Title: A disaster response management system based on the control systems technology

Authors: Y.L. Tu, W.J. Zhang, X. Liu, W. Li, C-L. Chai, R. Deters

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. ' School of Business Administration, Northeastern University, P.R. China; Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Canada. ' Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Calgary, Canada. ' Department of Sociology, University of Saskatchewan, Canada. ' Department of Computer Science, University of Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract: A networked Critical Infrastructure (CI) system performs functions critical to national economy and security. It is a complex system in the sense of a social-technical system with time-varying boundary and topology, and there are dynamic, uncertain and stochastic factors throughout a whole disaster management process. In this paper, we first present a study aimed at developing a general methodology for disaster response management to view the response management as a process and production control problem. Based on this point of view the control system technology is employed to develop a general framework for the disaster response management system, which also incorporates an adaptive decision system. Finally, a case study is presented with networked CI systems to validate the proposed model.

Keywords: critical infrastructures; modelling; simulation; Petri nets; PNs; socioechnical systems; disaster response; disaster management; emergency management; response management; process control; production control; adaptive decision making; control systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCIS.2008.017441

International Journal of Critical Infrastructures, 2008 Vol.4 No.3, pp.274 - 295

Published online: 07 Mar 2008 *

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