Dennis Andersson, Sofie Pilemalm, & Niklas Hallberg. (2008). Evaluation of crisis management operations using Reconstruction and Exploration. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 118–125). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In this paper we present the Reconstruction and Exploration approach (R&E) and F-REX tool and their applications in a field exercise with the Swedish Rescue Services Agency with the purpose of investigating features needed for a computer supported approach for evaluation of large scale crisis management operations. After the exercise several interviews and one seminar were held to evaluate R&E as a representative for computer supported evaluation approaches for crisis management operations. Initial results indicate that multimedia presentation of key events from an operation can be very valuable not only to stimulate the participants to reflect on their own performance, but also to document and share lessons learned to non-participants.
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Shoshana Altschuller, & Raquel Benbunan-Fich. (2008). Potential antecedents to trust in ad hoc emergency response virtual teams. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 254–264). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This research explores the potential determinants of trust in newly formed virtual teams to better inform the choice of communication media for virtual emergency response groups for which interpersonal trust is crucial. Results of a laboratory experiment indicate that the way that communicants view their teammates and themselves as part of that team is significantly correlated with the level of trust that they experience. Impression formation, public self-awareness, perceived social presence, and self-disclosure are all found to have significant correlations with trust among ad hoc teammates. It is therefore recommended that the design of emergency response communication systems include features to foster these feelings thereby promoting trust among teammates. Our results are applicable to ad hoc emergency teams who interact for a period of time to address relief and recovery efforts after a major disaster or emergency.
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Thomas Bader, Andreas Meissner, & Rolf Tscherney. (2008). Digital Map Table with Fovea-Tablett®: Smart furniture for emergency operation centers. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 679–688). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: During large-scale crisis events special emergency management structures are put in place in order to execute administrative-strategic and/or technical-tactical functions for potentially large geographical areas. The adequacy of information systems and the communication capabilities within such management structures largely determine the quality of situation awareness and are thus crucial for the effectiveness and efficiency of the emergency managers' work. In this field, this paper makes a threefold contribution: In the first part we provide a description of the organizational structure and the tasks in an emergency operation center (EOC) from a practitioner's perspective. Based on this primer, in the second part we propose four guidelines which help to design human-computer interfaces, especially adequate smart room technology, for this domain. Third, we present a system we designed along these guidelines. We specifically discuss the introduction of a Digital Map Table with Fovea-Tablett® into an EOC as “smart furniture” supporting both team and individual work.
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F. Fiedrich, B. V. de W. (2008). Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management. Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The proceedings contain 89 papers and 2 PowerPoint presentations. The topics discussed include: emergency messaging to general public via public wireless networks; multicast voice performance within a public safety cell; united we respond: one community, one voice; community response grid (CRG) for a university campus: design requirements and implications; use of web-based group decision support for crisis management; agent-based simulations of mass egress after improvised explosive device attacks; a prototype virtual emergency operations center using a collaborative virtual environment; virtual environments for developing strategies for interdicting terrorists carrying dirty bombs; emergency management task characteristics, knowledge sharing and integration and task performance: research agenda and challenges; and automatic extraction of abbreviation for emergency management websites.
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Gregorio Convertino, Helena M. Mentis, Prajakta Bhambare, Caitlin Ferro, John M. Carroll, & Mary Beth Rosson. (2008). Comparing media in emergency planning. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 632–641). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The research on technology for emergency management is usually based either on studies in the field that focus on workers using current tools or on the development, testing, and deployment of novel software tools used in controlled settings. Little is known about the effects of the new collaborative media and work conditions 'in comparison to' the current media and conditions. In 2007, we presented at ISCRAM a method for studying common ground development through a paper prototype in face-to-face collaboration and subsequently presented preliminary findings on common ground development. In this paper we present preliminary findings from an analogous experiment on teams working remotely via a geo-collaborative software prototype. We compare these findings with those from the prior paper prototype study. We use this comparative research design to explore implications for system design and theory development in computer-supported cooperative work.
