Title: Actor-centred emergency response systems: a framework for needs analysis and information systems development

Authors: Kayvan Yousefi Mojir; Sofie Pilemalm

Addresses: Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden ' Department of Management and Engineering, Linköping University, 581 83 Linköping, Sweden

Abstract: A new trend in emergency response systems (ERS) is to create new forms of collaboration, for example, by involving new resources in response operations, in order to compensate for the limited number of professional resources. However, the fact that the new resources may come from different organisational contexts and social sectors creates new challenges which directly affect information systems development for these resources. This study presents a framework including 15 dimensions to analyse the new forms of collaboration. Socio-technical system theory and participatory design approaches are applied to make the framework applicable in the information systems field. The framework might also address general problems such as the lack of formalisation and difficulties in identifying relevant stakeholders in participatory design. A comparison with international research showed a potential to adapt the framework to ERSs in other countries or even to other parts of the public sector that are undergoing similar changes.

Keywords: ERSs; emergency response systems; new actors; new collaborations; cross-sector collaboration; information systems; socio-technical systems; STS; participatory design; needs analysis; emergency management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEM.2016.079844

International Journal of Emergency Management, 2016 Vol.12 No.4, pp.403 - 434

Received: 27 Oct 2015
Accepted: 09 Jan 2016
Published online: 18 Oct 2016 *

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