Towards Large-Scale Cloud-Based Emergency Management Simulation “SimGenis Revisited”

2014 ◽  
pp. 13-20
Author(s):  
Chahrazed Labba ◽  
Narjès Bellamine Ben Saoud ◽  
Karim Chine
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Large Scale

Emergency Response in Rural Areas

2013 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sofie Pilemalm ◽  
Rebecca Stenberg ◽  
Tobias Andersson Granberg
Keyword(s):  
Social Capital ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Response ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Mobile Applications ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
First Responders ◽  
Local Resources ◽  
Technical Solutions

In this study, security and safety in rural parts of Sweden are investigated. New ways of organizing for efficient response can be found in the extended collaboration between societal sectors and in the utilization of local social capital. New categories of first responders and their requirements are identified and technical and non-technical solutions as support are proposed. The solutions include e.g. mobile applications and a technical infrastructure making it possible for volunteers to obtain information about events requiring emergency response. Emergency management in rural areas shows several similarities to large-scale crises, e.g. in terms of insufficient infrastructure available and the need to use local resources in the immediate aftermath of the event. Therefore, the results of the study can be transferable to large-scale crises.

scholarly journals A meta-modeling framework in public health emergency management

SIMULATION ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 401-419
Author(s):  
Bin Chen ◽  
Peng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Code Generation ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Artificial Society ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Meta Modeling ◽  
Emergency Scenarios

Epidemic transmission is a common type of public health emergency that is difficult to forecast and often causes substantial harm. Artificial societal models provide a novel approach to the study of public health problems. However, public health emergency management (PHEM) always involves multi-disciplinary and multi-hierarchical models that complicate the work of modeling. Models are also made more complex by the consideration of new requirements and interactions. Therefore, we propose a domain-specific methodology to guide the modeling process in PHEM. By analyzing domain characteristics and modeling requirements, a meta-modeling framework can be constructed, containing the basic elements with which to construct an artificial society to study epidemic transmission. In this paper, the designs of meta-models are discussed in detail, and domain models are implemented by code generation, which enables the support of large-scale, agent-based computational experiments on the KD-ACP platform. Case studies of Ebola are outlined, emergency scenarios are reconstructed based on pre-designed meta-models, and “scenario-response” experiments are presented. This study provides a valuable framework and methodology with which to study complex social problems in PHEM. The proposed method has been verified effectively and efficiently.

scholarly journals (A84) Video Documentation as a Supplemental Teaching Tool for Multi-Focused Emergency Management Exercises

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s23-s24
Author(s):  
C. Tedeschi ◽  
L.M. Hilmi
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Life Support ◽  
Management Education ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Video Footage ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Ongoing Training ◽  
Short Video ◽  
Evaluation And Monitoring

IntroductionEmergency management education and large-scale disaster drills help to increase local capacity for dealing with a multitude of hazards. Video recordings of disaster drills offer participants with little exposure to fundamental emergency management principles an introduction to important topics and scenarios. Such resources allow ongoing training and education, thus maximizing the investment required to mount a large-scale exercise.MethodsDuring emergency management exercises in Mumbai, India between 2008 and 2010, video recordings of prior exercises were used to augment training for clinicians, administrators and public health practitioners. During the exercises, videos depicting scenario-based disaster drills were produced for use as teaching and evaluation tools focused on pre-hospital care, trauma life support, and hospital operations. Videos are distributed digitally and online, extending the teaching impact of multi-day courses and serving as a benchmark for future exercises.ResultsDuring the 2010 exercise in Mumbai, approximately eight hours of video footage were recorded by professional producers, and by participants in the evaluation and monitoring track of the course. That footage was added to a library from exercises in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, India, in 2007 and 2008. Video was used as a tool for immediate feedback on participant performance as well as the foundation for ongoing instruction. Videos allowed students to be sensitized to important issues prior to taking part in a drill, and to participate in the post-drill evaluation process.ConclusionVideo documents of disaster management exercises serve as a valuable addition to an ongoing program of emergency management education and preparedness. Short video pieces increase the effectiveness of a teaching program by providing re-usable, easily accessible, and setting-specific teaching tools.

scholarly journals Disaster Ergonomics: Human Factors in COVID-19 Pandemic Emergency Management

2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (7) ◽  
pp. 1061-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farzan Sasangohar ◽  
Jason Moats ◽  
Ranjana Mehta ◽  
S. Camille Peres
Keyword(s):  
Human Factors ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Extended Period ◽  
Short Review ◽  
Propagation Rate ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Expert Review ◽  
Enhance Efficiency

Objective We aimed to identify opportunities for application of human factors knowledge base to mitigate disaster management (DM) challenges associated with the unique characteristics of the COVID-19 pandemic. Background The role of DM is to minimize and prevent further spread of the contagion over an extended period of time. This requires addressing large-scale logistics, coordination, and specialized training needs. However, DM-related challenges during the pandemic response and recovery are significantly different than with other kinds of disasters. Method An expert review was conducted to document issues relevant to human factors and ergonomics (HFE) in DM. Results The response to the COVID-19 crisis has presented complex and unique challenges to DM and public health practitioners. Compared to other disasters and previous pandemics, the COVID-19 outbreak has had an unprecedented scale, magnitude, and propagation rate. The high technical complexity of response and DM coupled with lack of mental model and expertise to respond to such a unique disaster has seriously challenged the response work systems. Recent research has investigated the role of HFE in modeling DM systems’ characteristics to improve resilience, accelerating emergency management expertise, developing agile training methods to facilitate dynamically changing response, improving communication and coordination among system elements, mitigating occupational hazards including guidelines for the design of personal protective equipment, and improving procedures to enhance efficiency and effectiveness of response efforts. Conclusion This short review highlights the potential for the field’s contribution to proactive and resilient DM for the ongoing and future pandemics.

