Sharing Information among various organizations in relief efforts

Abstract

Today, information sharing is critical to almost every institution and organization. There is no more pressing need for information sharing than during an international crisis, where multi-national military-civilian coordination is formed. Successful information technology implementation for international crises could be increased by analyzing prior relief efforts. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the role of information technology in enabling the sharing of actionable information among various organizations in relief efforts. At all levels of relief efforts, strategies to provide adequate help to the victims of disaster will rely on the development and distribution of actionable information. It is essential that participants strengthen their capacity to gather, share, analyze and disseminate such information. When using or developing information technology in relief operations, it is necessary to be aware of the obstacles related to information sharing. Due to the uniqueness of each relief operation, dependant on the various participants and nature of the disaster, it is difficult to define the problems, symptoms and possible solutions of each situation. Specifically, this thesis attempts to establish the requirements for the development of a Disaster Information Management System by examining both the universal problems in disaster relief operations and their possible solutions from within information technology.