Disaster Information Reference Library (DIRL) Version 2.0 Released

Version 2.0 is a semi-annual update of this reference library. It has been published as of November 15, 2019. The library now contains 2,881 references of predominantly English-language, peer-reviewed work in the study domains of disaster information and information technologies and their uses in the context of disasters. This represents an increase over the previous version of 328 references, or 13.7%).

The DIRL is intended to become an indispensable tool for Disaster Information and Technology-interested scholars. In particular, reviewers of paper submissions may want to rely on this reference library. The revision history can be accessed here.

Packaged in a zip file, bibTeX, RIS as well as Endnote XML (enlx) and Endnote package (enlp) versions are available. Mendeley or Zotero versions can easily be created by importing from RIS or bibTeX files. Please get back to us in case of any errors or omissions. Thank you for your interest and cooperation. [Go to Download Site]

Please also note: The DIRL is provided on basis of self-service. Do not request any support.

Interview with Emergency Management Magazine at Govtech.com

Last week I was interviewed by the Emergency Management Magazine, a publication widely read by emergency responders nationwide. Based on my research projects on the subject over the past five years I summarized preparedness-related recommendations for the Pacific Northwest. The interview can be found under https://www.govtech.com/em/preparedness/Making-the-Case-for-More-Realistic-Disaster-Exercises.html

DIRL (Disaster Information Reference Library) — Version 1.5 Released

Now Listing 2,533 references of Peer-reviewed Research Articles in the English Language
Version 1.5 of the Disaster Information Reference Library (DIRL) is the first semi-annual update of this reference library. It has been published as of May 15, 2019. The library now contains 2,533 references of predominantly English-language, peer-reviewed work in the study domains of disaster information and information technologies and their uses in the context of disasters. This represents an increase over the previous version of 424 references, or 20.1%).

The DIRL is intended to become an indispensable tool for Disaster Information and Technology-interested scholars. In particular, reviewers of paper submissions may want to rely on this reference library.

Packaged in a zip file, bibTeX, RIS as well as Endnote export (enx) and Endnote XML versions are available. Mendeley or Zotero versions can easily be created by importing from RIS or bibTeX files. Please get back to us in case of any errors or omissions. Thank you for your interest and cooperation.
The DIRL can be downloaded at 

http://faculty.washington.edu/jscholl/dirl/
(CL) Hans Jochen Scholl

Research on “Cascadia Rising 2016″—The Exercise Addressing the “Big One”

The research team and I are currently on the home stretch with our analysis of the Cascadia Rising 2016 exercise, which tested the response capabilities of first responders in the Pacific Northwest to a magnitude 9+ earthquake and tsunami. The exercise involved about 23,000 participants from all levels of government in the region along with FEMA, private-sector companies, and non-governmental relief organizations. The insights garnered from the exercise were many and daunting. The exercise revealed that not only the region of impact but rather the nation as a whole would face a major challenge when this catastrophe becomes a reality. Therefore it comes as no surprise that the exercise will be repeated soon (2022), which will be informed from the lessons learned from the 2016 exercise and also operate under even more realistic assumptions and injects. Our study of CR16 focused on two major areas:

— (Shared) Situational Awareness and Common Operating Picture, and

— Managerial Challenges

For the first area, we were happy to have two papers accepted at two major international conferences, one of which even became a “best-paper nominee.” The papers and presentation slides of the first two papers on shared situational awareness (SSA) and the common operating picture (COP) can be found below:

ISCRAM Asia Pacific Conference (2018)

Scholl, H. J., Hubbel, K., & Leonard, J. (2018). Communications and Technology Challenges to Situational Awareness: Insights from the CR16 Exercise. In Proceedings of the 1st ISCRAM Asia-Pacific Conference (pp. 1-15). Wellington, NZ: ISCRAM. (Best paper nominee)

Paper | Presentation Slides (29.3 MB)

52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-52)

Scholl, H. J., Hubbell, K., & Leonard, J. G. (2019). Information Sharing and Situational Awareness: Insights from the Cascadia Rising Exercise of June 2016. In Proceedings of the 52nd Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS-52) (pp. 1-11). Maui, HI

Paper | Presentation Slides (19.2 MB)

Our paper on “Managerial Challenges” is currently under development.  We are planning to finish our analysis of the managerial challenges observed during the Cascadia Rising 2016 exercise by the end of March 2019. We will post the result also here.