1. What is emergency management?
2. Differentiate hazard, emergency and disasters. Cite at least four examples of each.
3. Explain the concepts of hazard mitigation, disaster preparedness, emergency response and rescue, and disaster recovery.
4.Who are the stakeholders in emergency management? Illustrate them through a diagram. Explain their roles.
Submit the HW in a printout. Include a cover page with your name and section. Assignments will be collected during class time only.
September 19, 2011
SEP. 29 SPECIAL GROUP ASSIGNMENT
This assignment looks into the dynamics of the occurrence of an epidemic. In line with this, research on the following:
1. What is an epidemic? What are the manifestations of an epidemic? What are the primary considerations when there is an epidemic?
2. As a group, watch the movie "Contagion". Based on your research (and answers in number 1), do you agree on how the Contagion movie exhibited the propagation of the epidemic ? Why or why not?
3. What were the conflicts exhibited by the Contagion movie in terms of uncovering the cause of the epidemic and the creation of the vaccine for the disease? Do you think this conflicts may really happen? Why or why not?
4. Read the 8th chapter in the book Widsom of the Crowds by James Surowiecki. The chapter is on Science: Collaboration, Competition and Reputation. The chapter actually dealt on the SARS case.
Compare and contrast the method of (a) reporting the epidemic, (b) finding the cause of disease-- as presented in the chapter in the book and the Contagion movie.
5. How do you think information technology has made an impact to the discovery of the cause of SARS? How about in the Contagion movie, how does information technology helped?
Please submit a printed assignment with a cover page indicating the names of the members and the section. Thank you.
1. What is an epidemic? What are the manifestations of an epidemic? What are the primary considerations when there is an epidemic?
2. As a group, watch the movie "Contagion". Based on your research (and answers in number 1), do you agree on how the Contagion movie exhibited the propagation of the epidemic ? Why or why not?
3. What were the conflicts exhibited by the Contagion movie in terms of uncovering the cause of the epidemic and the creation of the vaccine for the disease? Do you think this conflicts may really happen? Why or why not?
4. Read the 8th chapter in the book Widsom of the Crowds by James Surowiecki. The chapter is on Science: Collaboration, Competition and Reputation. The chapter actually dealt on the SARS case.
Compare and contrast the method of (a) reporting the epidemic, (b) finding the cause of disease-- as presented in the chapter in the book and the Contagion movie.
5. How do you think information technology has made an impact to the discovery of the cause of SARS? How about in the Contagion movie, how does information technology helped?
Please submit a printed assignment with a cover page indicating the names of the members and the section. Thank you.
EMER-IT Sep-Oct Announcements
EMER-IT FIELD TRIP
EMER-IT Field Trip is planned to take place on October 5, 2011, Wednesday.
This is a whole day activity from 8am-4pm. Places to be visited: Ilog ni Maria Honey Bee Farm and Island Cove Zoo. Field trip fee is P500 per person.
Guidelines (on the tour, payment, observations to be done) will be given within the week.)
EMER-IT FLASH TRAINING
All classes will have to undergo the Flash training to support the skills needed in creating the class simulation project.
Schedule of the Flash Training under Moomedia is on September 24, Sat.
EMER-IT S13 - 9-12am G306 A&B
EMER-IT S15 - 1-4pm G306 A&B
I wish to acknowledge the help of Moomedia Club in this Training.
Sep. 26 meeting is called off in lieu of this Flash training. FYI.
CLASS REPORTING
Class reporting on various disasters will take place on Sep. 29, Oct. 3, Oct. 6, Oct. 10. Two groups will report per meeting.
EMER-IT Field Trip is planned to take place on October 5, 2011, Wednesday.
This is a whole day activity from 8am-4pm. Places to be visited: Ilog ni Maria Honey Bee Farm and Island Cove Zoo. Field trip fee is P500 per person.
Guidelines (on the tour, payment, observations to be done) will be given within the week.)
