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A Framework for Designing a Global Information Network for Multinational Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief

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Abstract

Large-scale Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief (HA/DR) operations, particularly in developing countries, require the intervention and aid of various agencies from all over the world in a concerted and timely manner. As a result, HA/DR operations involve dynamic information exchange, planning, coordination and above all negotiation. Although a number of studies have reported the benefits of using information and communication technologies to support negotiation activities, it remains unclear how such technologies could be adapted to large-scale HA/DR operations. This paper examines negotiational issues involved in a multinational HA/DR environment and presents a framework that would help in developing a Global Information Network (GIN). The proposed framework can be used to assess and characterize individual disaster situations so that the GIN functional and design requirements can be accurately identified early. Future implications to GIN architecture are also discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, 96822

    Tung Bui

  2. University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, 96822

    Sungwon Cho

  3. California State University, Northridge, CA, 91330

    Siva Sankaran

  4. Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, 93943

    Michael Sovereign

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  1. Tung Bui
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  2. Sungwon Cho
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  3. Siva Sankaran
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  4. Michael Sovereign
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Bui, T., Cho, S., Sankaran, S. et al. A Framework for Designing a Global Information Network for Multinational Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief. Information Systems Frontiers 1, 427–442 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010074210709

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