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Tim J. Grant. (2008). Checklist for comparing emergency management information systems. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 752–763). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This paper describes a checklist that has been developed for comparing the functionality of emergency management control centres and their information systems. The intention is to interest the ISCRAM community in using the checklist in various applications and pooling experiences. The Control Centre Visit Checklist has evolved through four iterations. It has been used to study two military C2 systems and one non-military control system, and has been applied by students for course assignments. The paper focuses on the part of the checklist that evaluates the information system from the systems viewpoint. It describes the underlying applications architecture and process model. The Royal Netherlands Army's Battlefield Management System illustrates the application of the checklist. The results show that the checklist aids in identifying where C2 systems can be developed further. The next step is to perform a set of substantial pilot studies for diverse domains, including civilian emergency management systems.
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Michele Angelaccio, & Daniele Pizziconi. (2008). Adaptive process coordination through mobile file sharing: A crisis management case study analysis. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 242–248). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This paper describes an ongoing project that exploits the capability of mobile sharing systems for ad-hoc wireless networks (MANET) operating in a post-emergency scenario. The aim is to support an existing adaptive process management in which users handle multimedia files (e.g. disaster photos) in a nomadic way by exploiting the capability offered by mobile file sharing middleware to reduce the connection time for each nomadic operator performing emergency workflow. The paper compares user activities with and without file sharing capability in order to show the efficiency gain that could be obtained. A preliminary discussion with example of activity diagrams evidences the benefits in terms of workflow efficiency and gives the opportunity in the software project development phase to obtain a more scalable and efficiently performing mobile adaptive process management for crisis scenarios.
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Willem J. Muhren, Gerd Van Den Eede, & Bartel A. Van De Walle. (2008). Sensemaking as a methodology for ISCRAM research: Information processing in an ongoing crisis. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 315–323). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This paper attempts to reveal the “black box” of information processing activities by relying on Sensemaking as a methodology and as the object of research. In particular, this research aims at studying intuitive information processing activities in ongoing crisis situations, one of the most extreme contexts in which discontinuity is the rule and continuity the exception. The authors argue that this Sensemaking approach offers valuable insights for the design of information systems for crisis response and management (ISCRAM). This paper describes an interpretive case study methodology as it was applied to discover Sensemaking episodes in the daily work of humanitarian relief actors in the ongoing crisis of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
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Irma Becerra-Fernandez, Weidong Xia, Arvind Gudi, & Jose Rocha. (2008). Task characteristics, knowledge sharing and integration, and emergency management performance: Research agenda and challenges. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 88–92). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Emergency management tasks are inherently complex and dynamic, requiring quick knowledge sharing and decision coordination among multiple organizations across different levels and locations. However, there is a general lack of understanding about how to describe and assess the complex and dynamic nature of emergency management tasks and how knowledge integration help managers improve emergency management task performance. This paper describes a research project that aims at (1) developing the concepts of task complexity and uncertainty of emergency management tasks and (2) testing the mediating role of knowledge sharing and knowledge integration between emergency management task characteristics and performance. The overall research agenda, approaches, challenges and the advantages of utilizing a virtual Emergency Operations Center (vEOC) for this line of research are discussed.
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Frédérick Bénaben, Chihab Hanachi, Matthieu Lauras, Pierre Couget, & Vincent Chapurlat. (2008). A metamodel and its ontology to guide crisis characterization and its collaborative management. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 189–196). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This paper presents a research in progress about the French ISyCri project that aims at providing partners involved in crisis management with an agile Mediation Information System (MIS). Not only this MIS shoul support the interoperability of the partners' information systems but it is also dedicated to coordinate their activities through a collaborative process. One of the first and main steps towards such a MIS, is to elaborate a common and sharable reference model built to characterize crisis situations. Such a model is also an input for automated reasoning to elaborate and adapt a crisis solving collaborative process. This article presents the objective of the project, our approach and our first results: a UML metamodel of crisis situation and its corresponding OWL ontology on top of which deductions are possible.
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Gary Berg-Cross. (2008). Improving situational ontologies to support adaptive crisis management knowledge architecture. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 537–545). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: There is considerable interest in advance technologies to support crisis and disaster management as they face the challenges of designing, building, and maintaining large-scale distributed systems able to adapt to the dynamics and complexity of crises. Candidate technologies include Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), related Semantic Web technology, agent-based architecture and cognitive architectures. Each embodies some principles of the Adaptive Architecture-including modularity, openness, standards-based development, runtime support and importantly explicitness. However, truly adaptive architectures for crisis management will require some deepening the knowledge architecture's content and not just its representation. Light and more robust ontological models of situations are discussed to show how better formalization of conceptual patterns like “participation” can be developed to support cognitive architectures. The feasibility of an ontological design pattern approach is described as an avenue for future research and development describing specific types of situations.
