Notifying Civilians in Time - Disaster Warning Systems Based on a Multilaterally Secure, Economic, and Mobile Infastructure

The spread of mobile communication equipment offers new opportunities for disaster management referring to civilians. At the same time, location based services are regarded as privacy invading, and are regulated in many countries by specific legislation. We analyze the requirements of a LBS-based disaster management scenario that enables the timely notification of civilians. In addition, we propose a solution for building a privacy-friendly, multilaterally secure disaster management infrastructure based on robust mobile phone infrastructures with high reachability of citizens. We will also point out additional features based on mobile networks. Traditionally, disaster management is a government domain. We will propose another option to implement and run disaster management. We analyze in how far an early warning system could be profitable for the insurance sector. Our comments will sketch that it is possible to reach a large number of persons, avoid insurance damage, and save costs in disaster warning systems. This work was supported by the IST PRIME project; however, it represents the view of the authors only

Designing a National Emergency Wireless System

Designing a National Emergency Wireless SystemRichard Anderson, B.S.University of Pittsburgh, 2005This paper looks at combining modern telephone services together for emergency support services. The newer services provided by 2.5 and 3G technologies, such as broadcast text messaging, GPS tracking and the ability to send video and images, has expanded our capabilities for sending information to a large consumer base. By taking these services, and targeting them towards emergency response crews as well as civilians, a new emergency system can be designed. Utilizing leading edge wireless technologies will allow workers to communicate faster, distribute information effectively, and provide better support during an emergency. Civilians can be warned of an impending disaster and can be alerted as how to proceed in an emergency situation. These new services can be added to the current infrastructure and can work on many of the devices already in use on the current cellular network

Teaching case: Leading the change - ERP implementation at Keda

Recently, several disasters have affected the tourism industry. In order to mitigate the effects of disasters, increasing the level of preparedness is essential. However, despite the devastating effect disasters can have on tourism, few tourism organizations have properly developed disaster strategies as an integral part of their business plans. Emergency management systems that utilize mobile communication infrastructures can provide prompt information delivery to save human lives. Several supra-national initiatives and research projects are working on possibilities to facilitate mobile communication networks for emergency management systems. However, the success of such systems depends on users being familiar with the service, which is difficult to achieve, if the system is solely used for emergency management. Therefore, we propose a system design that allows the integration of mobile value-adding services. We also present exemplary services, which offer value to tourists and create business opportunities for the tourism industry. The central component of our proposed system design is a service platform, which communicates with mobile network operators and provides basic services for service providers from the tourism industry and the emergency manager via service interfaces

Secure Communication in Disaster Scenarios

Während Naturkatastrophen oder terroristischer Anschläge ist die bestehende Kommunikationsinfrastruktur häufig überlastet oder fällt komplett aus. In diesen Situationen können mobile Geräte mithilfe von drahtloser ad-hoc- und unterbrechungstoleranter Vernetzung miteinander verbunden werden, um ein Notfall-Kommunikationssystem für Zivilisten und Rettungsdienste einzurichten. Falls verfügbar, kann eine Verbindung zu Cloud-Diensten im Internet eine wertvolle Hilfe im Krisen- und Katastrophenmanagement sein. Solche Kommunikationssysteme bergen jedoch ernsthafte Sicherheitsrisiken, da Angreifer versuchen könnten, vertrauliche Daten zu stehlen, gefälschte Benachrichtigungen von Notfalldiensten einzuspeisen oder Denial-of-Service (DoS) Angriffe durchzuführen. Diese Dissertation schlägt neue Ansätze zur Kommunikation in Notfallnetzen von mobilen Geräten vor, die von der Kommunikation zwischen Mobilfunkgeräten bis zu Cloud-Diensten auf Servern im Internet reichen. Durch die Nutzung dieser Ansätze werden die Sicherheit der Geräte-zu-Geräte-Kommunikation, die Sicherheit von Notfall-Apps auf mobilen Geräten und die Sicherheit von Server-Systemen für Cloud-Dienste verbessert

Uses of Social Media to Inform Operational Response and Recovery During an Airport Emergency

TRB\u27s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 82: Uses of Social Media to Inform Operational Response and Recovery During an Airport Emergency summarizes airport practices and tools used by airport emergency managers. Using social media for emergency management, airports glean information and intelligence from the stream of posts and messages passing through social media and then apply this information to enhance situational awareness and resource allocation decisions by emergency managers. Such uses raise the stakes for timeliness of data extraction and validation of the results, especially if the information is going to be used for resource allocation and other decision making

