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Resilience 2.0: Computer-aided Disaster Management

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Abstract

Many factors (larger population, more dependency on technology, more human-caused interference in the natural systems and equilibria, climate changes,⋯) contribute to the seemingly growing number and severity of disasters. Additional exaggeration is generated by public media. As a consequence Disaster Prevention and Disaster Management must be given increased attention. The ultimate goal of Disaster Management is resilience of the affected system and thus the adequate and acceptable survival of the affected population.

We discuss system behavior in the case of an assault or disturbance: from being fragile (loss of their functionality due to the assault) to being resilient (having the capacity... of bouncing back to dynamic stability after a disturbance), or even antifragile (being able to "learn" so as to improve disaster resilience).

Resilience 2.0 identifies a new paradigm: modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) are employed as a basis for enabling and improving resilience of a system. ICT provide the basis for sufficient preparation before an assault, for quick recognition of, and for effective, efficient reactions to disasters. Only the coordinated intra- and interphase deployment of ICT promises sufficient success and can bring resilience to currently as yet fragile systems. We discuss stressors (time and performance pressure, physical and psychological stress on personnel) and problems due to damaged ICT-platforms and communication infrastructure. The basic message is that computer-aided Disaster Management is able to offers a new level of reactivity: Resilience 2.0.

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Acknowledgements

The foundations of this work was funded by projects supported by security program "Sicherheitsforschungs - Förderprogramm KIRAS" of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology (BMVIT).

The authors also want to thank the reviewers for their help and support in improving the quality of the paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Telecooperation, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Vienna, Austria

    Gerhard Chroust

  2. Johanniter Österreich Ausbildung und Forschung, Vienna, Austria

    Georg Aumayr

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  1. Gerhard Chroust
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Correspondence to Gerhard Chroust.

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Gerhard Chroust is an Austrian systems scientist and Professor Emeritus for systems engineering and automation at the Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Austria. He is the Secretary General of the International Federation for Systems Research (IFSR) and a Board Member of the Austrian Computer Society (OCG). He is an Honorary Member of the Austrian Society for Informatics (ÖGI) and of the Bertalanffy Center for Study of Systems Sciences (BCSSS). Chroust is an authority on formal definition of programming languages, system development processes, software quality standards, process assessment, and on cultural differences in system development. His current key research is in human aspects, cultural differences and systemic aspects of system development and disaster management, and representation and enactment of software processes. In 1964 he received a Master of Science (electrical engineering) from the Technical University, 1965 a Master of Science (computer science) from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1975 he was awarded a PhD (computer science) from the Technical University Vienna and in 1980 a Habilitation (Computer Science) from the Johannes Kepler University Linz. From 1966 to 1991 Chroust worked at the IBM Laboratory Vienna. From 1992 until 2007 he was tenured Professor for ‘Systems Engineering and Automation’ at the Kepler University of Linz. He has published 10 authored books, edited/co-edited approx. 60 proceedings, written approx. 220 scientific publications and approx. 300 other publications. Chroust is bearer of the Silver Medal of Honor of Upper Austria. Website: http://www.gerhard-chroust.at.

Georg Aumayr is an Austrian health promotion and communication scientist. He received his Master in Communication Science at the University of Vienna in 2007. Aumayr is head of the research and innovation center of Johanniter in Vienna, Austria and the research officer of Johanniter International in Brussels, Belgium. During large scale events like the EURO2008 he worked as EMT and was active ambulance staff and first aid instructor for several years. Aumayr worked also for the pharma industry in marketing and ICT as well as for the University of Vienna as assistant. He was from 2010-2012 member of advisory groups for Ambient Assisted Living and Emergency Care in Austria as well as Evaluator for European Research Programs. Since 2010 he is constantly engaged in European research projects and national research projects in the area of health promotion and ambient assisted living as well as in disaster relief from situation awareness systems to personal protective equipment. His current key research is the promotion of health under extreme or constantly changing situations like in disasters or at the process of ageing.

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Chroust, G., Aumayr, G. Resilience 2.0: Computer-aided Disaster Management. J. Syst. Sci. Syst. Eng. 26, 321–335 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11518-017-5335-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11518-017-5335-7

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