Abstract: There is a surge in people turning to social media in disasters in China. In the 2010 Yushu earthquake, 5,979 Weibos were posted. Almost 10 years on, in the 2019 Yibin earthquake it was 17,495. This study presents a Social Network Analysis of the dynamics of this growth, taking the six major Chinese earthquakes of this decade as a case study. By constructing relationship matrices, the research reveals a transformation of networked crisis communication patterns on Weibo. We show how communication relationships between verified organisational users, government agencies, verified individual users (such as celebrities) and unverified ordinary users have changed, and we observe that government agencies are 'crowding out the crowd' of other users. We consider key aspects and the ethical complexities of this phenomenon.

Abstract: The Interactive Media Laboratory at Dartmouth Medical School produces computer games and multimedia programs for public health preparedness. With Department of Homeland Security funding, the IML is developing the Virtual Terrorism Response Academy, which uses game technology to prepare first responders for rescue efforts in which hazardous materials may be involved. This paper looks at the history of the “Virtual Clinic” concept and the original rationale for creating what Max Boisot calls “epistemology space.” It also offers an account of the VRTA designers' responses to potential criticism from learning specialists in game studies who object that the game is too didactic and discourages trial-and-error by restraining the learner in the narrative conceit of a “simulation of a simulation.”.

Abstract: Effective emergency communication between citizens and authorities after a power outage can be a challenging task. In such situations, citizens may be in danger and need to contact authorities in case of an emergency. However, overloaded cellular networks and failing network infrastructure can severely hamper citizens' ability to communicate with authorities, even if their smartphones are still functioning. Addressing these challenges requires the development of effective post-blackout communication systems that can operate in a range of emergency scenarios. In this work we investigate smartphone state of charge during the day in order to evaluate the impact of a power outage on the citizens ability to communicate in a post-blackout scenario. The results are then used to propose future-proof communication networks that are suitable for post-blackout emergency communication especially after cellular network infrastructure has failed. We introduce two post-blackout communication phases named communication-burst and communication-void. Our study indicates that a significant amount of smartphones remain usable even after a long-lasting blackout and communication infrastructure failure. Not utilizing these devices could lead to missed opportunities for emergency communication

Abstract: Understanding human behaviour and interactions in risk situations may help to improve crisis management
strategies in order to avoid the worst scenarios. In this paper we present a geospatial agent-based model and
simulation of human behaviour in bushfires. We have modelled the social interactions between different actors
involved in bushfires such as firefighter, police, emergency centre managers and civilians. We use the Belief,
Desire and Intention (BDI) architecture to model realistic human behaviour, and the FIPA-ACL standard to
model the communications. We use geospatial data to represent the environment in a realistic way. We show
how the model has been implemented and how we have unified the communications model and the BDI
architecture. Finally, we compare the processing time of two implementations of our model representing a 2D
simple and a 3D GIS environment.

Abstract: Social media bring both challenges and opportunities to crisis management. This paper summarizes the difficulties in crisis communication under a centralized jurisdiction system by looking into online collective behaviors in mainland China. The paper then introduces the development of an official microblog and proposes a joint official microblog platform to improve interactive communication in a centralized system. The functional design of this platform is introduced in detail and the future improvement of the platform is discussed.

Abstract: Information management in disaster situations is challenging, yet critical for efficient response and recovery. Today information flows are difficult to establish, partial, redundant, overly complex or insecure, besides the interoperability between heterogeneous organisations is limited. This paper presents a novel system architecture that enables combining of several communication technologies in a secure manner. This supports creation of a pan-European ?Common Information Space? by rescue organizations that can enable more efficient and effective information management in disaster response. Moreover, this technology can be used for disaster preparedness (e.g., training, tutorials). The modular architecture is designed to consider future evolutions of technology by defining interfaces for the integration of new technologies and services.

