ICS2001-07-01: Lightweight Disaster Management Training and Control, M. Staver

Disaster management is increasingly a global enterprise for international organizations, governmental institutions, and arguably individuals. The tempo at which information is collected and disseminated during natural and man-made disasters paces the rate and effectiveness of relief efforts. As the Internet becomes a ubiquitous platform for sharing information, a browser-based application can provide disaster managers a lightweight solution for training and control. A heavyweight solution might include dedicated communications, real-time command and control software and hardware configurations, and dedicated personnel. In contrast, a lightweight solution requires trained personnel with Internet access to a server via computers or hand-held devices. Tsunami Sim provides asynchronous situational awareness with an interactive, Geographic Information System (GIS). Tsunami Sim is not capable of providing real-time situational awareness nor intended to replace or compete with heavyweight solutions developed for that purpose. Rather, Tsunami Sim will enhance the disaster managers' abilities to train for and control disasters in regions where heavyweight solutions are impractical. For distributed training, Tsunami Sim will provide deterministic and stochastic scenarios of historical and fictional disasters. Tsunami Sim will be an open-source, Java application implemented for maintainability and extensibility. United States Pacific Command (PACOM) located at Camp Smith, Hawai'i, will enable Tsunami Sim validation and assessment.

ICS2001-07-01.pdf — PDF document, 40Kb