Abstract: In complex socio-technical systems, robustness is achieved through interaction between the technical structure of the system and the social and organizational structure of the operators who run the system. While the need for human oversight of complex systems is widely recognized, the impact of organizational factors on the effectiveness of the oversight function is not well understood. We have studied the social interactions between supervision and maintenance operators of the largest French telecom operator, using techniques from the sociology of organizations. Detailed analysis of the social network formed by these operators has allowed us to identify a number of factors that contribute positively or negatively to the robustness of the system.

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.

Abstract: It is frequently conveyed, especially in the media, an idea of “increasing impact of natural hazards” typically attributed to their rising frequency and/or growing vulnerability of populations. However, for certain hazard types, this may be mostly a result of increasing population exposure due to phenomenal global population growth, especially in the most hazardous areas. We investigate temporal changes in potential global population exposure and impacts from earthquakes in the XXth century. Spatial analysis is used to combine historical population distributions with a seismic intensity map. Changes in number of victims were also analyzed, while controlling for the progress in frequency and magnitude of hazard events. There is also a focus on mega-cities and implications of fast urbanization for exposure and risk. Results illustrate the relevance of population growth and exposure for risk assessment and disaster outcome, and underline the need for conducting detailed global mapping of settlements and population distribution.

Abstract: Crisis management efforts in the United States public health sector aim to prepare and protect the life of an individual, family or group against a health-related event. These efforts span governmental, nongovernmental and private sectors. The need for coordination between these organizations has never been more apparent. A solution will depend heavily on standardized communication protocols using information and communication technology (ICT). Numerous initiatives are currently addressing the needs of our nation with respect to homeland security and public health, yet remain in the early stages for the nongovernmental sector. The emphasis of our research is at the local level where the governmental sector extends to the nongovernmental sector (NGO), particularly community outreach. Our analysis of the local community suggests focusing on the management of communication during public health crises to better understand the complexities and variations presented in these communities. Leveraging experiences from media-technology literature findings and emergency-response efforts, we seek to identify a framework and tools to enable effective communication for those public health practitioners who serve as front-line responders to public health crises. The major contributions of this research will be to extend the use of information systems and mobile technology to the local United States public health communities to increase effective communication between organizations, while providing a state of readiness for homeland security related events.

Abstract: Mitigating, detecting, evaluating, responding and recovering from crises are highly complex tasks that involve many decision makers (agents). As a consequence using collaborative methods that allow the cooperation among these agents during the crisis management strategy and procedures design is of significant importance. Group Model Building (GMB) is a robust collaborative methodology that has been successfully used for modelling several complex socio-technical problems, where different agents may have diverse perspectives or interests in the problem under analysis. Through the development of a series of exercises, GMB allows the integration of these initially fragmented perspectives. Modellers translate the knowledge elicited from experts during GMB workshops into simulation models that reproduce the behaviour of the problem. This paper presents the use and adaptation of the GMB methodology in a research project about large pan European crises due to outages in the electricity sector.

Abstract: The STATPack is a telemedicine consultation and emergency response system which was developed to increase statewide laboratory responsiveness to public health emergencies. Although several emergency response management information systems have been created for diagnostic laboratories at the national level, most states in the U.S. do not have the capability to share critical public health microbiology laboratory information at local levels, especially in rural communities. This paper offers a description and preliminary assessment of the STATPack as it is being deployed by the Nebraska Public Health Laboratory and should be recognized as research in-progress. Initial experiences with this emergency response system have been encouraging.

Abstract: There is general consensus that subsurface wastewater injections associated with unconventional oil and gas operations are responsible for the rapid increase of earthquake activity in the mid-U.S. Understanding the public response to these earthquakes is crucial for policy decisions that govern developing situational awareness and addressing perceived risks. However, we lack sufficient information on the reactive and recovery response behavior of the public tending to occur in the spatiotemporal vicinity of these events. Here, we review the spatiotemporal distribution of public response to the September 3, 2016, M5.8 earthquake in Pawnee, Oklahoma, USA, via a social media network (Twitter). Our findings highlight a statistically significant correlation between the spatial and temporal distribution of public response; and suggest the possible presence of a spatial distance decay, as well as a temporal far-field eect. Understanding the underlying structure of these correlations is fundamental to establishing deliberate policy decisions and targeted response actions.

Abstract: Agro Terrorism is “a hostile attack, towards an agricultural environment, including infrastructures and processes, in order to significantly damage national and international political interests”. This special session within the early warning track is aimed at reducing agro-terrorism related risks by either means of prevention (intelligence gathering using data mining and chatter mining, for example) or means to response to such an attack by early detection of exotic/foreign pathogenic agents, early prediction of disease dispersion patterns, implementation of biosecurity measures, and the development of future methodologies and techniques related to food defense and post-event response. This paper focuses on intention detection using overt data sources on the World Wide Web as they relate to agro-terrorism threats. The paper focuses on early detection that can lead to prevention of such acts, yet a variety of the techniques presented here are also useful for helping in post-event perpetrators detection. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: This paper presents the Symbiotic Orchestration Module, which facilitates the collaboration of smart agents in disaster response scenarios. By effectively orchestrating the actions of different agents in critical situations towards a common goal, it enhances the individual capabilities of the agents and unlocks new possibilities that are not available when agents act isolated. To achieve this, the Symbiotic Orchestration Module is composed of four sub-modules: a) the Mission Controller, which is responsible for keeping track of ongoing missions, agent allocations and for handling non-collaborative missions, b) the Symbiotic Operation Control Module, which handles collaborative missions proposed by the system, c) the Task Allocation Module, which automatically assigns available robots to incoming missions based on robot capabilities and mission requirements, and d) the Task Recognition and Optimal Sequencing Module, which is responsible for recognizing opportunities for agent collaboration and for system-wide goal optimization.

Abstract: When discussing human casualties from a severe earthquake with regard to urban disaster mitigation planning, it is important to clarify the characteristics of the spatiotemporal distribution of people. In this paper, we construct a model that estimates the spatiotemporal distribution of automobile users using data from the Person Trip Survey and the Road Traffic Census. We use this model to estimate the spatiotemporal distribution of automobile users in Tokyo and demonstrate several ways to apply this data to urban disaster mitigation planning.