Abstract: It is important to evaluate the effects of improving the disaster vulnerability of towns by using various indices related to human damage. In this paper, we focus on conversion of low quake-resistant old buildings. Firstly, we construct a simulation model, which describes property damage (such as building-collapse and street-blockage), wide-area evacuation behavior, and fire-brigade's activities immediately after a large earthquake occurs. Next, using the simulation model, we estimate the travel time required for evacuation, the number of evacuees trapped on streets (or in blocks), and the access time of fire-brigades to fires in case that the ratio of quake-resistant buildings in the area increases to a certain value. Based on the results, we discuss the effects by converting old buildings into quake-resistant ones on reducing the difficulty in wide-area evacuation and improving the accessibility of fire-brigades in multiple study areas with different characteristics.

Abstract: Earthquakes can cause significant disruption and devastation to populations of communities. Thus, in the event of an earthquake, it is necessary to have the right number of disaster shelters, with the appropriate capacity, in the right location in order to accommodate local communities. Mathematical models, allied with suitable optimization algorithms, have been used to determine the locations at which to construct disaster shelters and allocate the population to them. This paper compares the use of two optimization algorithms, namely a genetic algorithm and a modified particle swarm optimization, both of which have advantages and disadvantages when solving the disaster shelter location-allocation problem.

Abstract: Australia is frequently hit by bushfires. In 2009, the “Black Saturday” fires killed 173 people and burnt hectares of bush. As a result, a research commission was created to investigate, and concluded that several aspects could be improved, in particular better understanding of the population actual behaviour, and better communication with them. We argue that agent-based modelling and simulation is a great tool to test possible communication strategies, in order to deduce valuable insight for emergency managers before new fires happen. In this paper, we extend an existing agent-based model of the population behaviour in bushfires. Concretely, we added a communication model based in social sciences, and user interactivity with the model. We present the results of first experiments with dierent communication strategies, providing valuable insight for better communication with the population during such events. This model is still preliminary and will eventually be turned into a serious game.

Abstract: Disaster resilience is gaining increasing attention from both industry and academia, but difficulties in operationalizing the concept remain, especially in the urban context. Currently, there is scant literature on measuring both spatial and temporal aspects of resilience empirically. We propose a bio-inspired quantitative framework to track urban resilience to disasters. This framework was built upon a daily human mobility network, which was generated by geolocations from a Twitter Streaming API. System-wide metrics were computed over time (i.e. pre-, during and post-disasters). Fisher information was further adopted to detect the perturbation and dynamics in the system. Specifically, we applied the proposed approach in a flood case in the metropolis of São Paulo. The proposed approach is efficient in uncovering the dynamics in human movements and the underlying spatial structure. It adds to our understanding of the resilience process in urban disasters.

Abstract: For assessing evacuation dynamics in disaster situations, current approaches of pedestrian simulations increasingly include additional human characteristics. One aim is to assess realistic effects of structural changes of an infrastructure on evacuation behavior displayed by users. Creating agents with supplementary physical and psychological human characteristics and assembling the agents in accordance to the user's population may be beneficial not only to support decision making. The analysis of simulated effects of, e.g., informational strategies will foster crisis and disaster management. This paper combines knowledge about users in subway systems and highlights benefits of using the Persona method to improve objectivity in the specification of different user types. Persona method is adapted to pedestrian simulation. Using data from the authors´ field studies, personas are developed and implemented for an evacuation simulation. First findings suggest that including personas into pedestrian simulation influences the results with respect to the required safe evacuation time (RSET).

Abstract: The recent diversification and accumulation of data from GPS equipped mobile phones, building sensors, and other resources in Japan has caused a large increase in the number of earthquake disaster scenarios that can be identified. Disaster prevention planning requires us to contemplate which scenario should be focused on and the required response to various scenarios. As a means to solve this problem, the damage distribution of building collapse and fire from GPS data can be used to estimate future damage based on people flow and various hypocenter models of earthquakes. We propose a method that uses sparse modeling to extract scenarios that are important for disaster estimation and prevention. As a result, this paper makes it possible to quickly grasp the scenario distribution, which was previously impossible to do, and to extract the significant scenarios.

