A grid-aware emergency response model for natural disasters

Natural phenomena are essential and unavoidable planetary actions. When they occur in extreme forms they may have a disastrous impact on human life, property and the environment. Emergency management bodies mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from such events. Emergency response is a sum of decisions and actions taken through the collaboration and cooperation of many specialists from different disciplines. However, primary and secondary research findings suggest that there are limitations in the current information and communication technologies (leT), which affect the effectiveness and efficiency of emergency response tasks. Therefore, the focus of this research was to investigate whether the appropriate use of cutting-edge leT (such as the Grid) can improve the effectiveness and efficiency of emergency response operations for natural disasters. The approach adopted in the research involved literature reviews, case studies, face-toface structured interviews with emergency management stakeholders and leT experts, model development using Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) linked to Information Systems Development Methodologies (lSDMs), and finally, one-to-one evaluation exercises. ease studies and interviews involving two member states of the European Union were carried out to investigate current practices and to highlight the limitations that emergency management stakeholders face during response operations. SSM was used to investigate the problem area and to produce a conceptual Emergency Response Model (ERM). Further literature review and interviews suggested the Grid as the most appropriate technology to support the ERM. The linking together of the SSM findings with ISDMs - resulted in the production of a Grid-Aware Emergency Response Model (G-AERM) for natural disasters. The evaluation of the G-AERM demonstrated the applicability of Grid technology to emergency response by supporting stakeholders in monitoring, planning, controlling and managing actions within emergency situations caused by natural disasters in a far more informed way in terms of effectiveness and efficiency....