Adam Widera, Chiara Fonio, Sandra Lechtenberg, & Bernd Hellingrath. (2018). Measuring Innovations in Crisis Management. In Kees Boersma, & Brian Tomaszeski (Eds.), ISCRAM 2018 Conference Proceedings – 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 1051–1062). Rochester, NY (USA): Rochester Institute of Technology.
Abstract: Crisis management (CM) organizations regularly face the challenge to assess the potential impact of a change in their socio-technical setup. No matter if a new software, a new tool, a simple workflow or a broader organizational structure become available, CM organizations need to estimate the potential added value under a high degree of uncertainty. In general, the more reliable information about the new solution is available, the more informed the decisions are. One promising way in assessing the potential impact of new CM solutions can be found through its application in an as realistic as possible and an as secure as necessary setup. However, such artificial scenarios like simulation exercises hold the risk of measuring the performance of the solution itself rather than its contribution to the CM operation. In this paper we review the state of the art in measuring crisis management performance, discuss the results in the context of performance measurement in general and present a performance measurement approach supporting a structured assessment of innovative CM solutions applied within collaborative demonstration project.
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Anne Marie Barthe, Frédérick Bénaben, Sébastien Truptil, & Hervé Pingaud. (2013). A flexible network of sensors: Case study. 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. 344–348). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: The goal of this article is to introduce a plastic architecture of a survey system dedicated to any kind of geographical area that requires to be observed. The principle of this architecture is to allow to change dynamically the set of sensors that is used to monitor the area and also to provide an analyze system able to deal with this unstable set of sensors. Based on Event-Driven Architecture (EDA) technology, such a system does not provide new features compared with traditional set of static sensors connected through cables to dozens of bulbs lighting when a predefined subset of measures is not in the expected range. However, the introduced architecture provides a completely agile and dynamic system of measurement where neither the network of sensors nor the system of measure interpretation is static.
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Thomas Bernard, Mathias Braun, Olivier Piller, Denis Gilbert, Jochen Deuerlein, Andreas Korth, et al. (2013). SMaRT-OnlineWDN: Online security management and reliability toolkit for water distribution networks. 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. 171–176). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Water distribution Networks (WDNs) are critical infrastructures that are exposed to deliberate or accidental contamination. Until now, no monitoring system is capable of protecting a WDN in real time. In the immediate future water service utilities that are installing water quantity and quality sensors in their networks will be producing a continuous and huge data stream for treating. The main objective of the project SMaRT-OnlineWDN is the development of an online security management toolkit for water distribution networks that is based on sensor measurements of water quality as well as water quantity and online simulation. Its field of application ranges from detection of deliberate contamination, including source identification and decision support for effective countermeasures, to improved operation and control of a WDN under normal and abnormal conditions.
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Thomas Bernoulli, Gerald Glanzer, Thomas Wiebflecker, & Ulrich Walder. (2010). Infrastructurless indoor positioning system for first responders. In C. Zobel B. T. S. French (Ed.), ISCRAM 2010 – 7th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management: Defining Crisis Management 3.0, Proceedings. Seattle, WA: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: To overview the site of operation in case of an emergency is crucial for effective emergency management. This is a difficult task, in particular within large buildings or underground structures. Information about the whereabouts of the staff is a key element of effective disaster management. This paper presents an indoor positioning system which is able to track and locate people within buildings independent of any infrastructure (global navigation satellite system, WLAN installations, etc.). The system is based on inertial measurement units computing the track of its wearer and a component verifying this position estimates using floor plans of the building. This novel approach allows robust tracking and locating of action forces within buildings and underground structures.
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Christian Reuter, Marc-André Kaufhold, & René Steinfort. (2017). Rumors, Fake News and Social Bots in Conflicts and Emergencies: Towards a Model for Believability in Social Media. In eds Aurélie Montarnal Matthieu Lauras Chihab Hanachi F. B. Tina Comes (Ed.), Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response And Management (pp. 583–591). Albi, France: Iscram.