Usability of disaster apps : understanding the perspectives of the public as end-users : a dissertation presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Emergency Management at Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Listed in 2020 Dean's List of Exceptional ThesesMultiple smartphone applications (apps) exist that can enhance the public’s resilience to disasters. Despite the capabilities of these apps, they can only be effective if users find them usable. Availability does not automatically translate to usability nor does it guarantee continued usage by the target users. A disaster app will be of little or no value if a user abandons it after the initial download. It is, therefore, essential to understand the users’ perspectives on the usability of disaster apps. In the context of disaster apps, usability entails providing the elements that effectively facilitate users in retrieving critical information, and thus enabling them to make decisions during crises. Establishing good usability for effective systems relies upon focussing on the user whereby technological solutions match the user’s needs and expectations. However, most studies on the usability of disaster context technologies have been conducted with emergency responders, and only a few have investigated the publics’ perspectives as end-users. This doctoral project, written within a ‘PhD-thesis-with-publication’ format, addresses this gap by investigating the usability of disaster apps through the perspectives of the public end-users. The investigation takes an explicitly perceived usability standpoint where the experiences of the end-users are prioritised. Data analysis involved user-centric information to understand the public’s context and the mechanisms of disaster app usability. A mixed methods approach incorporates the qualitative analysis of app store data of 1,405 user reviews from 58 existing disaster apps, the quantitative analysis of 271 survey responses from actual disaster app users, and the qualitative analysis of usability inquiries with 18 members of the public. Insights gathered from this doctoral project highlight that end-users do not anticipate using disaster apps frequently, which poses particular challenges. Furthermore, despite the anticipated low frequency of use, because of the life-safety association of disasters apps, end-users have an expectation that the apps can operate with adequate usability when needed. This doctoral project provides focussed outcomes that consider such user perspectives. First, an app store analysis investigating user reviews identified new usability concerns particular to disaster apps. It highlighted users’ opinion on phone resource usage and relevance of content, among others. More importantly, it defined a new usability factor, app dependability, relating to the life-safety context of disaster apps. App dependability is the degree to which users’ perceive that an app can operate dependably during critical scenarios. Second, the quantitative results from this research have contributed towards producing a usability-continuance model, highlighting the usability factors that affect end-users’ intention to keep or uninstall a disaster app. The key influences for users’ intention to keep disaster apps are: (1) users’ perceptions as to whether the app delivers its function (app utility), (2) whether it does so dependably (app dependability), and (3) whether it presents information that can be easily understood (user-interface output). Subsequently, too much focus on (4) user-interface graphics and (5) user-interface input can encourage users to uninstall apps. Third, the results from the qualitative analysis of the inquiry data provide a basis for developing guidelines for disaster app usability. In the expectation of low level of engagement with disaster app users, the guidelines list recommendations addressing information salience, cognitive load, and trust. This doctoral project provides several contributions to the body of knowledge for usability and disaster apps. It reiterates the importance of investigating the usability of technological products for disasters and showcases the value of user-centric data in understanding usability. It has investigated usability with particular attention to the end-users’ perspectives on the context of disaster apps and, thus, produces a theoretical usability-continuance model to advance disaster app usability research and usability guidelines to encourage responsible design in practice

The Police Response to Active Shooter Incidents

There have been many active shooter incidents in the United States since Columbine, and police agencies continue to modify their policies and training to reflect the lessons that are learned from each new tragedy. This report summarizes the state of the field as of 2014. The Police Executive Research Forum conducted research on these issues and held a one-day Summit in Washington, D.C., in which an overflow crowd of more than 225 police chiefs and other officials discussed the changes that have occurred, and where they are going from here

Do First Responders Find Active911 Useful?

Mobile technology continues to advance, as does the field of emergency management. Today, emergency management personnel utilize the latest technology in all phases of emergency management, which include mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. This proposed study particularly identifies mobile technology in the response phase of emergency management pertaining to first responders. Specific technologies on the rise in the field of emergency management include mobile applications. Applications such as Active911 were developed in detail for first responders. It was found that not all first responders take advantage of existing technology and the reasons vary. This mixed methods study was created to be a follow-up study based on previous work completed involving Active911’s implementation in the Russellville Fire Department, Arkansas. The survey questions were designed to answer the central research question: Do first responders find Active911 useful? Participants’ responses were analyzed using both quantitative and qualitative analysis to determine the trends in each of their responses

Instances of Use of United States Armed Forces Abroad, 1798-2013

[Excerpt] This report lists hundreds of instances in which the United States has used its Armed Forces abroad in situations of military conflict or potential conflict or for other than normal peacetime purposes. It was compiled in part from various older lists and is intended primarily to provide a rough survey of past U.S. military ventures abroad, without reference to the magnitude of the given instance noted. The listing often contains references, especially from 1980 forward, to continuing military deployments, especially U.S. military participation in multinational operations associated with NATO or the United Nations. Most of these post-1980 instances are summaries based on presidential reports to Congress related to the War Powers Resolution. A comprehensive commentary regarding any of the instances listed is not undertaken here