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Peter H. Berghmans, Gerd Van Den Eede, & Bartel A. Van De Walle. (2008). A systems perspective on security risk identification: Methodology and illustrations from city councils. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 266–275). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In this paper we take a system theoretic perspective to the process of security risk identification in the context of city councils. Based on this approach, we construct a framework that helps to identify risks. We analyze why this methodological framework is suitable for the risk identification process. Research in fifty Flemish city councils reveals the usefulness of our approach of combining a perceived vs. objective perspective with a technical vs. organizational one. We believe such a framework offers a workable tool for dealing with IS security risks in a systems thinking way.
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Nitesh Bharosa, Marijn Janssen, Raghav H. Rao, & JinKyu Lee. (2008). Adaptive information orchestration: Architectural principles improving information quality. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 556–565). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Effective responsiveness to disasters requires the management of information in a network of autonomous response agencies. Yet, the information quality is often insufficient. Information is scattered throughout the network and needs to be collected from heterogeneous information sources. As such, adaptive information orchestration is the key to effective response. The aim of this paper is to develop a prescriptive, conceptual architecture guided by architectural principles for orchestration aimed at improving information quality. Information orchestration refers to an information architecture in which multiple orchestrators match information supply according to the information demand in order to assure a high information quality for relief workers. A primarily element is that information needs to be 'enriched' before it is provided to relief workers and necessary resources (human, information and technology) should be available to accomplish this. This should ensure that the right information will be delivered to the right persons at the right moment. Future research is aimed at detailing the concept of information orchestration.
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Alexander F. Blecken, & Bernd Hellingrath. (2008). Supply Chain Management software for humanitarian operations: Review and assessment of current tools. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 342–351). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Humanitarian operations in response to sudden and slow-onset crises have increased considerably both in terms of size and complexity over the last decade. This requires a coordinated approach by all actors involved in disaster or humanitarian relief efforts. Since the logistics part of disaster relief spending is accountable for a major part of disaster relief spending, it is natural to look at the supply chains of humanitarian organizations when searching for potentials for cooperation during humanitarian operations. In this paper, we have reviewed Supply Chain Management software currently used or piloted in humanitarian organizations. Their main features are presented and the tools are assessed according to criteria specific to supply chain management requirements of humanitarian operations. We find that while there is one tool which has the potential of becoming a de-facto standard, there are still gaps to be filled.
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Lindsley G. Boiney, Bradley Goodman, Robert Gaimari, Jeffrey Zarrella, Christopher Berube, & Janet Hitzeman. (2008). Taming multiple chat room collaboration: Real-time visual cues to social networks and emerging threads. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 660–668). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Distributed teams increasingly rely on collaboration environments, typically including chat, to link diverse experts for real time information sharing and decision-making. Current chat-based technologies enable easy exchange of information, but don't focus on managing those information exchanges. Important cues that guide face-to-face collaboration are either lost or missing. In some military environments, operators may juggle over a dozen chat rooms in order to collaborate on complex missions. This often leads to confusion, overload, miscommunication and delayed decisions. Our technology supports chat management. A summary display bar reduces the number of chat rooms operators need open by providing high level situational awareness pointers, in real-time, to: a) rooms with increasing message activity levels, b) rooms in which important collaborators are participating (those in the operator's social network), and c) rooms in which operator-selected keywords are used. This ability to peripherally monitor less critical chat rooms reduces operator overload, while enhancing the ability to rapidly detect important emerging discussion threads. © 2008 The MITRE Corporation. All rights reserved.
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Mike Botts, George Percivall, Carl Reed, & John Davidson. (2008). OGC® sensor web enablement: Overview and high level architecture. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 713–723). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: A precursor paper (also available as an OGC White Paper) provides a high-level overview of and architecture for the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards activities that focus on sensors, sensor networks, and a concept called the “Sensor Web”. This OGC focus area is known as Sensor Web Enablement (SWE). For readers interested in greater technical and architecture details, please download and read the OGC SWE Architecture Discussion Paper titled “The OGC Sensor Web Enablement Architecture” (OGC document 06-021r1).
