Collaborative disciplines, collaborative technologies: A primer for emergency management information systems

Emergency management (EM) is a dynamic, interdisciplinary research domain evolving from a practitioner led discipline focused on managing disasters. The complexity of multi-Agency coordination, interoperability of divergent systems and processes, and emphasis on required functional capabilities highlights unique issues and challenges within the discipline. Emergency Management Information Systems (EMIS) was coined to describe specialized information and communication technologies, systems and tools used to support the unique needs of responders, decision makers and ultimately communities impacted by disasters since the late 1960s. Though the evolution of EM and EMIS have occurred in tandem, as research domains, both disciplines are impacted by developing standards and the lack of common terminology and a prevailing model or theory to inform theory, practice, and research. The goal of this primer is to examine the dimensions of the domain in existing literature, define concepts and functional capabilities that join the domain, categorize the systems and tools which support the domain, and propose a framework for a broader literature review of these unique disciplines. Application of a socio-Technological view of EMIS hinges on a better understanding of the concepts and dimensions which frame EM research and practice. The key to EMIS success lies not only in the understanding of the dimensions, needs, and challenges of EM to ensure the information and communication solutions are fit for purpose, but also to meet the needs of intended end users. This paper has been developed to present a discussion of concepts that frame the focus on capabilities and structures necessary to support EM to better align system development and evaluation for this dynamic and constantly evolving domain in practice.