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29 December 2016 | Posted by Equipo Editorial de PhD

Doctoral Thesis of Dr. Nadia S. Noori

Coordination Dynamics in Disaster Response Operations: A Network Based Discrete Event Analysis

Author : Noori, Nadia Saad
Director: Dr. Vilasís Cardona, Xavier
Codirector: Dr. Paetzold, Kristin
Defence date: 14-10-2016
Location : Sala de Graus,
Jury members : Dr. Rainer Huber, Dr. Sergio Gómez, Dr. David Riu, Dr. Kees Boersma, Dr. Ulrike Lechner
 
Summary :  Coordination is an important factor that affects directly the outcome of response operations in disaster management networks. Disaster management frameworks and protocols establish a foundation for organizational collaboration and coordination in the event of a crisis (natural or man-made). Existing disaster management frameworks are based on concepts borrowed from military practices (i.e. command and control) and conventional organizational operations. Due to the complex nature of a disaster or emergency, the existing approach is failing to cope with such high levels of uncertainty and intense occurrence of changes during the course of a disaster.
 
Instead of being locked-in rigid response plans, organizations and individuals managed to cope with disasters’ complexities by forming network-governed structures. Those networks are formed in response to the unfolding needs of coping with a disaster incident. Understanding the characteristics of those emerging networks in disaster response operations is critical to the whole process of developing proper disaster response frameworks that would help in preventing losses in human lives and assets. In this research, we examine examples of disaster response operations to study the patterns of networked-coordination between the organizations engaged in those response operations.
 
To achieve the research goals, we develop a new methodology for examining the coordination dynamic in disaster response networks. The analysis outcome provides a dynamic perspective that describes the evolution of coordination-clusters in network-governed structures. Understanding characteristics of coordination-clusters helps to identify critical tasks and units beyond the resources required during disaster response operations.
 
The research work contributes to the continuous changes in concepts of disaster and crisis management and the shift towards a network and function-based response systems. 
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