Title: Editorial: Supporting cognition in the management of disasters and emergencies

Authors: Denis A. Coelho

Addresses: Human Technology Group, Department Electromechanical Engineering, Universidade da Beira Interior, 6201-001 Covilhã, Portugal

Abstract: Natural disasters are succeeding at an ever increasing rate with growing costs and human death tolls, challenging society's capabilities for both planning and response. Understanding the cognitive processes in the management of the response to emerging events and critical disasters provides fundamental insight to inform the processes leading to increased preparedness and efficient action. Studying communication between services or agents, decomposing overall tasks and focusing on decision-making in a natural environment are methods being used for the analysis of cognition in disaster and emergency management. Research on cognition, on decision support and on increasing resilience in the management of critical disasters and emerging events is necessary to lead to results with implications for how organisations may identify and respond to unplanned-for contingencies.

Keywords: resilience; cognitive systems engineering; unplanned-for contingencies; emerging events; critical disasters; cognition; emergency management; disaster management; decision making; emergency preparedness; emergency response.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHFE.2013.056004

International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics, 2013 Vol.2 No.1, pp.1 - 10

Published online: 30 Apr 2014 *

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