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Abstract
Gathering information to improve decision making during crises is the core business of crisis information officers. In this paper a case study is presented, along with an analysis of the influence of information on crisis management in order to improve crisis response. This analysis shows that interaction between the activities of i. leading crisis response and ii. obtaining a good information position is required in order to improve the effectiveness of the crisis organisation. Interaction between the two is necessary to optimise and tailor the information position in a specific situation, resulting in situational awareness.
By combining the efforts of crisis information officers, developers of the Dutch crisis management system (LCMS) and two European FP7 research projects, a balancing platform was provided to study the complexity of cross border and cross sector information sharing. Over a hundred officers and experts from more than 10 countries had gathered to see the results of that action. The officers and the water experts also saw added value in using the instrument for preparative discussions and meetings to explore each other’s domain and organisational concerns. The combination of cascade modelling, applied semantics, National base‑registry data, and European satellite imaging, was well received by the Dutch and German crisis teams, and by the Dutch command and National Security Council. The application of standards, a controlled vocabulary of icons and symbols has been documented in a guideline that will be made a mandatory Directive by the Dutch National Security Council. The combination of semantic reasoning and Geographic search has been translated into a W3C/OGC best practice.
Keywords: crisis management, leadership, information management, situational awareness, crisis response, crisis management system