Summary of a Workshop on Using Information Technology to Enhance Disaster Management
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This study was supported by Battelle Memorial Institute under subcontract number 189936 to a contract between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Battelle Memorial Institute. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations and agencies that provided support for the project.
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COMMITTEE ON USING INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE DISASTER MANAGEMENT
RAMESH R. RAO,
University of California, San Diego,
Chair
YIGAL ARENS,
University of Southern California
ART BOTTERELL,
incident.com
TIMOTHY X BROWN,
University of Colorado, Boulder
JOHN R. HARRALD,
George Washington University
RICHARD HOWARD,
Rutgers University
NANCY JESUALE,
NetCity Engineering, Inc.
DAVID KEHRLEIN,
Environmental Science Research Institute
WILLIAM MAHEU,
San Diego, California, Police Department
ROBIN R. MURPHY,
University of South Florida
ROBERT NECHES,
University of Southern California
MASANOBU SHINOZUKA,
University of California, Irvine
ELLIS STANLEY,
City of Los Angeles
PETER STEENKISTE,
Carnegie Mellon University
GIO WIEDERHOLD,
Stanford University
Staff
JON EISENBERG, Study Director and Senior Program Officer
TED SCHMITT, CSTB Staff Consultant
GLORIA WESTBROOK, Senior Program Assistant
JENNIFER M. BISHOP, Program Associate
COMPUTER SCIENCE AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS BOARD
JOSEPH F. TRAUB,
Columbia University,
Chair
ERIC BENHAMOU,
Benhamou Global Ventures, LLC
DAVID D. CLARK,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
CSTB Chair Emeritus
WILLIAM DALLY,
Stanford University
MARK E. DEAN,
IBM Almaden Research Center
DAVID J. DEWITT,
University of Wisconsin, Madison
DEBORAH ESTRIN,
University of California, Los Angeles
JOAN FEIGENBAUM,
Yale University
KEVIN KAHN,
Intel Corporation
JAMES KAJIYA,
Microsoft Corporation
MICHAEL KATZ,
University of California, Berkeley
RANDY H. KATZ,
University of California, Berkeley
SARA KIESLER,
Carnegie Mellon University
BUTLER W. LAMPSON,
Microsoft Corporation,
CSTB Member Emeritus
TERESA H. MENG,
Stanford University
TOM M. MITCHELL,
Carnegie Mellon University
FRED B. SCHNEIDER,
Cornell University
WILLIAM STEAD,
Vanderbilt University
ANDREW J. VITERBI,
Viterbi Group, LLC
JEANNETTE M. WING,
Carnegie Mellon University
RICHARD E. ROWBERG, Acting Director
JON EISENBERG, Acting Associate Director
KRISTEN BATCH, Research Associate
JENNIFER M. BISHOP, Program Associate
JANET BRISCOE, Manager, Program Operations
RENEE HAWKINS, Financial Associate
MARGARET MARSH HUYNH, Senior Program Assistant
HERBERT S. LIN, Senior Scientist
LYNETTE I. MILLETT, Senior Program Officer
JANICE SABUDA, Senior Program Assistant
GLORIA WESTBROOK, Senior Program Assistant
BRANDYE WILLIAMS, Staff Assistant
For more information on CSTB, see its Web site at <http://www.cstb.org>, write to CSTB, National Research Council, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20001, call (202) 334-2605, or e-mail the CSTB at cstb@nas.edu.
Preface
Section 214 of the E-government Act of 2002 called on the Administrator of the Office of Electronic Government in the Office of Management and Budget, in consultation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to “ensure that a study is conducted on using information technology to enhance crisis preparedness, response, and consequence management of natural and manmade disasters” (Box P.1). The section cited as a goal “to improve how information technology is used in coordinating and facilitating information on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, while ensuring the availability of such information across multiple access channels.” In early 2005, FEMA, via a subcontract through Battelle Memorial Institute, asked the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council (NRC) to undertake a two-phase study on these issues.
