Articulation of social and organizational considerations in states' emergency management information sharing

Abstract

The Emergency Preparedness and Response (EP&R) community has embraced a wide array of information and communications technologies (ICTs) to support information sharing and communication among participating agencies. Yet many existing and proposed technological solutions remain inadequate to support the unpredictable and frequently changing information sharing needs that arise during emergencies. Participants turn away from emergency ICTs when social and organizational concerns supersede available technological support. This paper highlights the articulation process through which emergency managers attempt to reconcile intersecting organizational, social and technological concerns during emergency incidents. Illustrative examples from observations of operational exercises and interviews with emergency response personnel in several U.S. states inform our discussion of the resulting system design challenges. We conclude the paper by presenting three design principles for information sharing systems which support adaptive social and organizational aspects of emergency management.