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The effects of real-time image-based feedback on data gathering and analysis: The case of emergency management decision-making

McGuirl, John M
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1199121825

Abstract Details

2008, Doctor of Philosophy, Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering.
New information technologies now afford real-time feedback to practitioners in disaster management and recovery missions who have traditionally been forced to operate in a feed-forward control mode due to a lack of timely information about the system being controlled. In particular, several new communication and remote sensing technologies have been introduced that provide decision-makers with real-time imaging of the area of interest. This new data promises several benefits in situation assessment, comparative analysis, and planning at all levels of command and control. The goal of the present research is to determine the impact of this new technology on data gathering, integration, and analysis activities and the overall decision making process in the context of emergency management and recovery missions. It aims to identify benefits as well as unintended and undesirable side effects that need to be addressed to avoid breakdowns in system performance. A line of research, including a series of training exercise field observations and a staged simulation exercise, was conducted. Eight experienced incident commanders (ICs) took part in a 90-minute disaster simulation, which was based on an actual chemical release accident. Results indicate that using the new data source adversely affected the use, interpretation, and integration of other sources of data. All but one of the ICs failed to detect important changes in the situation that were not captured in the imaging data but were available via other data channels. It appears that commanders placed an inappropriate level of trust in this data, resulting in a narrowing of data search activities. Due to their past field experience, the literal nature of the imaging data was more familiar and garnered greater trust than the pre-processed, filtered, and abstracted data sources normally provided. The timeliness of the feedback also appears to have contributed to the perception that the data was highly valuable. These findings suggest the need for changes in information design, training, and operating. Future work should also consider the potential impact of this new feedback channel on coordination and collaboration activities both within and across different levels of the C2 structure.
David Woods (Advisor)
109 p.
decision-making; cognitive engineering; emergency management; situation assessment; command and control

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • McGuirl, J. M. (2008). The effects of real-time image-based feedback on data gathering and analysis: The case of emergency management decision-making [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1199121825

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • McGuirl, John. The effects of real-time image-based feedback on data gathering and analysis: The case of emergency management decision-making. 2008. Ohio State University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1199121825.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • McGuirl, John. "The effects of real-time image-based feedback on data gathering and analysis: The case of emergency management decision-making." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio State University, 2008. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1199121825

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1199121825
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© 2007, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.