Abstract: The use of social media is gaining more and more in importance in ordinary life, but also in conflicts and emer-gencies. The social big data, generated by users, is partially also used as a source for situation assessment, e.g. to receive pictures or to assess the general mood. However, the information's believability is hard to control and can deceive. Rumors, fake news and social bots are phenomenons that challenge the easy consumption of social media. To address this, our paper explores the believability of content in social media. Based on foundations of infor-mation quality we conducted a literature study to derive a three-level model for assessing believability. It summa-rizes existing assessment approaches, assessment criteria and related measures. On this basis, we describe several steps towards the development of an assessment approach that works across different types of social media.
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Tom De Groeve, Zsofia Kugler, & G. Robert Brakenridge. (2007). Near real time flood alerting for the global disaster alert and coordination system. In K. Nieuwenhuis P. B. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Intelligent Human Computer Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2007 Academic Proceedings Papers (pp. 33–39). Delft: Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM.
Abstract: A new flood monitoring module is in development for the Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS). GDACS is an information system designed to assist humanitarian responders with their decisions in the early onset after a disaster. It provides near-real time flood alerts with an initial estimate of the consequences based on computer models. Subsequently, the system gathers information in an automated way from relevant information sources such as international media, mapping and scientific organizations. The novel flood detection methodology is based on daily AMSR-E passive microwave measurement of 2500 flood prone sites on 1435 rivers in 132 countries. Alert thresholds are determined from the time series of the remote observations and these are validated using available flood archives (from 2002 to present). Preliminary results indicate a match of 47% between detected floods and flood archives. Individual tuning of thresholds per site should improve this result.
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Duygu Pamukcu, Christopher Zobel, & Yue Ge. (2022). A Data Envelopment Analysis-based Approach for Managing Performance of Public Service Systems During a Disaster. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 144–153). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: In addition to their normal task of supporting community participation, engagement, and improved information access, information technology-based public service systems are also essential for maintaining critical services and providing effective communication with citizens before, during, and after emergencies. This study focuses on the impacts of disaster events on the operational performance of such service systems and discusses opportunities for managing service efficiency by rearranging and reallocating resources during emergencies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to provide a practical method for improving the relative efficiency of public service systems in such a context. We suggest a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) approach for quantifying the relative efficiencies associated with service requests from an input-output-based standpoint, and discuss the Orange County (Florida) 311 non-emergency service system, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, as an example of how such operational efficiency can be managed during a disruption.
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Jean-François Gagnon, Martin Rivest, François Couderc, & Sébastien Tremblay. (2012). Capturing the task model of experts in emergency response using SYnRGY. 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: The need for better team measurement in realistic environments has been recognized as one of the key challenges that characterize the field of team work studies (Salas, Cooke, & Rosen, 2008). This challenge is particularly hard to address in the context of emergency response, due to the inherent complexity and dynamism of the domain. Emergency response is part of the emergency management cycle, and refers to the mobilization of the adequate actors and resources to mitigate the impact of an incident on the public and on the environment (Abrahamsson, Hassel, and Tehler, 2010). Emergency response often requires the cooperation of multiple agencies such as police, medical, and fire services, consequently increasing the complexity of such operations. We report of how SYnRGY – a human-centered emergency response technological tool – is embedded with extensive measurement and simulation capabilities to allow tracing of experts' task models in a silent and reliable way. We describe how these capabilities; combined with an innovative modeling technique – dynamic cognitive task modeling – can be used to extract experts' representations of the task. We discuss the importance of such a model for training, improvement of emergency response procedures and development of emergency response tools. © 2012 ISCRAM.
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Josep Cobarsí, & Laura Calvet. (2020). Community resilience instruments: Chances of improvement through customization and integration? In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 381–388). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Resilience is understood as the ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate, adapt to, transform and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner. So far, dozens of measurement instruments have been developed to measure community resilience to disasters, considering each one different types of hazards (general, natural, climate, man-made, etc.) and communities (general, urban, rural, etc.). However, none of these instruments has been widely adopted yet. In this context, we discuss important gaps for resilience research and practice. Then, we propose a conceptual framework to review community resilience instruments, so to enhance their improvement through two facets (or dimensions) we propose of customization and integration. This framework is characterized by the following properties for community resilience instruments: encapsulation, intelligibility, geographical focus, hazard range focus, connectivity, adaptability to dynamic conditions, datification, and stakeholders' involvement. We look forward to apply this framework to review a purposive sample of community resilience instruments regarding natural disasters.
