust understanding of local areas when attempting to gain situational awareness.
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Muhammad Imran, Shady Elbassuoni, Carlos Castillo, Fernando Díaz, & Patrick Meier. (2013). Extracting information nuggets from disaster- Related messages in social media. In J. Geldermann and T. Müller S. Fortier F. F. T. Comes (Ed.), ISCRAM 2013 Conference Proceedings – 10th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 791–801). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Microblogging sites such as Twitter can play a vital role in spreading information during “natural” or man-made disasters. But the volume and velocity of tweets posted during crises today tend to be extremely high, making it hard for disaster-affected communities and professional emergency responders to process the information in a timely manner. Furthermore, posts tend to vary highly in terms of their subjects and usefulness; from messages that are entirely off-topic or personal in nature, to messages containing critical information that augments situational awareness. Finding actionable information can accelerate disaster response and alleviate both property and human losses. In this paper, we describe automatic methods for extracting information from microblog posts. Specifically, we focus on extracting valuable “information nuggets”, brief, self-contained information items relevant to disaster response. Our methods leverage machine learning methods for classifying posts and information extraction. Our results, validated over one large disaster-related dataset, reveal that a careful design can yield an effective system, paving the way for more sophisticated data analysis and visualization systems.
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