our Approach
The Disaster Resilience Lab has developed an innovative approach to conduct disaster research that has been field tested during our first research
mission to the Philippines (December 12-23, 2013).
The core of our approach is conducting research on-site to gain a better understanding about decision-makers' needs and assess new solutions, approaches and technologies by (1) rapidly deploying research teams to the field during the response phase while (2) providing continuous remote expert support during the team's operations. Our main areas of research are information management, decision support and logistics. The combination of in-field research and global expert support enables DRL to analyse disasters and their impact in near real-time while allowing for rigorous and relevant follow-up analyses and recommendations.
This approach is a unique effort connecting scientists and crisis managers working in disaster response so that we together can work towards the aim of improving disaster resilience. If you would like to know more, or want to engage with us please contact us at info@disasterlab.org.
The core of our approach is conducting research on-site to gain a better understanding about decision-makers' needs and assess new solutions, approaches and technologies by (1) rapidly deploying research teams to the field during the response phase while (2) providing continuous remote expert support during the team's operations. Our main areas of research are information management, decision support and logistics. The combination of in-field research and global expert support enables DRL to analyse disasters and their impact in near real-time while allowing for rigorous and relevant follow-up analyses and recommendations.
This approach is a unique effort connecting scientists and crisis managers working in disaster response so that we together can work towards the aim of improving disaster resilience. If you would like to know more, or want to engage with us please contact us at info@disasterlab.org.
Research
Despite the potential of new technology and information systems to improve the response to and recovery from disasters, as outlined in the 2013 Red Cross World Disaster Report, the catastrophic impact from Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, the ongoing response to the Syria Crisis in the Middle East, or the Ebola Disaster show that today's technology-centered approaches are still too often ineffective and in many cases abandoned. It is therefore imperative to develop a human-centered approach that can cope with the complexity and uncertainty of a disaster environment, and take into account the actual practices of affected population and responders.
1. Decision-Makers’ Needs
The number of problems that need to be adressed in a disaster is overwhelming - so is the plethora of different decision-makers. To find out more about which information is actually relevant, we start from describing decision-makers' needs and compare different roles and decisions that are made at different organizations and phases of the disaster. We will aim at eliciting requirements in terms of information relevance, credibility, interoperability, accuracy etc. following the approach that was developed in the UN-OCHA/ACAPS workshop.
1. Decision-Makers’ Needs
The number of problems that need to be adressed in a disaster is overwhelming - so is the plethora of different decision-makers. To find out more about which information is actually relevant, we start from describing decision-makers' needs and compare different roles and decisions that are made at different organizations and phases of the disaster. We will aim at eliciting requirements in terms of information relevance, credibility, interoperability, accuracy etc. following the approach that was developed in the UN-OCHA/ACAPS workshop.
from: MIRA Report Nov 2013
2. Information Sharing
Starting from the decision-makers’ needs in different disasters, clusters, or roles, we investigate the information that was available to and used by these decision-makers in the acute response phase. We collect information to analyse the flows of information between different actors and organisations including the mechanisms and tools that are used to communicate, process and share information.
3. Coordination
Aligning the actions across organizations and interests is key to efficient response. Particularly, coordination remains a challenge between professional and volunteer actors; military and civil organizations; local and global actors across hierarchical levels or contexts, in which decision makers are acting. We analyse decision-making processes and investigate if information flows and decision structures are aligned.
4. Supply Chain Management
The process of supplying disaster relief goods, such as food, water, or medical aid, to the right people and at the right time is a key challenges in disaster management. Supply chain management (SCM) serves as bridge between disaster preparedness and response, procurement and distribution, headquarters and field operations, and the problems of decision-making, information sharing and coordination can be studied with a special logistics focus.
Starting from the decision-makers’ needs in different disasters, clusters, or roles, we investigate the information that was available to and used by these decision-makers in the acute response phase. We collect information to analyse the flows of information between different actors and organisations including the mechanisms and tools that are used to communicate, process and share information.
3. Coordination
Aligning the actions across organizations and interests is key to efficient response. Particularly, coordination remains a challenge between professional and volunteer actors; military and civil organizations; local and global actors across hierarchical levels or contexts, in which decision makers are acting. We analyse decision-making processes and investigate if information flows and decision structures are aligned.
4. Supply Chain Management
The process of supplying disaster relief goods, such as food, water, or medical aid, to the right people and at the right time is a key challenges in disaster management. Supply chain management (SCM) serves as bridge between disaster preparedness and response, procurement and distribution, headquarters and field operations, and the problems of decision-making, information sharing and coordination can be studied with a special logistics focus.