Information Theoretic Approach to Design of Emergency Response Systems

Emergency response information systems provide critical support to the disaster management. Despite of the growing interest in this area, the existing research is scanty. A significant limitation is the lack of sound theoretical foundations for emergency management and the information system development. In this paper, the authors adapt Information Theory to explore the theoretical underpinnings of emergency response and discuss the general system design issues

Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health From Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, 2009

Based on ten indicators, assesses progress in the readiness of states, federal government, and hospitals to respond to public health emergencies, with a focus on the H1N1 flu. Outlines improvements and concerns in funding, accountability, and other areas

THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF A FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE OUTBREAK: A REGIONAL ANALYSIS

Contagious animal diseases like foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) are often referred to as economic diseases because of the magnitude of economic harm they can cause to producers and to local communities. This study demonstrates the local economic impact of a hypothetical FMD outbreak in southwest Kansas, an area with high density of cattle feeding. The expected (most probable) economic impact of the disease hinges heavily on where the incidence of the disease occurs. If the disease were to occur in a cow-calf herd in the region economic impact is expected to be relatively small compared to if it were introduced simultaneously in five large feedlots in southwest Kansas. Disease surveillance, management strategies, mitigation investment, and overall diligence clearly need to be much greater in concentrated cattle feeding and processing areas at the large feeding operations in the region.Livestock Production/Industries,

Pandemic Flu and the Potential for U.S. Economic Recession: A State-by-State Analysis

Considers how a severe health pandemic outbreak could impact the United States economy and delineates the potential financial loss each state could face

Uncertainty and transparency:augmenting modelling and prediction for crisis response

Emergencies are characterised by uncertainty. This motivates the design of information systems that model and predict complex natural, material or human processes to support understanding and reduce uncertainty through prediction. The correspondence between system models and reality, however, is also governed by uncertainties, and designers have developed methods to render ‘the world’ transparent in ways that can inform, fine-tune and validate models. Additionally, people experience uncertainties in their use of simulation and prediction systems. This is a major obstacle to effective utilisation. We discuss ethically and socially motivated demands for transparency

Ready or Not? Protecting the Public's Health From Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, 2008

Examines ten indicators to assess progress in state readiness to respond to bioterrorism and other public health emergencies. Evaluates the federal government's and hospitals' preparedness. Makes suggestions for funding, restructuring, and other reforms

National Electronic Disease Surveillance System (NEDSS)

Preface -- Executive Summary -- The National Electronic Disease Surveillance Systems (NEDSS) -- The Role of the Public Health Laboratory -- PHL Participation in NEDSS -- Critical Public Health Laboratory Questions -- Recommendations and Conclusion -- Appendix A. NEDSS Overview -- Appendix B. Architecture for the NEDSS Base system -- Appendix C. Glossary/Acronyms/Website -- Appendix D. References"January 2002.""Support from the National Centers for Infectious Diseases (NCID/CDC) through the APHL/CDC Cooperative Agreement (U60/CCU303019-15) is gratefully acknowledged." - p. 2Called also: Advancing NEDSS, and: APHL report on NEDSS.Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references (p. 34)

A Look Toward the Future: Decision Support Systems Research is Alive and Well

This commentary examines the historical importance of decision support to the information systems (IS) field from the viewpoint of four researchers whose work spans the several decades of decision support systems (DSS) research. Given this unique “generational” vantage point, we present the changes in and impact of DSS research as well as future considerations for decision support in the IS field. We argue that the DSS area has remained vital as technology has evolved and our understanding of decision-making processes has deepened. DSS work over the last several years has contributed both breadth and depth to decision-making research; the challenge now is to make sense of it all by placing it in an understandable context and by applying our analysis to the relevant issues looming in the future. One major outcome of this commentary is the identification of future trends in DSS research and what the users of these new DSS outlets can learn from the past. Trends include the increasing impact of social and mobile computing on DSS research, as well as knowledge management DSS and negotiation support systems that shift the focus to delivering more customer-centric and marketplace support