Abstract: This proposal rises from the Center for Disasters Scientific Support experience over eleven years supporting over a hundred disasters in Latin America. It also presents a case study applied to landslides assessments in Teresopolis (Brazil) city, when all field-generated knowledge was still registered in paper and later, at the base station, uploaded to database and finally available for managers evaluation and decision. The proposed methodology creates a platform (still under development) which allows online registration from different field agents during their evaluations enabling data upload combining mobile devices and telecommunication network (or Wi-Fi) technologies. Teams can also customize forms for different information classes (i.e. landslide assessment, rescued person, blocked road) and still retain the possibility to attach images, videos, other files related to each inspection. Incoming data are stored into a web database available for a real-time coordinators evaluation wherever they are (sometimes over a thousand of miles away from disaster area). © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: Official policies, socioeconomic and demographic factors influence how individuals cope with, and respond to natural disasters. Understanding the impact of these factors in social media crisis communications studies is difficult. This paper focuses on convergence behaviour during social media crisis communication in an environment where the access to commercial social media platforms is highly restricted. This study is designed as a case which analyses 41,745 Tweets communicated during an earthquake event and for the two weeks after. This research aims to understand how different communities use social media services for communication during extreme events. The content of the Tweets shows users' attitudes toward government policies as well as the social difficulties of ethnic groups reflecting on the use of social media in crises communication. The results indicate a “political effect” on this online crisis communication. This behaviour was not expected and has been underreported in the current body of knowledge.

Abstract: This paper describes the CHAIn system, which is designed to facilitate data sharing between disparate organisations during emergency response situations by resolving mismatches in their data. It uses structured data matching to reformulate failed queries in cases where these failed because of incompatibilities between the query (derived from the source schema) and the schema of the queried datasource (the target schema). This reformulation is done by developing matches between the source schema and the target schema. These matches are then used to reformulate the query and retrieve responses relevant to those expected by the original query. Despite the growing interest in intelligent query answering, integration of data matching into query answering is novel, and allows users to successfully query datasources even if they do not know how the data in that source is organized, which is often the case during emergency responses. We describe the proof-of-concept system we have developed and an encouraging initial evaluation.

Abstract: In emergency management, communication between the emergency management team and the outer world is essential. When using an emergency management system, such communication is often IT-based. To disburden the emergency management team, structured “B2B” messages may be used that correspond to the (foreseen) lifecycle of relevant entities in the emergency, such as threats and measures. The paper introduces an approach for the realization of a B2B messaging protocol and the corresponding integration engine, which maps message content to service calls, in the context of an emergency management system. The approach is light-weight and model-based, as protocols and integration engine are based on merely modeling the states and state transitions of objects in the system representing essential entities in the emergency. As the model is described in non-technical terms, this can be done by a non-IT expert.

Abstract: The role of communication and information provision in coping with natural and man-made disasters and emergency situations is becoming increasingly important. In this paper we present an integrated mobile information and communication system, MIKoBOS, for emergency response operations that enables reliable data communication within the emergency site as well as between the site and the headquarters. It provides the responsible personnel involved in the emergency operation at different levels with anytime-anywhere access to relevant information. Compared to traditional voice-dominated approaches, the proposed system can greatly improve the effectiveness and efficiency of communication and coordination during disaster relief operations. Promising experimental performance results are provided for use with a number of terrestrial and satellite networks.

Abstract: In our modem society, the impact of large-scale spfety and security incidents can be large and diverse. Yet. this societal impact is makeable and controllable to a limited extent. At best, the effect of concrete response actions is that the direct damage is somewhat reduced and that the recovery is accelerated. Proper crisis communication can make the biggest difference with respect to overall societal impact. We argue that crisis communication must strike a balance between a directive approach of chaos, command and control and a more empathic approach of continuity, coordination and cooperation. On the basis of a concrete case we analyze how crisis communication reflects the incident response approach and how societal impact is affected.

Abstract: Natural disasters and emergencies create the need for communication between and among the affected populace and emergency responders as well as other parties such as governmental agencies and aid organizations. Such communications include the dissemination of key information such as evacuation orders and locations of emergency shelters. In particular, the coordination of efforts between responding organizations require additional communication solutions that typically rely heavily on wireless communications to complement fixed line infrastructure due to the ease of use and portability. While the deployment of temporary mobile networks and other wireless equipment following disasters has been successfully accomplished by governmental agencies and network providers following previous disasters, there appears to be little optimization effort involved with respect to maximizing key performance measures of the deployment or minimizing overall cost to deploy. This work does not focus on the question of what entity will operate the portable base stations or wireless equipment utilized during a disaster, only the question of optimizing placement for planning and real time management purposes. This work examines current wireless network optimization models and points out that none of them include the necessary variables for a disaster planning or emergency deployment context. Due to the fact that the choice of wireless technology impacts the nature of an overall model, a brief discussion of exemplar wireless technologies is included. The work also proposes criteria that must be taken into account in order to have a useful model for deployment of mobile base stations and related wireless communications equipment.