Data Fusion Aiding Tool (DAFAT) Design for Emergency Command and Control Using Lean Principles

Author(s):  
Obafemi Balogun ◽  
Edem G. Tetteh

Disaster events, such as September 11, 2001, Hurricane Katrina, and the Southeast Asian Tsunami, have taught America and the world the importance of preparing for emergency response to a disaster that may arise from natural disasters or man-made disasters. Decisions regarding emergency response often rely on incomplete information and imprecise data, whereas responsive measures to disasters must be efficient in time and effective in accuracy to minimize possible loss of lives and properties. The domain of emergency response requires the interaction and collaboration of multiple stakeholders with different standard operating procedures. Excluding lean principles in the design of the emergency management information system can be as devastating as the disaster itself. This chapter analyzes the impacts of lean principles in the understanding of command and control, its nature, and the characteristics of an emergency domain, providing better insight into the problems associated with information processing during emergency response planning.

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 461-468
Author(s):  
David J. Tanui, DSc, MSc, BEd (Hons)

Emergency management is a dynamic task that requires constant evaluation and research so as to improve processes and systems. Most importantly, the rise in emergencies has led to increased costs of managing them. These cost increases are happening at a time when US government agencies are experiencing budget-cuts. Therefore, a search for solutions to improve emergency management is critical, especially in the emergency response phase. The emergency response phase is particularly important because studies show that due to the confusion and panic caused when a disaster strikes, failures in command and control often lead to delays in action and increased operation costs.This article argues that Boyd’s OODA loop, a command and control concept used by the US military for several years, presents opportunities as an off-the-shelf resource that can be adapted by nonmilitary response organizations at federal, state, local, and agency level. The study is an important contribution to the ongoing discourse on emergency management policy and practice in the United States.


Author(s):  
Caroline R. Earle

Abstract The Command and Control (C2) Agility theory developed by experts from the Command and Control Research Program based upon analysis of military operations, posits that a C2 approach is characterized by three dimensions: (1) allocation of decision rights, among entities, (2) patterns of interaction, and (3) distribution of information. An entity’s C2 approach is agile when these three dimensions can be changed as required due to a change in circumstances. The Institute for Defense Analyses has produced a handbook C2 by Design to guide operationalization of the C2 Agility theory. C2 agility becomes salient as complexity increases; and the complex, dynamic nature of disaster response environments suggests the applicability of C2 Agility theory to emergency management. This article builds on early NATO study panel findings that used disaster response case studies to validate C2A theory, and draws on existing case literature to identify what factors influenced C2A during Hurricane Katrina and explore how lessons learned from that response impacted C2A during the subsequent US response to Hurricane Sandy. The analysis uses C2A assessment factors from C2 by Design to examine these cases and recommends how the US government can achieve improved C2A during future responses to complex disasters.


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