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Vitaveska Lanfranchi, Suvodeep Mazumdar, & Fabio Ciravegna. (2013). Evaluating the real usability of a C2 system – Short and controlled vs long and real. 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. 62–66). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: Command and Control systems (C2) need to be highly usable to efficiently support communication during crisis situations. Short-term usability evaluations are typically carried out because of the cost and time advantage. However, even the most realistic evaluations (simulations) do not reflect the real issues encountered “in the wild”, such as the operators' stress or the multiple foci of attention. In this paper we carry out an experiment to measure the changes in usability of a C2 system between a short-term simulation and a long-term “in the wild” evaluation. We demonstrate that short-term usability measurements can differ significantly from long-term “in the wild” ones. Our results indicate that a different approach to usability assessment is needed when dealing with critical systems, that takes into account the temporal horizon and assesses the system in real-life conditions.
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Nicoletta Baroutsi. (2018). A Practitioners Guide for C2 Evaluations: Quantitative Measurements of Performance and Effectiveness. In Kees Boersma, & Brian Tomaszeski (Eds.), ISCRAM 2018 Conference Proceedings – 15th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 170–189). Rochester, NY (USA): Rochester Institute of Technology.
Abstract: Quantitative evaluations are valuable in the strive for improvements and asserting quality. However, the field of Command & Control (C2) evaluations are hard to navigate, and it is difficult to find the correct measurement for a specific situation. A comprehensive Scoping Study was made concerning measurements of C2 performance and effectiveness. A lack of an existing appropriate framework for discussing C2 evaluations led to the development of the Crisis Response Management (CRM) Matrix. This is an analysis tool that assigns measurements into categories, and each category display unique strengths, weaknesses and trends. The analysis yielded results proving to be too rich for a single article, thusly, this is the first of two articles covering the results. In this article, the Practitioners Guide focus on results valuable for someone interested in evaluating C2. Each evaluation has specific requirements that, for best result, ought to be reflected in the chosen measurement.
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Siegfried Streufert. (2005). Emergency decision making and metacomplexity. In B. C. B. Van de Walle (Ed.), Proceedings of ISCRAM 2005 – 2nd International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 67–73). Brussels: Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium.
Abstract: It is important to understand the cognitive processes underlying emergency decision-making. Cognitive/behavioral complexity theory has successfully predicted human decision making characteristics on a number of dimensions and for a variety of settings. Moreover, theory based training technologies have been successful. The advent of meta-complexity theory as well as the increased stressor levels generated by terrorism and other contemporary challenges, however, require that we review and extend theoretical predictions for decision processes. This paper provides a series of meta-complexity based predictions about the impact of stressor events upon nine primary decision making areas that vary from simpler trough highly complex thought and action processes.
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Adam Widera, Hanns-Alexander Dietrich, Bernd Hellingrath, & Jörg Becker. (2013). Understanding humanitarian supply chains – Developing an integrated process analysis toolkit. 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. 210–219). KIT; Baden-Baden: Karlsruher Institut fur Technologie.
Abstract: In this paper we present the development of an integrated process analysis toolkit for humanitarian logistics. The toolkit integrates a conceptual and a technological component. Our approach follows a case study-based modeling and design approach. The developed concept was evaluated in two humanitarian organizations. Based on these results we extended and integrated the tool-supported process analysis approach, which is ready to use for the structural and quantitative analysis of humanitarian logistics processes. The toolkit can be applied in humanitarian organizations as a decision support tool for designing, planning and executing their logistics processes. Thus, the application affects the preparedness of humanitarian organizations as well as their response performance. The process analysis toolkit is embedded in an overall research agenda with the objective to provide humanitarian organizations with the capabilities to identify, monitor, and improve their logistics processes respecting the organization specific objectives.
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