Disasters and the Information Technology Revolution

This paper, the second in a series of state-of-the art reviews, examines the evolution and possible medium-term future of information technology (IT) in disaster management. Until the end of the 1970s, civilian application of IT to disaster management was confined to a few specialised departments of universities, large companies and government. Between the late 1970s and mid-1980s, microprocessor-based devices brought limited, though rapidly improving, computing capacity to a wider range of organisations and individuals. Operational applications included real-time emergency information, management decision support and programme and project planning. Extensive innovation occurred, though operational implementation was often long delayed or limited in scope. During the late 1980s, desktop systems became more powerful, more networked, more portable and generally more mature, with a range of practical emergency-related tools emerging. Computer communications emerged as a practical technology for linking emergency professionals on a global basis. From the early 1990s onwards, powerful and inter-connectable computer equipment has evolved to become an indispensable component of disaster operations worldwide. There are presently major changes under way in emergency-related global information access and networking — the implications of which have yet to be played out. The last part of the paper highlights a set of key technologies which seems likely to shape disaster planning, management and research over the next 10 years, and draws out some operational and organisational implications.     

Information technology and emergency management: preparedness and planning in US states

The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of information technology (IT) on emergency preparedness and planning by analysing a survey of US state government departments of emergency management. The research results show that there has been a significant impact of IT on emergency planning. IT has proven to be effective for all phases of emergency management, but especially for the response phase. There are numerous technologies used in emergency management, ranging from the internet, Geographic Information Systems and wireless technologies to more advanced hazard analysis models. All were generally viewed as being effective. Lack of financial resources and support from elected officials is a perennial problem in public administration, and was found to be prevalent in this study of IT and emergency management. There was evidence that state governments rating high on a performance index were more likely to use IT for emergency management.     

When information becomes action: drivers of individuals' trust in broadcast versus peer‐to‐peer information in disaster response

Information and communications technology (ICT), primarily mobile telephones and social media, is increasingly important in crisis and disaster response in developing countries. This fact raises an important question: in an information environment that includes traditional media such as radio and television, who are the people that trust information from ICT enough to act on it during a disaster? Drawing on a case study of and original survey data from the island nation of the Independent State of Samoa, this paper yields insights into who uses new technologies, particularly mobile telephones, to make decisions at the local level during crises such as natural disasters, as well as the socio‐political factors that motivate their behaviour. The results add to the growing pool of knowledge on utilisation of ICT and new technologies in developing countries for disaster response, and provide practical information on the social and political factors that lead people to trust different information sources and media.     

基于现代信息技术的城市灾害应急管理系统

城市灾害应急管理系统是一项复杂的大系统工程。本文着重从应急管理过程中的应急资源调配、应急预案制定等方面阐述了现代信息技术在城市灾害应急管理中的应用与优势。认为应急管理信息系统的建立目的不是为了预测和估算,而应是当灾害发生时,对已造成的灾情局面做出快速的辅助决策支持。基于此,利用SuperMapObject5.0,Visual Basic6.0,SQL Server2000等现代信息技术软件,以辅助决策、资源快速查询以及生命线管网易损处调查为目的,本文建立了一个局部地区灾害应急管理信息系统。系统的数据库建立更突出了为应急管理服务所需的基础信息、空间数据、应急预案和应急资源等信息划分方式;结合已有的震害预测理论和方法,开发了供水系统和交通系统的震害预测模块,事先为灾害应急决策提供可能的震害信息。系统的开发过程进一步证明了GIS在城市灾害应急管理中有着直观显示、容易操作、辅助准确决策等优势。     

基于中美10所高校的应急管理核心知识体系的解释结构模型研究

应急管理涉及多学科、多领域,明确其核心知识体系可以为应急管理相关学科融合和发展提供基础。本文收集了中美两国10所高校15个本科专业225门专业课程,构建解释结构模型进行研究。结果显示：应急管理核心知识体系包括8大类：应急类、防灾减灾类、公共服务和社会管理类、安全生产类、国家安全类、法律类、公共卫生类和综合类。这8大类又分为18个小类,应急类包括为理论、技术方法和应用;防灾减灾类包括理论、过程和单灾种防范;公共服务和社会管理类包括理论与应用;安全生产类包括安全、健康和环境;国家安全类包括国土安全、恐怖主义和国际关系;公共卫生类包括心理和医疗救助;而法律类重在应急相关法律,综合类则表现为多个领域相结合。该体系的构建可以为应急管理相关学科研究提供知识基础,促进各学科领域在应急研究方面融合发展。     

中国综合减灾发展趋势研究

综合减灾的"综合"是各灾种、 各阶段和各环节的综合,是资源和手段的综合,也是信息技术和科学技术的综合.通过对中国知网数据和《灾害学》期刊论文数据的定性与定量分析可知:从灾种来看,综合减灾研究的是地质灾害、地震灾害和气象灾害;从过程研究来看,每一种灾害的研究都是全过程综合性研究;从阶段性研究来看,灾前风险研究和灾后经验教...     