EMER-IT FLASH TRAINING
All classes will have to undergo the Flash training to support the skills needed in creating the class simulation project.
Schedule of the Flash Training under Moomedia is on September 24, Sat.
EMER-IT S13 - 9-12am G306 A&B
EMER-IT S15 - 1-4pm G306 A&B
I wish to acknowledge the help of Moomedia Club in this Training.
Sep. 26 meeting is called off in lieu of this Flash training. FYI.
CLASS REPORTING
Class reporting on various disasters will take place on Sep. 29, Oct. 3, Oct. 6, Oct. 10. Two groups will report per meeting.
Syllabus on Emergency Preparedness in Communities
Syllabus on Emergency Preparedness in Communities
Course Code : EMER-IT
Course Title : Emergency Preparedness in Communities 2nd term SY 2011-2012
Credit Units : 3
Pre-requisite : Major IS core courses
Co-requisite : None
Department : Information Technology
Course Adviser : Ms. Mavic Pineda – mavic.pineda@delasalle.ph
Twitter : queenandroid, #sos101
The course is intended to introduce emergency preparedness to IT, IS and CS students in the light that technology can support hazard mitigation, prevention and preparedness. The course also scrutinizes the behavior, the self-organizing characteristics of swarms and how they respond to changes in their environment. Different swarm models will be considered to provide working models on hazard and emergency preparedness of communities.
The main output of the course is two-fold. The first is a case analysis of a past, local hazard incident that merited emergencies. The case analysis includes a critique of the strengths, weaknesses and other threats of the incident. The analysis in the first output is fed to the second output which is a Flash simulation program. The simulation exhibits the predicted behaviors by individuals as experienced in the case; and the predicted behaviors mitigating disasters . Swarms with intelligence will be used as human representations in the programs.
Course Outline
Week 1
1. Course overview, expectations and requirements
Groupings
Week 2
2. Introduction to disasters
What are hazards, threats and disasters
Hazard mitigation
Disaster preparedness
Rescue, response and rehabilitation
Importance of an evacuation plan
Assignment: An evacuation plan
Weeks 3-5
3. Common hazards in the country
Readings on Climate Change and Global Warming
Cyclones/typhoons*
Flooding and landslides*
Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes*
Demolitions and riots*
Dengue epidemic and viral flu*
Fire and fire in urban poor areas*
*Field trip to the bee farm & zoo takes place on the 5th week.
Weeks 6-7
Case analysis presentations
Week 8
Learning from the Intelligence of the Swarm
Definition and examples of swarms
Analyzing characteristics & behavior of swarms
Week 9
Experiment on swarm/human behavior
Online discussion - Extreme behaviors of swarms
Weeks 10-11
Ants*
Bees*
Fish and birds*
Grasshoppers, cicadas and locusts*
Butterflies and dragonflies*
Other animalia
Weeks 12-14
Final Project presentation: Swarm simulation
Learnings from the Swarm
*group reporting topics
Course requirements:
1. Intelligent reporting - 15%
2. Case analysis - 25%
The case analysis is a midterm requirement and will be used as the main context in the simulation program.
3. Swarm simulation program - 25%
The simulation program will be developed using Flash. This is the Final requirement.
4. Attendance to the seminars - 10%
5. Class activities, class EM blog & online discussion - 15%
Each group will have a page in the EM blog and everyone is enjoined to contribute.
6. Field trip to the zoo & bee farm– 10%
List of Seminars and Alternative* Classes
Flash seminar – 2 Saturdays
Open Lecture of Prof. David Merrick on Emergency Management*
Online discussion*
Field trip to the zoo & bee farm – bee farm, butterfly farm, crocodile & fish farm*
References
Goldstein, N. (2010). Global Warming. USA: Checkmark Books. (QC981.8 G56 G64 2010)
Lindell, M. D., Prater, C., & Perry, R. W. (2007). Introduction to Emergency Management. USA: Wiley. (HV 551.2 L56 2007)
Miller, P. (2010). The Smart Swarm. New York: Penguin Group.