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Raffaele Bruno, Marco Conti, & Andrea Passarella. (2008). Opportunistic networking overlays for ICT services in crisis management. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 689–701). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: ICT infrastructures are a critical asset in today's Information society. Legacy telecommunication systems easily collapse in the face of disruptions due to security incidents or natural disasters. Hence, there is an urgent demand for new architectures and technologies ensuring a more efficient and dependable support for various security missions, such as disaster relief initiatives, first responder operations, critical infrastructure protection, etc. In this paper we advocate the opportunistic networking paradigm to build a self-organizing overlay ICT infrastructure for supporting dependable crisis management services. Our opportunistic framework to “glues together” surviving parts of the pre-existing infrastructure with networks deployed on-demand and users devices, and supports dependable distribution of coherent, updated, and non-contradictory information distribution. Finally, to show the potential advantages of our solution, we present initial results on the performance of different types of opportunistic infrastructures, by particularly highlighting the gains of context-aware systems.
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Colleen J Buono, Theodore C. Chan, William G. Griswold, Ricky Huang, Fang Liu, James Killeen, et al. (2008). WIISARD: Wireless internet information system for medical response to disasters. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (126). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Called the Wireless Internet Information System for Medical Response in Disasters, or WIISARD, the use of sophisticated wireless technology to coordinate and enhance care of mass casualties in a terrorist attack or natural disaster is the focus of a federally funded research project at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD). The project brings together broad-based participation from academia, industry, the military, and emergency responders from the City and County of San Diego.
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Monika Büscher, Preben Holst Mogensen, & Margit Kristensen. (2008). When and how (not) to trust IT? Supporting virtual emergency teamwork. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 167–176). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In this paper we use the formative evaluation of a prototype 'assembly' of pervasive computing technologies to specify design implications for emergency virtual teamwork tools. The prototype assembly, called “Overview”, was implemented in collaboration with police, fire and medical emergency services as part of the real life event management during the Tall Ships' Races 2007 in Denmark. We describe how the emergency teams used the technologies for collaboration between distributed colleagues, to produce shared situation awareness, to manage efforts and resources and respond to minor emergencies. Trust in technology is a key need virtual teams identify in their endeavours to dovetail innovative technologies into emergency work. We show how practices of working up trust are supported by the PalCom open architecture (which was used to build Overview), and delineate design guidelines to enable the productive integration of pervasive computing.
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Andrea Capata, Andrea Marrella, Ruggero Russo, Manfred Bortenschlager, & Harald Rieser. (2008). A geo-based application for the management of mobile actors during crisis situations. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 219–229). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: The widespread availability of network-enabled handled devices has made the development of pervasive computing applications an emerging reality particularly suitable for managing emergency/disaster situations. Moreover in emergency management scenarios, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are gaining momentum for their capacity to capture, analyze and manage geo-referenced data. In this paper we discuss an architecture designed to support rescue teams operating in outdoor environments and equipped with mobile devices working in a P2P fashion within a Mobile Ad-hoc Network (MANET). Our system has been designed to effectively address the on-field working persons' need for geographic information that cannot be supplied by conventional paper-based maps. Our approach provides a transparent access to geo-information and to GIS functionalities, and it addresses issues specifically relevant to emergency management scenarios in open fields.
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Ian Carpenter. (2008). Implementing CAP and EDXL standards to enhance web-based crisis management. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (2). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In response to the Australian Federal Government's legislative changes, including the Disaster Management Act 2003, both State and Local Government are finding it necessary to work ever more closely to ensure the successful development, approval and operation of local disaster management plans and activities. Working closely with numerous Local governments and their stakeholders, Faulkner Technologies has developed a web-based information management exchange to facilitate the timely and accurate collation, dissemination and sharing of event-related information during an incident or disaster. Challenges such as geographically-dispersed operations, information management, communication management, reporting and logging and capturing key learnings are common to all local councils. Our web-based information management exchange dovetails with both the paper-based Standard Operating Procedure and multiple communication systems significantly enhancing the management of disasters and incidents. In conjunction with NICTA (National ICT Australia) and their Smart Applications for Emergencies (SAFE) project, the solution uses the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) and Emergency Data eXchange Language (EDXL) standards for message distribution.