Making a technological choice for disaster management and poverty alleviation in India

The right mix of policy, institutional arrangements and use of technology provides the framework for a country's approach to disaster mitigation. Worldwide, there has been a shift away from a strictly 'top-down' approach relying on government alone, to a combination of 'top-down' and 'bottom-up' approaches. The aim is to enhance the indigenous coping mechanisms of vulnerable communities; draw on their cooperative spirit and energy; and empower them through appropriate information and contextual knowledge to mitigate natural disasters. In light of this, the paper examines India's use of space technology in its disaster management efforts. Poverty alleviation and disaster management are almost inseparable in many parts of the country, as vulnerability to natural disasters is closely aligned with poverty. Addressing these issues together requires integrated knowledge systems. The paper examines how knowledge inputs from space technology have strengthened the national resolve to combat natural disasters in conjunction with alleviating rural poverty.     

中国自然灾害应急管理研究进展与对策

从中国自然灾害应急管理的现状出发,系统分析了自然灾害应急管理领域的研究进展,指出了中国自然灾害应急管理在理论和实践方面存在的问题.在此基础上,提出了中国自然灾害应急管理框架,认为建立适合中国国情的自然灾害应急管理体制是提高中国自然灾害应急管理的基础;应急预案的制定和实施是规范灾害应急管理,提高灾害紧急救援能力的关键措施;灾害信息快速准确的获取和评估是灾害应急管理的有效保障;建立实际可用的应急管理系统是提高灾害应急管理水平和工作效率的根本出路.     

城市防灾应急信息数据管理研究

以防灾应急信息系统的数据管理研究为背景,重点研究城市防灾应急工作中所涉及的城市信息、灾害信息以及防灾应急信息的数据管理。调查分析国内外防灾应急数据管理的现状,在此基础上综合考虑数据库应包含的数据类型及内容,从数据应用的角度出发,思考数据管理的规范流程,并提出数据管理过程中应注意的重要事项和适用的建议。针对城市防灾应急工作中存在的问题,提出综合管理城市建设及防灾减灾中相关的各类信息和数据的建议,阐述数据集成管理的重要性与优势,旨在解决防灾应急工作中复杂的数据管理问题,希望能够为城市防灾应急工作启发新思想和新方法。     

地震现场应急指挥及其标准化研究

介绍了我国严峻的地震灾害形势，论述了制定地震现场工作技术标准的迫切需求；阐述了地震应急、地震现场应急及地震现场应急指挥的定义及关系，给出了地震现场应急指挥及其信息管理系统技术标准的标准化内容。期望该标准能规范地震现场工作的技术行为，提高地震现场的工作效率，有效地减轻地震灾害和维护灾区社会稳定。     

地震灾害紧急救援问题综述

防震减灾包括三大工作体系，即监测预报，震灾预防和紧急救援，本文根据地震灾害的特点和成灾规律，对目前国内外紧急救援工作中的组织机构，人力物力及专业技术等问题进行了综合论述。     

Trust,but verify: social media models for disaster management

A lack of trust in the information exchanged via social media may significantly hinder decisionmaking by community members and emergency services during disasters. The need for timely information at such times, though, challenges traditional ways of establishing trust. This paper, building on a multi‐year research project that combined social media data analysis and participant observation within an emergency management organisation and in‐depth engagement with stakeholders across the sector, pinpoints and examines assumptions governing trust and trusting relationships in social media disaster management. It assesses three models for using social media in disaster management—information gathering, quasi‐journalistic verification, and crowdsourcing—in relation to the guardianship of trust to highlight the verification process for content and source and to identify the role of power and responsibilities. The conclusions contain important implications for emergency management organisations seeking to enhance their mechanisms for incorporating user‐generated information from social media sources in their disaster response efforts.     