Perry, R. W., & Quarantelli, E. (Eds.). (2005). What is a Disaster? USA: International Research Committee on Disasters. (HV 553 W46 2005)
Schipper, E. L., & Burton, I. (Eds.). (2009). Adaptation to Climate Change. USA: Earthscan. (QC 981.8 C5 E24 2009)
Course Code : EMER-IT
Course Title : Emergency Preparedness in Communities 2nd term SY 2011-2012
Credit Units : 3
Pre-requisite : Major IS core courses
Co-requisite : None
Department : Information Technology
Course Adviser : Ms. Mavic Pineda – mavic.pineda@delasalle.ph
Twitter : queenandroid, #sos101
The course is intended to introduce emergency preparedness to IT, IS and CS students in the light that technology can support hazard mitigation, prevention and preparedness. The course also scrutinizes the behavior, the self-organizing characteristics of swarms and how they respond to changes in their environment. Different swarm models will be considered to provide working models on hazard and emergency preparedness of communities.
The main output of the course is two-fold. The first is a case analysis of a past, local hazard incident that merited emergencies. The case analysis includes a critique of the strengths, weaknesses and other threats of the incident. The analysis in the first output is fed to the second output which is a Flash simulation program. The simulation exhibits the predicted behaviors by individuals as experienced in the case; and the predicted behaviors mitigating disasters . Swarms with intelligence will be used as human representations in the programs.
Course Outline
Week 1
1. Course overview, expectations and requirements
Groupings
Week 2
2. Introduction to disasters
What are hazards, threats and disasters
Hazard mitigation
Disaster preparedness
Rescue, response and rehabilitation
Importance of an evacuation plan
Assignment: An evacuation plan
Weeks 3-5
3. Common hazards in the country
Readings on Climate Change and Global Warming
Cyclones/typhoons*
Flooding and landslides*
Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes*
Demolitions and riots*
Dengue epidemic and viral flu*
Fire and fire in urban poor areas*
*Field trip to the bee farm & zoo takes place on the 5th week.
Weeks 6-7
Case analysis presentations
Week 8
Learning from the Intelligence of the Swarm
Definition and examples of swarms
Analyzing characteristics & behavior of swarms
Week 9
Experiment on swarm/human behavior
Online discussion - Extreme behaviors of swarms
Weeks 10-11
Ants*
Bees*
Fish and birds*
Grasshoppers, cicadas and locusts*
Butterflies and dragonflies*
Other animalia
Weeks 12-14
Final Project presentation: Swarm simulation
Learnings from the Swarm
*group reporting topics
Course requirements:
1. Intelligent reporting - 15%
2. Case analysis - 25%
The case analysis is a midterm requirement and will be used as the main context in the simulation program.
3. Swarm simulation program - 25%
The simulation program will be developed using Flash. This is the Final requirement.
4. Attendance to the seminars - 10%
5. Class activities, class EM blog & online discussion - 15%
Each group will have a page in the EM blog and everyone is enjoined to contribute.
6. Field trip to the zoo & bee farm– 10%
List of Seminars and Alternative* Classes
Flash seminar – 2 Saturdays
Open Lecture of Prof. David Merrick on Emergency Management*
Online discussion*
Field trip to the zoo & bee farm – bee farm, butterfly farm, crocodile & fish farm*
References
Goldstein, N. (2010). Global Warming. USA: Checkmark Books. (QC981.8 G56 G64 2010)
Lindell, M. D., Prater, C., & Perry, R. W. (2007). Introduction to Emergency Management. USA: Wiley. (HV 551.2 L56 2007)
Miller, P. (2010). The Smart Swarm. New York: Penguin Group.
