Collaborative incident planning and the common operational picture

Abstract

Disasters are notorious for extending across multiple jurisdictions, both geographical and functional, and the modern disaster response operational environment is fraught with a multitude of agencies with different mandates and objectives. The complexity and unpredictability of interactions between various actors contribute to the “fog” and “friction” of what constitutes a crisis, similar to the fog and friction of war. Therefore, although situational awareness is an absolute necessity in disaster response, it is impossible to achieve without effective coordination and communication. Here, we focus on the common operational picture in disaster response, with a view to bridging the gap between its technological and operational components. We use a typical incident planning outline to highlight how software solutions developed at the disaster preparedness phase can reduce the uncertainty during disaster response and streamline the operational planning process. We identify the capabilities and categories of existing applications, and we correlate the capabilities with the stages of the incident planning process to highlight how software supports disaster response coordination. Finally, we discuss the gaps between existing products and modern operational needs and suggest avenues for further research and product development.