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Expecting the Unexpected: The Need for a Networked Terrorism and Disaster Response Strategy - 14 views

Net308_508 collaboration community social media Twitter Wikipedia Disaster Management Crisis Response

started by jessica_mann on 26 Mar 12
  • jessica_mann
    #1 jessica_mann on 26 Mar 12
     
    Stephenson, W.D. & Bonabeau, E. (2007). Expecting the Unexpected: The Need for a Networked Terrorism and Disaster Response Strategy. Homeland Security Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.hsaj.org/?fullarticle=3.1.3

    This article, written by Stephenson and Bonabeau, asks whether or not 'command-and-control' management responses to emergency situations which are, by nature, unpredictable and rapidly-changing, is the most effective way of responding to crisis events. Stephenson and Bonabeau suggest that an alternative to disaster response, which incorporates the concept of 'swarm intelligence' and new technology should be developed.

    Stephenson and Bonabeau, define 'swarm intelligence' as being based on the social behavior of bees, ants and termites, identifying the three most relevant characteristics of swarm intelligence most relevant to disaster response as being flexibility, robustness and self-organisation. With technologies such as social media, people do not need to rely on central authorities to assist them and provide them with vital information anymore. In times of crisis, it is victims themselves that band together to create ad hoc solutions. Additionally, the article claims that in times of crisis, people will automatically turn to the technologies they use everyday for assistance.


    In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the Katrinahelp wiki was created which offered information on the latest status of the crisis as well as information about how victims could find support and assistance. The article raises the issue of the inevitable inclusion of incorrect information on these sorts of peer facilitated platforms, however contends that official websites also often contain erroneous information and that wiki users can quickly amend any misinformation which may not happen as rapidly on official websites.

    Stephenson and Bonabeau cite post-Katrina polls that show how people have lost faith in the ability of the government to protect them in times of crisis and are now more likely to take matters into their own hands.
  • ruenhongo
    #2 ruenhongo on 02 Apr 12
     
    This article mentions how during Hurricane Katrina, volunteers used Google Maps to identify homes in the area and created a community for those that needed assistance. This was very similar to Collins' (2011) article in that during the crisis in Haiti, volunteers used Google Maps as well to track and send a quick response to those in need.

    Collins (2011)discusses how locals used their mobile phones to reach out to the world and in this article it spoke about how devices were used to spread information among the survivors, provide information to the curious onlookers and to those in need of assistance which shows how during a crisis the power of the people makes a difference. Stephenson & Bonabeau (2007) state that the government need to use the public as full partners in prevention and response management which was also shown in Collins' (2011) article as an area that military forces had to implement.

    Sutton (2010) and this article both mention how people do not rely on central authorities because social media and their everyday devices seem to be more efficient in managing disasters. Both articles also spoke about the negatives in social media which is rumours and misinformation spreading through social media and how users can self-correct the information if they are invested to it with the example of Wikipedia in mind.

    I found this article reliable because there was a range of references which showed all sides of the spectrum. There was also information about the authors' qualifications which made it more valid. This is a relevant article because it talks about the different issues that affect disaster management and uses Hurricane Katrina as a central example. The article is very useful for this project because the authors' discuss the pros and cons with using social media during disasters which I found very valuable.

    References:

    Collins, S. (May 19, 2011). Conflict and Disaster Management in a Hyper-connected World - Cooperative, Collaborative, Real Time. Acidlabs. Retrieved from http://www.acidlabs.org/2011/05/19/conflict-and-disaster-management-in-a-hyperconnected-world-cooperative-collaborative-real-time/ (Accessed 16/03/2012)

    Stephenson, W.D. & Bonabeau, E. (2007). Expecting the Unexpected: The Need for a Networked Terrorism and Disaster Response Strategy. Homeland Security Affairs. Retrieved from http://www.hsaj.org/?fullarticle=3.1.3

    Sutton, N. J. (2010). Twittering Tennessee: Distributed Networks and Collaboration Following a Technological Disaster. Proceedings of the 7th International ISCRAM Conference. Retrieved from http://www.jeannettesutton.com/uploads/Twittering_Tennessee_FINAL.pdf (Accessed 16/03/2012)
  • Jocelyn Workman
    #3 Jocelyn Workman on 07 Apr 12
     
    Stephenson and Bonabeau's article (2007) proposes an alternative strategic approach for emergencies that utilises the concepts of 'swarm intelligence' and 'netwar' (2007, p. 2), a combination of collaborative, self organising action, networking tools and applications controlled by the end users without central authorities. Authorities traditionally follow the command-and-control emergency response management model for crisis situations and are reluctant to embrace a networked strategy for an emergency response because of the loss of top-down command-and-control (2007, p. 7), even though these new technologies have been utilised effectively by the people themselves in the face of disaster.

    The article by Vieweg, Hughes, Starbird and Palen (2010) demonstrates the power of the public to network in a disaster and utilise 'swarm intelligence' type behaviours when experiencing floods and fires, collaboratively improving situation awareness through the use of Twitter.

    You Tube - 'Crisis mappers: Mobile technology helps disaster victims worldwide' (2010) is a case where Stephenson and Bonabeau's idea's are seen as a result of the spontaneous response by stake holder Patrick Meier, who set in motion the development of a collaborative and self organised project , fostered by the use of radio broadcasts, network tools, devices and applications, volunteers and US response groups, to map crisis points online and get aid to victims of the Haiti earthquake.

    This is a useful resource as it presents an alternative emergency management model for authorities, to develop a collaborative structure that embraces public networking tools in an emergency situation. The article is published in a peer-reviewed online journal, well referenced and provides details of the authors' background and authority on the topic.

    References

    Stephenson, W.D. & Bonabeau, E. (2007). Expecting the Unexpected: The Need for a Networked Terrorism and Disaster Response Strategy. Homeland Security Affairs, 3 (1). Retrieved from http://www.hsaj.org/?fullarticle=3.1.3

    Vieweg, S., Hughes, A., Starbird, K & Palen, L. (2010). Microblogging During Two Natural Hazards Events: What Twitter May Contribute to Situational Awareness. In Proceedings of ACM Conference on Computer Human Interaction (CHI), (pp. 1079 - 1088). Atlanta, GA: ACM.
    Retrieved from http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~palen/vieweg_1700_chi2010.pdf

    You Tube Need to Know | Crisis mappers: Mobile technology helps disaster victims worldwide | Uploaded by PBS . Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xW7Vt5iunWE

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