ISCRAM is Conducting Survey for Masters Degree on EM Information Systems

ISCRAM, the international academic-practitioner group focused on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management is conducting a survey that may be of interest to many people. The survey is looking for input on a Master's level degree in EM with a concentration in information systems.  

I like ISCRAM's approach because it is not just about a particular type of technology such as GIS. Information systems for EM is sorely underrepresented in higher education and something I believe should be in included in every degree program.  This topic is also near and dear to my heart as I have not only written about information and technology in EM, but is also the subject of my research and future work. 

You need not be an expert in information systems, information, or technology to respond to this survey.  In fact a non-technical EM expert may provide some great feedback! 

Please respond by clicking this link or the button below:

Here are the details of the survey provided by ISCRAM:

The Education Committee of ISCRAM (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management), under the leadership of Dr. Murray Turoff, is seeking to establish guidelines for a Master's level degree in Emergency Management with a concentration in Information Systems (IS) for Emergency Management (EM). 

This survey is designed to solicit the opinions of EM professionals, practitioners and academics, as to what such a curriculum needs to have. Even if you are not an information systems practitioner or researcher, your opinion is valued. The results of this survey may be used for other scientific research by the ISCRAM Education Committee as well. 

The survey is comprised of four sections. The first section addresses general emergency management courses for the program; the second section addresses information specific courses for the program; and the third section addresses which, if any, information systems for EM focused courses should be included in all Master's Degree programs in EM, regardless of the focus of the program. We recognize that specific content of certain courses might be influenced by the country in which they are taught such as what disaster types, risks and threats, response organizations are emphasized. The final section consists of a few general non-identifying demographic questions. 

Participation in this survey is voluntary and anonymous. Identifying information will not be collected and individual responses will be kept confidential. If you choose to provide your email so that we can send to you results of the survey and/or invite you to participate in future work on this project it will be kept separate from the data used for analysis. 

There are no known risks to participating in this survey. You must be at least 18 years of age. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact Linda Plotnick at lplotnick@jsu.edu.

National Survey on R&D Priorities related to EOC Technology

This is a national survey on EOC technology. The goal of the researcher is to establish research and development priorities. I think this is a great idea and am glad to see it sponsored by some big names such as Harvard, AMTRAK, City of Los Angeles and the Department of Homeland Security. The survey takes about 10 minutes.  Respond to the survey by clicking the button below or clicking this link.

Here are the introductory details of the survey!

Purpose: This research project will solicit prioritized Research and Development Emergency Operation Center (EOC) requirements from Local, Tribal, Territorial, Private Sector, State, and Federal Emergency Managers and select other professionals that will best advance the missions of Emergency Management.

Methodology: (1) Perform an online survey that allows Emergency Managers and/or Emergency Operation Center Managers, to identify their EOC Research and Development Priorities. (2) Publish the information in the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology online “National Conversation” forum and solicit feedback from the whole of community regarding the findings of the survey. (3) Synthesize the data and discussion to create significant findings in coordination with Harvard University’s National Public Leadership Initiative faculty.   

Outcome: Present the findings of the survey to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Task Force for Homeland Security Research and Development and the DHS Undersecretary for Science and Technology (S&T) for consideration during the prioritization of research and development activities.  The findings will also be distributed to the leadership of: Big City Emergency Managers, International Association of Emergency Managers, National Emergency Management Association, and the Federal Emergency Management Grants Programs.

Sponsorship and Research Staff/Support: This is a Harvard University - National Public Leadership Institute 2015 Cohort Capstone Research Project done in conjunction with the AMTRAK Office of Emergency Management, the City of Los Angeles Emergency Management Department, and the US Department of Homeland Security - Domestic Nuclear Detection Office and the Science and Technology Directorate.  

Academic Research on Disaster Communications Technology [Survey]

Two great universities, the MIT Lincoln Laboratory and the Pennsylvania State University’s College of Engineering, are coming together to do some much needed research on disaster communications technology. I am very pleased to see this type of research taking place and hope you can participate by completing this survey.

The researchers are looking for all levels of practitioners involved in emergencies or disasters (e.g., DoD, DHS, Public Safety, private industry, etc.). The survey has 25 questions and should take about 15 minutes.  

“The purpose of this research study is to explore emergency response tasks, equipment and incident management operations. The responses collected will be vital to improving communication technologies and addressing future incident challenges more effectively.”

They are also exploring the relationship between traditional Public Safety (i.e. Fire, Law, EMS) communication and information usage / needs in the Utilities sector (i.e. Refineries, etc.). 

Here is the full link to the survey: https://pennstate.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a2CczrRQPpObbrD