Perry, R. W., & Quarantelli, E. (Eds.). (2005). What is a Disaster? USA: International Research Committee on Disasters. (HV 553 W46 2005)
Schipper, E. L., & Burton, I. (Eds.). (2009). Adaptation to Climate Change. USA: Earthscan. (QC 981.8 C5 E24 2009)
New Course on Emergency Management
This second trimester of SY 2011-2012, I am glad to introduce a new elective course in the IT Department of De La Salle University. This term I have designed the course Emergency Preparedness in Communities. It explores the different types of hazards, emergencies and disasters. To support the mitigation and preparedness skills of students and other stakeholders in our society, the course will study various swarm behavior, learn from them and simulate such behavior through the creation of small but useful simulation programs.
Welcome to the EMER-IT course! Let's work and learn together this term. See the postings every now and then for assignments and upcoming activities.
Cheers! :)
Welcome to the EMER-IT course! Let's work and learn together this term. See the postings every now and then for assignments and upcoming activities.
Cheers! :)
June 16, 2011
Lounge Lecture on Community Preparedness, Disaster Policy, Support of Non-Profit Organizations& the Role of ICT
June 18, 2011, 8.30am-11.10nn, Andrew Hall 903
The lounge lecture is intended to provide new perspectives and widen views on disaster management, particularly touching the areas of emergency management, volunteers and disaster policy. The lounge lecture includes two distinguished visiting scholars from Florida State University and a researcher from the College of Computer Studies as main speakers. This activity hopes to inject new ideas to our IT and CS graduate and undergraduate students, reflect upon on how ICT can be carried out in the area of disaster management and its impact to our society.
About the Speakers
Dr. Audrey Heffron-Casserleigh is presently the Director of the Center for Disaster Risk Policy of Florida State University. Her areas of dedicated research include manmade disasters and the organizational behavior of terrorist networks. She will provide significant points on how organizations should prepare on occasions of a pandemic or emergency incident and the importance of disaster policies in placed.
Dr. Ralph Brower is a Fullbright Professor and the Director of the Center for Civic and Non-Profit Leadership in Florida State University. He will provide an eye-opener on the impact of non-profit and volunteer organization to emergency response and/or community development.
Mavic Pineda is a researcher of the ICT4D-PLC and has pioneered studies on disaster management in the College of Computer Studies of DLSU. She will provide new ideas of harnessing community knowledge (and perceptions) of disaster to reduce vulnerability, one of the projects she is involved in at present.
The lounge lecture is also open to the academic community.
For details, please coordinate with Ervin Samoza or Hazel Ventura at local 301.
The lounge lecture is intended to provide new perspectives and widen views on disaster management, particularly touching the areas of emergency management, volunteers and disaster policy. The lounge lecture includes two distinguished visiting scholars from Florida State University and a researcher from the College of Computer Studies as main speakers. This activity hopes to inject new ideas to our IT and CS graduate and undergraduate students, reflect upon on how ICT can be carried out in the area of disaster management and its impact to our society.
About the Speakers
Dr. Audrey Heffron-Casserleigh is presently the Director of the Center for Disaster Risk Policy of Florida State University. Her areas of dedicated research include manmade disasters and the organizational behavior of terrorist networks. She will provide significant points on how organizations should prepare on occasions of a pandemic or emergency incident and the importance of disaster policies in placed.
Dr. Ralph Brower is a Fullbright Professor and the Director of the Center for Civic and Non-Profit Leadership in Florida State University. He will provide an eye-opener on the impact of non-profit and volunteer organization to emergency response and/or community development.
Mavic Pineda is a researcher of the ICT4D-PLC and has pioneered studies on disaster management in the College of Computer Studies of DLSU. She will provide new ideas of harnessing community knowledge (and perceptions) of disaster to reduce vulnerability, one of the projects she is involved in at present.
The lounge lecture is also open to the academic community.
For details, please coordinate with Ervin Samoza or Hazel Ventura at local 301.
March 06, 2011
DLSU’s ‘Sawatain’ helps LGUs in disaster management
Saturday, 05 March 2011 17:49 Rizal Raoul Reyes / Correspondent
Reblogged from http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/science/8219-dlsus-sawatain-helps-lgus-in-disaster-management
Information and communications technology (ICT) plays a major role in disaster governance. Being a country visited by an average of 20 typhoons a year, the Philippines must have a relevant disaster-governance road map to minimize, if not eliminate, disaster vulnerabilities and enhance the coping skills of the people.
