A Template-based Methodology for Disaster Management Information Systems

Timely and accurate processing of crisis information and effective communication have been documented as critical elements of disaster relief operations. Despite the lessons learned from previous crises, preparing information for humanitarian assistance and ineffective information sharing remain a recurring and almost impossible task for relief agencies. The purpose of this paper is to propose a template-based methodology to archive past disaster relief operations, create “descriptive” templates for advanced preparedness, and design “normative” templates for fast execution of assistance operations, while reducing miscommunications among aid agencies.