1 october 13, 2007 sms text-message triage in the command and control center: an assessment for...
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1October 13, 2007
SMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents
Elizabeth Avery Gomez
City University of New York (CUNY)
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents2
October 13, 2007
Today’s Presentation
A Network Nation – Then and Now Interoperable Communication Needs Motivation and Research Objective
leveraging SMS Text-Messaging and Plain Language
Interfacing with Community Responders A Web-Based Training Application Role-based Agents to Mitigate Response
Efforts Conclusions and Future Research
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents3
October 13, 2007
Interoperability – A Look at the Past
Static location, known device and known application type
Primarily text-based, limited flexibility Training and practice were essential
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents4
October 13, 2007
Interoperability – A Look at the Present
Unidentified location, unknown device and interoperable application type
Text is one option, high flexibility Training and practice are often skipped
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents5
October 13, 2007
In a Crisis…Now becomes Then
When resources are limited we revert back to grassroots approaches that minimize the use of scarce resources
Murray’s well known quote from Dermis (2004):
“An emergency system that is not used on a regular basis before an emergency will never be of use in an actual emergency.”
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents6
October 13, 2007
Community Responders Need Low-Cost Resources for Communication Exchange
Any information from community responders and the community itself is value-added
They can have their own command and control structure in parallel to first responders and specialty organizations
Key objective: Extract essential information quickly from community (disseminate and triage)
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents7
October 13, 2007
The Human Element
FEMA states the first 72 hours after a disaster are critical and citizens of a community should be prepared and self sufficient without the use of electricity, gas, water, and telephone services for at least 72 hours.
During this time, the health and well-being of a community’s citizens falls to local community resources.
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents8
October 13, 2007
Motivation and Research Objective
A command and control structure is needed for community responders
Limited resources are available to handle this need
Role-based agents can help mitigate this need by intercepting SMS text-messages and triaging message content
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents9
October 13, 2007
SMS Text-Messaging is one Alternative
SMS Text-Messaging is one alternative Highly reliable and thrives in times of chaos
(Mehta, 2005). Travels in 160 character bundles and won’t
overload telecommunication systems (McAdams, 2006).
Portable between mobile devices and desktop applications (Roberts, 2006).
To maximize effective communication, the use of plain language training is proposed to complement the use of SMS text-messaging.
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents10
October 13, 2007
Leveraging Plain Language
Plain language is clear, straightforward expression, using only as many words as are necessary
2007 International Theme “It’s not what you write – It’s what they understand.”
Supported by FEMA, NIH, governmental agencies Widely accepted in other parts of the world
(especially Europe) Cross-cultural benefits reaching a wider population
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents11
October 13, 2007
Today’s Discussion
Can plain language training, adapted for SMS text-messaging improve message content, increasing options for message triage from the field responder to the command and control coordinator?
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents12
October 13, 2007
Communication Response Training
No baseline for SMS text-message response in crisis management exists
SMS text-message responses as a writing discourse has not been studied
Speech act theory with active voice writing prompts are introduced
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents13
October 13, 2007
Leverage Findings from a Web-Based Training Application for Crisis Response
A web-based training application with a multimedia crisis scenario was developed to: Capture behavior through a mySQL database Provide training and SMS text-message awareness Measure readiness through 6 SMS text-message
responses. Participant N=50
Field practitioners First responders Community responders Academic faculty/students Participants were from 5 states and 2 countries
Pre-training mean = 2.82, Post training mean = 3.27
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents14
October 13, 2007
Study Research Objective
The study introduced 6 tasks to assess pre-training and post-training task responses.
The objective was to increase SMS text-message response readiness
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents15
October 13, 2007
Speech Act Theory – Austin and Searle
Communication Episodes and Tasks
Communication Episode
Essential Rules
Task Complexity
1 and 3 Confirm and Warn Medium 2 and 4 Advise and Ask for High
2b and 5 Thank and Request Low
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents16
October 13, 2007
Plain Language Training Modules
Training Communication Episodes 3-5 Communication Episode Training Emphasis
3 Active voice 4 Wordiness 5 Sentence structure
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents17
October 13, 2007
Study Results towards Role-Based Agents
Located at Main and Woodside, Avoid area due to severe flooding across roadway
Arrived at Main St. / Woodside Ave. Road flooded.
I MAIN st, with woodside ave. please move the cones.
Now two blocks away from my assigned neighborhood. Need to walk to there because of flooding.
arrived Main & woodside area impassable by car need rubber boots
I am presently at the intersection of Main Street and Woodside Ave. From this point, Main Street is closed due to flooding. Traffic cones serve as warning.
at main and woodside approaching assigned neighborhood, but road is completely flooded out here at this intersection, impassible
Located at Main and Woodside. Main Street flooded. Need Road Closed sign.
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents18
October 13, 2007
Conclusions and Future Research
Plain language offers potential to mediate low-tech resources in a crisis
Findings suggest triage is possible for speech acts such as “advise”, “thank”, “confirm”, allowing for more individuals to respond in the command and control center
A new study that focuses on a specific group of community responders in proposed
Early conceptual work was published in the Journal of Intelligent Control Systems, June 2007
The application will be shown on November 8, 2007 at World Usability Day
Refer to www.ereadiness.org for related research
Elizabeth Avery GomezSMS Text-Message Triage in the Command and Control
Center: An Assessment for Role-Based Agents19
October 13, 2007
Ideas of Brilliance
As this research moves forward there are many “ideas of brilliance” sprinkled throughout by Murray.
Some of those ideas were shared in our IS seminar as Roxanne rushed him along making it all the more inviting
Often a few words can send you off thinking for weeks to find a richer way to move forward…and that has been the motivation behind this research!!!