This report culminates phase 1 of the project. CSTB established the Committee on Using Information Technology to Enhance Disaster Management, and a public workshop was held under the committee’s auspices on June 22-23, 2005. A variety of representatives of federal, state, and local government agencies, private industry, and the research community participated. The workshop agenda is given in Appendix A. Appendix B includes biographical information for committee members and staff.
The committee’s goal for the workshop was to establish a base of information for its study by hearing about present and future uses of IT from the perspective of federal, state, and local disaster management officials and users together with a sampling of relevant IT research and development activities. Panelists at the workshop were given roughly 15 minutes to provide their views on a set of questions (listed by panel or topic in Appendix A) posed in advance regarding the use of information technology to enhance disaster management. They presented a range of views on the present state of the art and practice and future opportunities to harness information technology to aid in the management of natural and human-made disasters. The slides (unedited and unreviewed by the NRC) prepared by many of the speakers for use in their presentations are available from CSTB’s Web site at http://www.cstb.org.
This report summarizes some of the key points made by workshop participants. In phase 2 of its study, the committee will supplement the inputs received at the workshop with information gathered at several site visits and a series of additional briefings. Phase 2 will culminate in a final report, expected in spring 2006, that provides findings and recommendations on requirements for effective use of information technology for disaster management, research and development needs and opportunities, and related research management and technology transition considerations.
The committee thanks all of the workshop participants for their thoughtful presentations
BOX P.1 SEC. 214. ENHANCING CRISIS MANAGEMENT THROUGH ADVANCED INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (a) PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to improve how information technology is used in coordinating and facilitating information on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery, while ensuring the availability of such information across multiple access channels. (b) IN GENERAL.— (1) STUDY ON ENHANCEMENT OF CRISIS RESPONSE.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator, in consultation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall ensure that a study is conducted on using information technology to enhance crisis preparedness, response, and consequence management of natural and manmade disasters. (2) CONTENTS.—The study under this subsection shall address— (A) a research and implementation strategy for effective use of information technology in crisis response and consequence management, including the more effective use of technologies, management of information technology research initiatives, and incorporation of research advances into the information and communications systems of— (i) the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and (ii) other Federal, State, and local agencies responsible for crisis preparedness, response, and consequence management; and (B) opportunities for research and development on enhanced technologies into areas of potential improvement as determined during the course of the study. (3) REPORT.—Not later than 2 years after the date on which a contract is entered into under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall submit a report on the study, including findings and recommendations to— (A) the Committee on Governmental Affairs of the Senate; and (B) the Committee on Government Reform of the House of Representatives. (4) INTERAGENCY COOPERATION.—Other Federal departments and agencies with responsibility for disaster relief and emergency assistance shall fully cooperate with the Administrator in carrying out this section. (5) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—There are authorized to be appropriated for research under this subsection, such sums as are necessary for fiscal year 2003. (c) PILOT PROJECTS.—Based on the results of the research conducted under subsection (b), the Administrator, in consultation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, shall initiate pilot projects or report to Congress on other activities that further the goal of maximizing the utility of information technology in disaster management. The Administrator shall cooperate with other relevant agencies, and, if appropriate, State, local, and tribal governments, in initiating such pilot projects. |
and discussion, as well as FEMA for sponsoring the workshop, and it extends special thanks to Chip Hines at FEMA for all his help in making this project possible.
While this report was being completed, Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast of the United States. In the days following the hurricane’s landfall, damage to the communications infrastructure, together with a host of other communications and information concerns, was cited by decision makers and reported on in the press as among the major challenges facing those involved in response and recovery efforts. The tragic events occurring in Katrina’s wake underscore the importance of information technology in disaster management, the interplay between technical and organizational considerations, and the contributions that research and development in these areas could make to future disaster preparedness and response.
Ramesh R. Rao, Chair
Committee on Using Information Technology to Enhance Disaster Management
Acknowledgment of Reviewers
This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:
Otto Doll, Bureau of Information and Telecommunications, State of South Dakota,
Deborah Estrin, University of California, Los Angeles, and
William “Al” Wallace, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
Although the reviewers listed above provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Craig Partridge, BBN Technologies. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.