Disaster: Local Response

Definition:
A community experiencing natural or man-made major disruption of daily activities. This disruption may be:
Very Location Specific (e.g. sink-hole or explosion)
Distributed (e.g. volcanic plume or toxin release)
Regional (e.g. major tsunami or supply line degradation)

The Need
Standards Compliant and Federation-Enabled means to convey critical information through existing channels.
Zero Learning Curve interface.
Rapid, Reliable, Relevant information aggregation and display based upon user preferences or needs.
Data Escalation and Reporting tools to interactively share among stakeholders.
Feedback priority through direct communications and geographically relevant network connections.
Reduce necessity for pre-registration and Preparatory Exercises.
Enable rapid induction into the system while maintaining security features as needed.
Flexible communications networks and modes to accommodate a mix of interactions depending upon scenario.

Technology

Database utilizing location aware message aggregation and display. Intermodal communication capability (SMS, HF data packet, Satellite data, Federated API interaction/updating, eMail, Social Networking) Inter Agency coordination capacity (need allocation/claiming, inventory/replenishment push notifications, connect to outside project like Tweetstream Monitoring or Digital Humanitarian Response)

Interface -Discussion- SMS requires pre-established phone numbers or means of rapidly disseminating new ones (FM Radio) With Cellco cooperation, broadcast may be utilized to contact all phone users within a radius of the affected area based upon existing cell tower function. Simple interface can record survey responses through voice or button press (e.g. "Are you injured?" or "Are buildings destroyed?") and present results in varied formats. Absence of response is also valuable information. Collecting output from the Tweetstream (or other service) is less effective than displaying output from volunteer groups filtering those streams. Local messages can be sent to nearest neighbor or volunteer group in order to classify and prioritize the content. This 'second pass' will generate reliability scores for sender and neighbor. Community Psychology and Group Interactive Theory should be gainfully utilized to prolong benevolent interactions post-event. Self efficacy is the starting and ending point of all decision processes.

Phone: Feature or smart phone interface should be effective and non-language dependent. Consider self-generated icon sets within HL7 categories.

Tablet: Standards compliant, lightweight, low power requirement applications should provide easy to read and unambiguous interfaces

Computer: A variety of interface and data coordination standards should be accessible.

Thumb Drive: Regional representatives or community volunteers could have a thumb drive filled with local maps, tools to interact with other agencies or organizations, and gather relevant information for later transfer. A user should be able to walk up to any computer with thumb drive and feature phone and be able to interact intelligently.