In her paper “Local Government and Academe Partnership for Responsive e-Disaster Systems,” Maria Victoria Pineda, faculty member of the College of Computer Studies (CCS) of De La Salle University (DLSU)-Manila, said the convergence of research, education and training and ICT solutions with systematic methods, resources and capacity analysis, the elimination of risks and vulnerabilities would not be remote.
Pineda presented the paper at the recent Joint International Conference on “ICT for Development and Sustainability” in Bali, Indonesia.
In response to this need, the Center for ICT for Development (CITe4D) of the CCS of DLSU has ventured in the past years on developing Web-based management systems.
Pineda said the CITe4D has embarked on developing Web-based disaster-management systems, starting from studying and designing disaster-response systems for major government agencies. In the second phase, the CITe4D concentrated on disaster-mitigation systems as hazard mitigation because it is a very strategic approach to harm reduction in Third World countries. The rationale, according to Pineda, is to tap the local government units (LGUs) to develop community-based disaster risk-reduction functional prototypes.
At present, CITe4D has various ongoing partnerships with LGUs, among them is the province of Bulacan.
Partnering with LGUs is effective in mitigating the impact of natural calamities.
According to Fazlur Rahman, deputy secretary of the ministry of disaster management and relief in Bangladesh, and academicians Jean Christophe Gaillard and Virginie Le Masson, the most effective method to supporting the competencies of the people is through community-based disaster preparedness and risk reduction.
“Sawatain” (from the Filipino word sawata, meaning to mitigate or to stop) is the Web-based flood-prediction system developed by the CCS, focusing on mapping the flood hazard or affected areas.
“The stakeholders and important agencies involved in the disaster-management workflow are able to study the effects and impacts of an incoming typhoon by district or the whole province through visual mapping,” said Pineda.
Sawatain was able to predict the risk level of the municipalities in Bulacan through simulations of the impact of rainfall in the province. The versioning system conducts the simulation test before the actual rainfall, or when the rainfall reaches the area of responsibility.
Sawatain, according to Pineda, can predict the number of people and families who will be affected in each town and provide information to agencies, such as the LGUs.
“The system provides an effective alternate method of early warning through the Web system and short messaging system.”
Pineda said the system helps in the decision-making process of the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Management Office and the governor’s office by providing on-time reports.
Moreover, she said the flooded areas and evacuation centers become accessible to the citizens through the use of Google maps.
In terms of economics, Sawatain will not cost an arm and a leg, so to speak. It was developed using open source development tools, which can be modified for further developments since the codes are not proprietary.
At the moment, Pineda said the CITe4D is looking for potential partners in the country. She said the LGUs must realize that academic institutions, such as DLSU, can provide reliable and at the same cost-effective solutions.
Moreover, she said DLSU wants to prove to the government that it has certain competencies in the field of disaster management. Having a head-start, she said the CCS is familiar with the open-source solution, a system ideal for such project because it is cost-effective and easier for other developers to develop solutions on top of it.
“Academe, especially the higher-education institutions, can spearhead and initiate meaningful partnerships with the local communities or the LGUs in crafting ICT solutions that will enhance disaster mitigation and preparedness. Based on the CITe4D experience, there is a very good opportunity of designing systems that cater to the requirements of the community and developing cost-effective solutions,” she said.
Under the partnership, academe shall be interfacing with other entities, such as the LGU office, the community and other attached agencies like the weather bureau, among others.
According to Pineda, the academe will gather and synthesize the workflow and coordination processes of the different units, determine the user requirements, and design a sustainable infrastructure and ICT solution based on the financial and sustainability capabilities of the LGU.
Equipped with a strong ICT competency, Pineda said academe would be in-charge of the system’s feasibility or prototyping study and the whole project-management details.
