Amro Al-Akkad, & Christian Raffelsberger. (2014). How do i get this app? A discourse on distributing mobile applications despite disrupted infrastructure. 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. 565–569). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: This paper aims to lead a discourse on distributing mobile applications while having no access to cloud services. While in daily life people acquire applications via application stores, the access to those stores can be severely hampered in disasters. Instead of wishful thinking, i.e. hoping that people or manufactures would pre-install an (emergency) app before a disaster, we have started to investigate into Internet-less deployment mechanisms. We discuss five potential approaches of deploying apps in an ad-hoc fashion. Each approach is assessed against six criteria, while taking a stance that the smartphone is the minimally required deployment platform. This paper concludes with the observation that current mobile operating system providers do not provide “Internet-less” deployment mechanisms, although platforms as Android allow for this. This said, we hope that this contribution can spark further interest into the discussed problematic.
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Amro Al-Akkad, Christian Raffelsberger, Alexander Boden, Leonardo Ramirez, & Zimmermann, A. (2014). Tweeting 'when online is off'? Opportunistically creating mobile ad-hoc networks in response to disrupted infrastructure. 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. 662–671). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: In this paper, we present a system that enables people to post and receive tweets despite disruptions of existing network infrastructure. Our system opportunistically deploys mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) based on Wi-Fi in which people can communicate with each other in a peer-to-peer fashion. A MANET per se constitutes an isolated island, but as people carry devices around that can join other MANETs, eventually people can transport previously collected data to the online world. Compared to other systems that aim to enable communication in crisis, our system differs in two ways: it does not rely on existing network infrastructure, and it exploits established protocols and standards allowing it to run on off-the-shelf, commercially available smartphones. We evaluated our prototype with a group of students and practitioners. Overall, we received positive feedback on the potential of our technology, but also were pointed to limitations requiring future work.
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Axel Bürkle, Florian Segor, Sven Müller, Igor Tchouchenkov, & Matthias Kollmann. (2012). Advantages of an integrated open framework for immediate 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: Recent disasters have shown that wireless sensors and unmanned systems are increasingly becoming a valuable aid for first responders. Depending on the kind of incident and its extent, different assets are to be used. The more diverse these assets are, the more complex their simultaneous use and coordination. Therefore, integrated solutions are needed which comprise all necessary components such as power supply, communication infrastructure, data acquisition and processing, decision support and information dissemination. In this paper, an architecture for an open framework is proposed and its advantages over dedicated solutions are discussed. The flexibility of the universal control station presented here is demonstrated using the example of integrating a smartphone as an additional mobile sensor. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Jaana Kuula, Pauli Kettunen, Vili Auvinen, Santtu Viitanen, Olli Kauppinen, & Tuomo Korhonen. (2013). Smartphones as an alerting, command and control system for the preparedness groups and civilians: Results of preliminary tests with the finnish police. 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. 42–51). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Traditional mobile phones have been used for alerting purposes by utilizing their SMS and cell broadcasting features. They do however not suit for demanding alerting and command purposes, for the observation of special forces, rescue officers and civilians, or for the post-evaluation of the operation. Current 3G and 4G/LTE smartphones can do all this, but the empirical evidence is missing. This article reports of the preliminary tests which the University of Jyväskylä has made with the Finnish Police for alerting civilians and for commanding two special groups of the police with smartphones. Smartphones were also used for observing police officers' position and status and for post-evaluating action during and after the operation. The study supports using smartphones for alerting, command and control purposes. Because of external distractions alerts are noticed better at night than in the daytime. In active hours personal alerts should be given not only by a voice alarm but by stimulating 2-3 senses at the same time. Noticing of smartphone alerts might be improved also by using some additional reception device with the handset.
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Nicholas Palmer, Roelof Kemp, Thilo Kielmann, & Henri Bal. (2012). RAVEN: Using smartphones for collaborative disaster data collection. 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: In this paper we describe our work in progress on RAVEN, a framework, which makes it possible to build applications for collaborative editing of structured data on Android. RAVEN offers developers compile time tools, which use only the schema to generate all database handling components, edit and list user interfaces, as well as those needed for data synchronization, significantly reducing development effort. In addition, RAVEN also offers the ability to do the same work, entirely at runtime, using only a smartphone. With RAVEN it is possible to construct data oriented applications on phone at any time, including during a disaster. Users can share their applications simply by sharing the database and corresponding schema. Thus, RAVEN enables completely decentralized application creation, sharing, and data distribution, avoiding issues of connectivity to centralized resources. In this paper we show that with RAVEN it is possible to construct a new application at runtime and compare the results with an equivalent custom-built application. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Jaziar Radianti, Julie Dugdale, Jose J. Gonzalez, & Ole-Christoffer Granmo. (2014). Smartphone sensing platform for emergency management. 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. 379–383). University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University.
Abstract: The increasingly sophisticated sensors supported by modern smartphones open up novel research opportunities, such as mobile phone sensing. One of the most challenging of these research areas is context-aware and activity recognition. The Smart Rescue project takes advantage of smartphone sensing, processing and communication capabilities to monitor hazards and track people in a disaster. The goal is to help crisis managers and members of the public in early hazard detection, prediction, and in devising risk-minimizing evacuation plans when disaster strikes. In this paper we suggest a novel smartphone-based communication framework. It uses specific machine learning techniques that intelligently process sensor readings into useful information for the crisis responders. Core to the framework is a content-based publish-subscribe mechanism that allows flexible sharing of sensor data and computation results. We also evaluate a preliminary implementation of the platform, involving a smartphone app that reads and shares mobile phone sensor data for activity recognition.
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WeiHua James Li, Julius Adebayo, Fuming Shih, & Lalana Kagal. (2015). Understanding the role of mobile technologies for humanitarian relief. 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: Smartphones are becoming increasingly useful in disaster management both to provide useful information to victims and to coordinate relief operations. However, a lack of technological expertise as well as considerable amount of time and cost required to build mobile applications prevents the rapid deployment of useful applications by humanitarian organizations for different crises. In this paper, we describe a participatory design workshop that we conducted at the International Committee of Red Cross to identify challenges of adopting mobile technologies within relief organizations. Through this workshop, we identified major challenges associated with developing mobile applications: lengthy development and deployment cycle, costly budget, and frequent requirement changes. We then introduced our framework that enables non-programmers to quickly develop and deploy mobile applications in these situations. The workshop participants identified three areas where our framework improved upon existing mobile solutions: reducing data integration overhead, fast prototyping for app development, and customization of apps.
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