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Seyed Hossein Chavoshi, Mahmoud Reza Delavar, Mahdieh Soleimani, & Motahareh Chavoshi. (2008). Toward developing an expert GIS for damage evaluation after an earthquake (case study: Tehran). In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 734–741). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In an earthquake disaster, having proper estimation about destructed buildings and the degree of destruction, can considerably facilitate decision-making and planning for disaster managers. Using this information, the managers can estimate disaster area and number of victims to determine and allocate required resources. Scientific studies and historical data show that the faults around Tehran, the capital of Iran, are capable to create strong earthquakes which would bring the largest damages in the world history to the city. So it is necessary to be prepared for a rapid and knowledge-based response to such an earthquake. Therefore, development of a knowledge-based model to estimate destruction of buildings is ongoing. The model is going to be developed by using different spatial data obtained from the buildings and its environment in Tehran. This paper outlines the initial results of this research.
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Linn Marks Collins, James E. Powell Jr., Carolyn E Dunford, Ketan K. Mane, & Mark L.B. Martinez. (2008). Emergency information Synthesis and awareness using E-SOS. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 618–623). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: In an emergency, people need to be able to report and find relevant information quickly. Fulfilling these information needs is the design goal of E-SOS: Emergency Situation Overview and Synthesis, a research project in progress. E-SOS will consist of (1) a website where users can report information, (2) web services that find and synthesize related information from multiple sources, and (3) interface tools that visualize and display links to this information. In this paper we describe three of these services and tools: the topic, geographic, and information space awareness tools. When a user writes a report, the topic awareness tool will execute a federated search and display links to related information. The information space awareness tool will highlight these links in a visualization of the information space. If the user refers to a location, the geographic awareness tool will focus a map on this location and display topic-related icons.
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Louise K. Comfort, Milos Hauskrecht, & Jeen-Shang Lin. (2008). Dynamic networks: Modeling change in environments exposed to risk. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 576–585). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: Modeling the interaction between interdependent systems in dynamic environments represents a promising approach to enabling communities to assess and manage the recurring risk to which they are exposed. We frame the problem as a complex, adaptive system, examining the interaction between transportation and emergency response as a socio-technical system. Using methods of spatial and statistical analysis, we overlaid the engineered transportation system on the organizational emergency response system to identify the thresholds of fragility in each. We present a research design and preliminary results from a small-scale study conducted in the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Region that examined the interaction between the transportation and emergency response systems. These results informed the design of a Situational Assessment Module for emergency managers, currently under development at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Dragos Datcu, & Leon J.M. Rothkrantz. (2008). A Dialog Action Manager for automatic crisis management. In B. V. de W. F. Fiedrich (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2008 – 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 384–393). Washington, DC: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: This paper presents the results of our research on the development of a Dialog Action Manager-DAM as part of a complex crisis management system. Imagine the utility of such an automatic system to detect the crisis and to provide support to people in contexts similar to what happened recently at the underground in London and Madrid. Preventing and handling the scenarios of terrorism and other crisis are nowadays maybe the most important issues for a modern and safe society. In order to automate the crisis support, DAM simulates the behavior of an employee at the crisis centre handling telephone calls from human observers. Firstly, the system has to mimic the natural support for the paradigm 'do you hear me?' and next for the paradigm 'do you understand me?'. The people witnessing the crisis event as well as human experts provide reports and expertise according to their observations and knowledge on the crisis. The system knowledge and the data communication follow the XML format specifications. The system is centered on the results of our previous work on creating a user-centered multimodal reporting tool that works on mobile devices. In our paper we describe the mechanisms for creating an automatic DAM system that is able to analyze the user messages, to identify and track the crisis contexts, to support dialogs for crisis information disambiguation and to generate feedback in the form of advice to the users. The reasoning is done by using a data frame and rule based system architecture and an alternative Bayesian Network approach. In the paper we also present a series of experiments we have attempted in our endeavor to correctly identify natural solutions for the crisis situations.
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