Research Paper on "Technology in Disaster Management"

Research Paper 7 pages (2354 words) Sources: 4

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Technology in Disaster Management

Over the last several years, the issue of how private organizations and governments are responding to various manmade as well as natural disasters has been increasingly brought to the forefront. Part of the reason for this, is because the different events have been having adverse affects on property and the lives of the general public. To address these issues many governments and private business have been increasingly turning to technology, as a way to help mitigate along with react to these incidents. However, given the fact that 85% of the infrastructure is privately owned, means that the use of technology will vary from one organization to the next. (Auserwald, 2005) as it will often depend upon the entity, their management structure and the underlying levels of threats they could be facing. This is important because it shows how different organizations will often use technology is varying degrees. To fully understand how technology can be implemented to tackle these challenges requires studying the different ways it is being utilized. This will be accomplished by comparing / contrasting how it is being used by the various entities and how it is helping to address these issues. Together, these different elements will provide the greatest insights, as to the how technology is tackling a host of threats facing governments and private organizations.

How Technology is being Used by Governments and Private Organizations

The last several decades have seen tremendous innovations as far as technology is concerned. Where, improvements have allowed it to be implemented as part of expanding and increasing the overall quality of services being provided by governments as well as businesses. However, these changes have occurred at such a rapid pace, that they are eclipsing various regulations and laws designed to protect the public. As a result, when a single incident occurs is can have ripple effects that will spread across large geographic areas. A good example of this can be seen by looking no further than the Northeast Black Out of 2003. What happened was a blown transformer, at a power station in Ohio, would have ripple effects across the entire electric grid. This would cause a shut down in business activity for the numerous cities in the Northeast and Midwest (to include New York City). This is problematic, because it shows how the lack of monitoring and addressing the various threats could have significant implications on the economy as well as the safety of the general public. (Auserwald, 2005)

As a result, a host of different tools are being used by both businesses and governments to address these underlying challenges. Where, there is an emphasis on trying to reduce, the overall vulnerability of a particular site from various threats. This has caused many different contingency plans, to streamline a host of activities and assets (in an effort to mitigate these risks). To achieve this objective, there are number of different tools that are being utilized as a part of disaster management planning to include: the use of GIS technology and community response grids (CRG's).

A Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is a technology solution that will collect, analyze, store and retrieve data surrounding a particular geographic location. This is an important tool that can be used during risk assessment planning, as it will provide a detailed analysis of the different issues facing a particular location. At which point, the information can be utilized to determine the overall vulnerability of a site to various risks and to create strategies to address these issues. Another advantage that this technology offers is that it can help to integrate the data from one location with the rest of an organization's database. This will allow an entity to be able to compare the various findings with one another, to see if a potential risk could affect other aspects of their operation. As this technology will provide a total evaluation, of a host of possible manmade and natural disasters that could have an impact upon security. (Eden, 2005, pp. 18 -- 54)

Over the short- and long-term, the use of this technology will have a dramatic impact upon the organization itself. Where, it will help them to be able to: monitor various events and incorporate them into a worst case scenario. In the event of a disaster taking place, this technology can be used in conjunction with GPS, to determine the overall extent of the damage and provide remote updates to key personnel. This is important, because it will help an organization to begin recovery efforts and coordinate any kind of response with other entities. Over the long-term, this system will help an organization to track any kind of recovery efforts and to see where the different resources are being utilized most effectively. This is significant, because it shows how utilizing this technology can help to improve planning for potential vulnerabilities and how to effectively monitor / coordinate any kind of response. As a result, the use of a GIS protocol will help to prepare an organization for the various external challenges that it will continually face. (Kwan, 2005, pp. 93 -- 113)

When you analyze the use of this technology, it is clear that it can have an impact on helping both businesses and governments effectively plan for various events. As it will allow them to see the overall vulnerability of a particular site and integrate this data into their strategic assessment plans. This is important, because it shows how using the GIS solution can help to reduce the possibility of site being vulnerable to various events. As it will help everyone to understand the overall weaknesses and how they can be addressed. At the same time, the use of this technology can help an organization to see the overall ripple effects that a particular event could have on outside locations. If an actual disaster was to occur, the GIS protocol will help to streamline the analysis of the damage and provide real time updates to key personnel (during the immediate aftermath of such events). Once recovery efforts have begun to take place, this tool will help to ensure that the various resources are being allocated properly and it will help to analyze the effectiveness of these efforts. This is important, because it shows how this technology could be used to identify, coordinate and monitor how an organization is adapting to various challenges they are facing. (Johnson, 2000)

Community response grids (CRG) is when you are using alternate technology solutions (such as mobile communications and the internet) to effectively coordinate as well as improve communication. The idea originated after the 911 attacks, where the traditional radio, telephone and televisions sources became overwhelmed. However, during the event, various internet and mobile solutions would allow key personnel to continue with recovery as well as coordination efforts. Where, this would help to address the challenges that they were facing. This is important, because it shows how the use of this technology would tackle the underlying challenges that many different organizations are dealing with after tragic events. As recovery efforts can be hampered by overwhelming traditional communication infrastructure. This has lead to a shift in how the various tools will be utilized to address these underlying challenges. (Jager, 2007)

As a result, the use of CRG technology has been continually utilized, to address the various issues that are facing both private and governmental organizations. Where, it is directly encouraging members of the general public, first responders and different executives in these organizations to work together, by creating an integrated platform that will allow effective communication to take place. This involves having the information stored and backed up at a remote location that can address these various issues. As this tools will help to ensure that there is an alternate channel to achieve this objective, by providing various mobile and user friendly solutions to improve coordination. These different elements are important, because in the events after a catastrophe, they can be able to accurately determine where the various resources are need most and how to address the different situations that they are facing. At the same time, the CRG protocol allows different governments and businesses to create their own disaster response plans as well as improve the services that are being provided. This is significant, because it shows how this can help to prepare various government and private agencies for the numerous challenges that they will face from a host of disasters. (Jager, 2007, pp. 592 -- 604)

When you compare as well as contrast the two different tools that were mentioned above, it is clear that they can help to provide an effective way of addressing the underlying challenges facing governments and private organizations. As they serve as a means of allowing an entity to see its overall vulnerability to particular events, streamline various resources, improve coordination / communication and to help direct resources where they are needed the most. As a result, the use of this technology will help to improve an… READ MORE

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