Title: A decision analysis framework for emergency notification: the case of the Sichuan earthquake

Authors: Zhengchuan Xu, Yufei Yuan, Shaobo Ji

Addresses: School of Management, Fudan University, Shanghai 200433, PRC. ' DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4M4, Canada. ' Sprott School of Business, Carleton University, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 5B6, Canada

Abstract: Notification is one of the major tasks for emergency responses. A timely and appropriate notification can save lives and significantly reduce damages. The importance of notification in emergency has been widely acknowledged. It is, however, challenging to make a quick and right decision on notification. In this paper, we propose a decision analysis framework for emergency notification with the |six W Dimensions| (6WDs), namely |when, where, who, why, what and how|. Within each dimension, we analyse the tasks, problems and criteria for decision making. A Decision Support System (DSS) is proposed for the notification decision within the 6WDs. The framework is applied in the case of the 2008 Sichuan earthquake with in-depth analysis.

Keywords: emergency management; emergency response; emergency notification; decision making; decision support systems; DSS; Sichuan; earthquakes; China; crisis management; disaster management; natural disasters.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2009.029248

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2009 Vol.6 No.2, pp.227 - 243

Published online: 17 Nov 2009 *

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