突发性地震灾害危机的预警和应急管理机制

借鉴SARS事件的经验教训,探讨了如何加快构建突发性地震灾害危机的预测预警、应急处理、信息发布和宣传教育等四个方面的管理机制,并提出了建立地震灾害预警等级及其相应的应急预案和信息发布措施的新思维.     

科技信任、管理信任及其对公众水灾风险认知的影响——基于长江中下游的社会调查

信任和风险在一定程度上互为因果,两者通过认知行为决策及行为后果这一环节构建互馈关系。探索公众对社会减灾能力的信任及其对灾害风险认知的影响机制,有助于揭示灾害风险的潜在因素,调适风险认知与避灾行为,从而降低灾害风险。选取水灾发生频繁、强度大、防洪措施多样的长江中下游地区为研究区,运用随机抽样调查和入户访谈相结合的方式获取资料,研究公众的水灾科技信任和管理信任的水平、影响机制、动机-效应差异。主要结论有:①公众科技信任水平普遍高于管理信任。信任水平受到公众性别、年龄、灾害经历、城乡差异等因素不同程度的影响,信任具有区域共构的特点;②科技信任改变了公众水灾风险认知,加强了其灾害应对信心,降低了其对受灾风险的估测,对其避灾行为倾向影响显著,而管理信任对公众水灾风险认知及防灾备灾行为倾向的影响均不大;③信任的产生动机以认可减灾措施有用性为前提,科技减灾和管理减灾由于具有不同的减灾原理及作用时段,导致了公众的不同信任动机及其效应。     

基于GIS的城市防震减灾信息管理系统设计研究

本文通过基于GIS的城市防震减灾计算机信息管理系统设计的分析研究,描述了系统的总体思路,结构设计和功能等内容,该系统的建立既可用于城市防震减灾的日常工作,也可用于应急救灾的紧急情况。     

Progress in natural hazard risk reduction: What hath development wrought?

The development-disaster risk management agenda has been shaped over the last 25 years by development policies and practices that have isolated lesser developed countries' development agenda from dealing with risk to natural hazards, by intentional actions to create a theory and practice of disaster risk management alongside other cross-cutting issues, by attempting to nurture emergency management in the context of disaster risk management and by fostering competition for resources. Sovereign states, multilateral development banks and the international development community should collaborate in shifting paradigms to: consider all development actions as initiatives to reduce risk; separate emergency management policy and practice from disaster risk management; fold disaster risk management and climate change adaptation into development planning and lending processes so as to address risk to natural hazards; promote hazard, vulnerability and risk information as a public good; and insist on accountability and responsibility to natural hazard risk all along the development continuum.     

三论灾害防御能力的基本定义与特征

综合灾害防御能力评估已成为应急管理业务和研究的重要内容之一.在前期研究基础上,首先从近年来灾害系统的复杂性特征和应急管理的需求角度出发,对综合灾害防御能力进行了再理解,然后对现有灾害防御能力的多属性综合评估方法进行了梳理总结.以气象灾害为例,通过68项指标构建了我国综合气象灾害防御能力的6个单项指标体系,即制度适应能力...     

Disaster preparedness and regional training on nine Caribbean islands: A longterm evaluation

This paper presents an analysis and evaluation of emergency preparedness and regionalized training on nine Caribbean islands during the period of 1980 to 1985. Preparedness on the islands is measured in numerous ways, including the existence and comprehensiveness of the disaster plan; existence and adequacy of district organizations; existence of an emergency operations centre; frequency of drills; adequacy of communications; and various other indicators. The regionalized training, which was provided out of a small, internationally-funded unit in Antigua, is evaluated in terms of the contribution it made to Caribbean preparedness during the period. Various management difficulties are analyzed and recommendations made for future, similar programs.     

我国灾害现代管理模式的构想

分析了世界多个国家的灾害应急管理模式、特点,讨论了我国灾害管理模式的现状及存在的问题,从立法、机构设置、应急机制和体系建设等方面提出了建设我国灾害现代应急管理模式的构想.     

政府部门的应急响应能力在城市防灾减灾中的作用

城市是人口、经济密集的地区,城市自身的特点决定了抢险救灾必须快速果断,当城市发生灾害时,当地政府部门是抢险救灾的主力军,在这一过程中,政府部门对灾害的应急反应能力成了救灾、减灾成功与否的决定性因素.文章探讨了政府部门的应急响应能力的组成及其在城市防灾减灾中的重要性.政府部门的灾害应急能力主要从应急反应、应急指挥、应急救援、应急信息的发布和应急避难五个方面体现出来.