Abstract
Multi-agency disaster management requires collaboration among geographically distributed public and private organizations to enable a rapid and effective response to an unexpected event. Many disaster management systems often lack the capability to cope with the complexity and uncertainty. In this introduction to the special issues on advances in multi-agency disaster management we discuss the role of information, enterprise architecture, coordination and related human efforts aimed at improving multi-agency disaster management. The paper concludes that although there is a common body of knowledge, disaster management is still an under-developed area. There is a need to relate practice and theory by using human-centered approaches such that disaster management can realize its full potential.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alberts, D., & Hayes, R. (2007). Planning: Complex endeavors. Washington, DC: DoD Command and Control Research Program.
Alberts, D. S., Garstka, J. J., & Stein, F. P. (2002). Network-centric warfare: Developing and leveraging information superiority (2nd ed. Vol. 2.): CCRP Publication Series.
Argote, L. (1982). Input uncertainty and organizational coordination in hospital emergency units. Administrative Science Quarterly, 27(3), 420–434. doi:10.2307/2392320.
ASE. (2008). Alle hens on deck: ASE Veiligheid. Retrieved June 2008. from www.minbzk.nl.
Bharosa, N., Janssen, M., Rao, H. R., & Lee, J. (2008). Adaptive information orchestration: Architectural principles improving information quality. Paper presented at the the 5th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM 2008), Washington, DC, USA.
Bigley, G. A., & Roberts, K. H. (2001). The incident command system: high reliability organizing for complex and volatile task environments. Academy of Management, 44(6), 1281–1300. doi:10.2307/3069401.
Board on Natural Disasters National Research Council. (1999). Mitigation emerges as a major strategy for reducing losses caused by natural disasters. Science, 284(5422), 1943–1947. doi:10.1126/science.284.5422.1943.
Bostrom, R. P., & Heinen, J. S. (1977). MIS problems and failures: a socio-technical perspective. Part I: the causes. MIS Quarterly, 1(3), 17–32. doi:10.2307/248710.
Chen, R., Sharman, R., Rao, R., & Upadhyaya, S. (2008). Coordination in emergency response management. Communications of the ACM, 51(5), 66–73. doi:10.1145/1342327.1342340.
Comfort, L. (1999). Shared risk: Complex systems in seismic response. New York: Pergamon.
Comfort, L., & Kapucu, N. (2006). Inter-organizational coordination in extreme events: the World Trade Center attacks, September 11, 2001. Natural Hazards, 39(2), 309–327. doi:10.1007/s11069-006-0030-x.
Dhanaraj, C., & Parkhe, A. (2006). Orchestrating innovation networks. Academy of Management Review, 31(3), 659–669.
Faraj, S., & Xiao, Y. (2006). Coordination in fast-reponse organizations. Management Science, 52(8), 1155–1169. doi:10.1287/mnsc.1060.0526.
Galbraith, J. R. (1977). Organization design. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.
Horan, T., & Schooley, B. (2007). Time-critical information services. Communications of the ACM, 50(3), 73–78. doi:10.1145/1226736.1226738.
Janssen, M., Gortmaker, J., & Wagenaar, R. W. (2006). Web service orchestration in public administration: challenges, roles and growth stages. Information Systems Management, 23(2), 44–55. doi:10.1201/1078.10580530/45925.23.2.20060301/92673.6.
Longstaff, P. H. (2005). Security, resilience, and communication in unpredictable environments such as terrorism, natural disasters, and complex technology. Retrieved July 2007, from http://pirp.harvard.edu/pubs_pdf/longsta/longsta-p05-3.pdf.
Mendonca, D. (2007). Decision support for improvisation in response to extreme events: learning from the response to the 2001 World Trade Center attack. Decision Support Systems, 43(3), 952–967. doi:10.1016/j.dss.2005.05.025.
Milward, H. B., & Provan, K. G. (1995). A preliminary theory of network effectiveness: a comparative study of four community mental health systems. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(1), 1–33. doi:10.2307/2393698.
Mumford, E. (2006). The story of socio-technical design: reflections on its successes, failures and potential. Information Systems Journal, 16, 317–342. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2575.2006.00221.x.
National Research Council. (2007). Improving disaster management: The role of IT in mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. Washington, DC: National Academic.
Richardson, L., Jackson, B. M., & Dickson, G. (1990). A principle-based enterprise architecture: lessons from Texaco and Star enterprise. MIS Quarterly, 14(4), 385–403.
Rockart, J. F., & Scott Morton, M. S. (1984). Implications of changes in information technology for corporate strategy. Interfaces, 14(1), 84–95. doi:10.1287/inte.14.1.84.
Ross, J. (2003). Creating a strategic IT architecture competency: learning in stages. MISQ Quarterly Executive, 2(1), 31–43.
Simon, H. A. (1996). The sciences of the artificial (3rd ed.). Cambridge, MA: MIT.
Smith, C., & Hayne, S. (1997). Decision making under time pressure. Management Communication Quarterly, 11(1), 97–126. doi:10.1177/0893318997111005.
Smithson, S., & Hirschheim, R. A. (1998). Analysing information systems evaluation: another look at an old problem. European Journal of Information Systems, 7(3), 158–174. doi:10.1057/palgrave.ejis.3000304.
Thompson, J. D. (1967). Organizations in action. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Winograd, T., & Flores, F. (1987). Understanding computers and cognition. A new foundation for design. Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.
Yang, J., Lee, J., Rao, A., & Touqan, N. (2009). Inter-organizational communications in disaster management. In V. Weerakkody, M. Janssen & Y. Dwivedi (Eds.), Handbook of research on ICT-enabled transformational government: A global perspective: IGI Global.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Janssen, M., Lee, J., Bharosa, N. et al. Advances in multi-agency disaster management: Key elements in disaster research. Inf Syst Front 12, 1–7 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-009-9176-x
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10796-009-9176-x