Abstract: The French Blood Establishment (EFS) is the only one in France allowed dealing with the blood supply chain. The EFS centers are scattered in France and blood products are transported over hundreds of kilometers, from collection sites to hubs and from the hubs to distribution sites. The strong constraints on lifetime and storage conditions imply a traceability of transportation steps very accurate, which is necessary in case of unexpected and unwanted events. To make “good” decisions, we propose in this research work to use the Physical Internet philosophy. Thanks to sensors in containers and Complex Event Processing modules to aggregate and filter the data collected, we would be able to create a real time “field model”. In case of crisis this model would be helpful and perfectly adapted to help the crisis unit to make “good” decisions and maybe propose solutions based on the past events.

Abstract: This paper is about the work that takes place during large police operations in different command post settings, and how artefacts are used in the collaborative process in creating a common operational picture (COP). We apply “artefactual multiplicity” as our analytical lens. An interpretative research approach has been applied in form of ethnographical field studies using observation and informal interviews as data collection techniques. The artefacts that have been studied are definable as common artefacts, i.e. artefacts that are commonly available in our work environment. Based upon the five separate studies, the artefacts studied are found to be very important as collaborative tools and many also have embedded visualization functionalities. The main contribution from this research is 1) extensive knowledge about how the artefacts are used in the establishment of the COP during large police operations, where the process of establishing the COP is, to a very large extent, dependent upon the artefacts' collaborative and multiple functions; 2) the proposal and suggestion to study the whole staff and the artefacts used by the staff as one heterogeneous unit, as a record of activities. Studies of single artefacts in isolation reduce the possibility of seeing the full multiplicity of all the artefacts used within the staff, and the complexity of the intertwined web of artefactual functions.

Abstract: In complex crises, coordination between organizations is challenging. Knowledge needed to coordinate, like responsibilities, capabilities and interdependencies between tasks are often not known or not communicated systematically. As a result, coordination develops gradually and causes confusion. In this paper we describe an approach and tool called 'Profiler', that focuses on quickly increasing knowledge and understanding about the participating organizations while preparing for, or at the beginning of a crisis. Profiler was evaluated during an exercise of 1 Civil Military Coordination Battalion (1CIMICbat). Teams consisting of functional specialists performed a damage and needs assessments after a flooding. The results show that participants that used Profiler increased their knowledge and integrated understanding, when this was initially lacking. Further, participants with improved knowledge and integrated understanding, coordinated more within and between teams, when they perceived to be interdependent. Our results point in the direction that coordination effectiveness and efficiency may be improved with our approach.

Abstract: This paper focuses on the assessment of ethical, legal and social issues (ELSI) in relation to agile information systems in the domain of crisis management. The authors analyse the differing needs of a move from a traditional approach to the development of information systems to an agile approach, which offers flexibility, adaptability and responds to the needs of users as the system develops. In turn, the authors argue that this development requires greater flexibility and an iterative approach to assessing ELSI. The authors provide an example from the Horizon 2020 EU-funded project iTRACK (Integrated system for real-time TRACKing and collective intelligence in civilian humanitarian missions) to exemplify this move to an iterative approach in practice, drawing on the process of undertaking an ethical and privacy impact assessment for the purpose of this project.

Abstract: This paper reports on a qualitative study exploring personal crises that emerge during transitions. Personal crises, like crises caused by natural disasters, often lead to new behaviors and opportunities for technology appropriation and design. Through interviews with 14 military veterans re-integrating into civilian society, we find that the veterans' transitions involve several impediments related to translation work--the process through which people make sense of the conflicting rules and norms between former and present social realities. We developed guidelines for the design of new wearable devices that can aid veterans in the translation process by proposing a six-fold schema of design criteria for wearables--detection, nudging, portability/proximity, inconspicuousness, connectivity, and reflection--to empower veterans in managing personal crises, fostering resilience, and creating normalcy. Finally, we develop the concept of identity creep to explicate these translation-breakdowns.

Abstract: Collaboration is the foundation to strengthen disaster preparedness and for effective emergency response actions at all levels. Some studies have highlighted that remote volunteers, i.e., volunteers supported by Web 2.0 technologies, possess the potential to strengthen humanitarian relief organizations by offering information regarding disaster-affected people and infrastructure. Although studies have explored various aspects of this topic, none of those provided an overview of the state-of-the-art of researches on the collaboration among humanitarian organizations and communities of remote volunteers. With the aim of overcoming this gap, a systematic literature review was conducted on the existing research works. Therefore, the main contribution of this work lies in examining the state of research in this field and in identifying potential research gaps. The results show that most of the research works addresses the general domain of disaster management, whereas only few of them address the domain of humanitarian logistics.