Mobile Emergency Management Services Targeting Large Public Events

2011 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 49-66
Author(s):  
Jan Zibuschka ◽  
Heiko Roßnagel ◽  
Jan Muntermann ◽  
Tobias Scherner
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Communication Networks ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Tourism Industry ◽  
Reference Architecture ◽  
Specific System ◽  
Business Plans ◽  
Public Events ◽  
National Initiatives ◽  
The Media

In recent years, natural disasters and terrorist attacks have been quite numerous, and broadly reported in the media. The tourism industry has been especially impacted by these emergencies. In order to mitigate the effects of such events, guaranteeing an adequate level of preparedness is essential. However, despite the extreme disrupting events that large-scale disasters such as tsunamis have had on tourism in specific areas, few tourism organizations have properly developed emergency strategies as an integral part of their business plans. Several national and supra-national initiatives are currently working on possibilities to employ mobile communication networks for emergency management systems. The success of such systems depends on users being familiar with the service though, which is difficult to achieve if the system is solely used for emergency management. Therefore, the authors propose a reference architecture that allows the integration of mobile value-adding services, allowing for broad usage outside of emergency cases and thus an increased familiarity. The authors also present a specific system design focusing on the case of large public events as an instantiation of the reference architecture, describe the implementation in some detail, and present the evaluation of the prototype implementation in a simulation study at a large public event.

Understanding emergency information management

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry Roeder, MLS
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Information Management ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Information Science ◽  
International Federation ◽  
Growth Potential ◽  
Graduate Schools ◽  
Job Growth

Most of my career has been in diplomacy andinternational emergency management. Emergencymanagement positions range from local fire-fightingand city operations centers countering events likeHurricane Katrina to large-scale internationalrefugee and natural disaster operations, unfortunatelythe field has great job growth potential, more criseswill happen with increasingly complex informationproblems. That last point is obvious if we examinereports from USAID (US Agency for InternationalDevelopment), and the International Federation ofRed Cross and Red Crescent Societies. What we needare experts to identify vulnerabilities and solutions,officers who will also be able to blend the basics oflibrary/information management with well-designedcourses on the latest thinking on emergency management.My recommendation is that graduate schools oflibrary/information science build that marriage intheir curriculum as quickly as possible.

scholarly journals An Information Visualisation Tool for Emergency Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Neil Ramsay
Keyword(s):  
Information Systems ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Information Transfer ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Search And Rescue ◽  
Prototype Implementation ◽  
Visualisation Tool ◽  
Emergency Managers ◽  
Present Information ◽  
Interactive Visualisation

<p>The development of computerised information systems for large scale emergency management is lacking. These systems could present information and support information transfer across shifts. This is important as providing timely information is critical for efficient search and rescue operations in an emergency environment. This thesis contributes the design and prototype implementation for an interactive visualisation, called RescueTime, which is then evaluated. The evaluation showed that RescueTime is as effective as a traditional tool used by emergency managers. This demonstrates the feasibility of designing and developing larger information systems, for the purpose of emergency management.</p>

Emergency preparedness collaboration on Twitter

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
DeeDee Bennett, PhD
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Public Education ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Emergency Operations ◽  
Governmental Agencies ◽  
Intergovernmental Collaboration ◽  
Social Media Platforms ◽  
Use Of Social Media

Agency collaboration is an important function in the management of disasters and catastrophes. For effective emergency management, the need for intergovernmental collaboration grows as the scale of the disaster increases. Several researchers have examined the use of social media by emergency management (and other governmental agencies) during large-scale disasters; however, few have examined the use of social media for intergovernmental collaboration. This study explores the use of social media platforms as a means to establish and maintain intergovernmental collaboration for emergency management-related agencies. More salient is the focus on social media during the preparedness and planning stages of emergency management. Using qualitative observational and coding analysis, this study identifies the types of connections made by topic, level of governance, and established affiliation in the local emergency operations plan (LEOP). The findings show that more than 50 percent of the connections made were established on Twitter and not present in the current LEOP. Furthermore, the most popular topic to initiate online connections was related to public education information. The findings from this study can assist emergency management practitioners in developing social media strategies, which incorporate methods to connect with other agencies on Twitter.

Emergency planning and people with disabilities: Massachusetts’ lessons learned

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin McGaffigan, MSW, MS, Public Policy ◽  
Chris Oliveira, BS ◽  
Diane Enochs, BA, MA
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Accessibility Barriers ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Hurricanes Katrina And Rita

Continued challenges responding to large-scale emergencies are recognized in the aftermath of events such as Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Elders and people with disabilities often included under the label of “vulnerable” or “special populations,” are especially hard hit given communication and accessibility barriers often faced even prior to an emergency. Approximately 15 percent of those living within our communities have disabilities, which jumps to 41 percent for those 65 years or older.1 The prevalence of functional limitations due to age or disability indicates the need for these factors to be accounted for in planning, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts at the national, state, and local level to ensure a truly effective emergency response system that meets the needs of all residents. To achieve this effort emergency management, public health, disability and elder stakeholders within Massachusetts joined together to identify the existing planning gaps and to explore potential solutions to support emergency preparedness so that emergency management systems are responsive to all individuals in the community, regardless of age or disability. The Commonwealth’s process and lessons learned are discussed later.

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