Reblogged from http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/science/8219-dlsus-sawatain-helps-lgus-in-disaster-management
Information and communications technology (ICT) plays a major role in disaster governance. Being a country visited by an average of 20 typhoons a year, the Philippines must have a relevant disaster-governance road map to minimize, if not eliminate, disaster vulnerabilities and enhance the coping skills of the people.
In her paper “Local Government and Academe Partnership for Responsive e-Disaster Systems,” Maria Victoria Pineda, faculty member of the College of Computer Studies (CCS) of De La Salle University (DLSU)-Manila, said the convergence of research, education and training and ICT solutions with systematic methods, resources and capacity analysis, the elimination of risks and vulnerabilities would not be remote.
Pineda presented the paper at the recent Joint International Conference on “ICT for Development and Sustainability” in Bali, Indonesia.
In response to this need, the Center for ICT for Development (CITe4D) of the CCS of DLSU has ventured in the past years on developing Web-based management systems.
Pineda said the CITe4D has embarked on developing Web-based disaster-management systems, starting from studying and designing disaster-response systems for major government agencies. In the second phase, the CITe4D concentrated on disaster-mitigation systems as hazard mitigation because it is a very strategic approach to harm reduction in Third World countries. The rationale, according to Pineda, is to tap the local government units (LGUs) to develop community-based disaster risk-reduction functional prototypes.
At present, CITe4D has various ongoing partnerships with LGUs, among them is the province of Bulacan.
Partnering with LGUs is effective in mitigating the impact of natural calamities.
According to Fazlur Rahman, deputy secretary of the ministry of disaster management and relief in Bangladesh, and academicians Jean Christophe Gaillard and Virginie Le Masson, the most effective method to supporting the competencies of the people is through community-based disaster preparedness and risk reduction.
“Sawatain” (from the Filipino word sawata, meaning to mitigate or to stop) is the Web-based flood-prediction system developed by the CCS, focusing on mapping the flood hazard or affected areas.
“The stakeholders and important agencies involved in the disaster-management workflow are able to study the effects and impacts of an incoming typhoon by district or the whole province through visual mapping,” said Pineda.
Sawatain was able to predict the risk level of the municipalities in Bulacan through simulations of the impact of rainfall in the province. The versioning system conducts the simulation test before the actual rainfall, or when the rainfall reaches the area of responsibility.
Sawatain, according to Pineda, can predict the number of people and families who will be affected in each town and provide information to agencies, such as the LGUs.
“The system provides an effective alternate method of early warning through the Web system and short messaging system.”
Pineda said the system helps in the decision-making process of the Bulacan Provincial Disaster Management Office and the governor’s office by providing on-time reports.
Moreover, she said the flooded areas and evacuation centers become accessible to the citizens through the use of Google maps.
In terms of economics, Sawatain will not cost an arm and a leg, so to speak. It was developed using open source development tools, which can be modified for further developments since the codes are not proprietary.
At the moment, Pineda said the CITe4D is looking for potential partners in the country. She said the LGUs must realize that academic institutions, such as DLSU, can provide reliable and at the same cost-effective solutions.
Moreover, she said DLSU wants to prove to the government that it has certain competencies in the field of disaster management. Having a head-start, she said the CCS is familiar with the open-source solution, a system ideal for such project because it is cost-effective and easier for other developers to develop solutions on top of it.
“Academe, especially the higher-education institutions, can spearhead and initiate meaningful partnerships with the local communities or the LGUs in crafting ICT solutions that will enhance disaster mitigation and preparedness. Based on the CITe4D experience, there is a very good opportunity of designing systems that cater to the requirements of the community and developing cost-effective solutions,” she said.
Under the partnership, academe shall be interfacing with other entities, such as the LGU office, the community and other attached agencies like the weather bureau, among others.
According to Pineda, the academe will gather and synthesize the workflow and coordination processes of the different units, determine the user requirements, and design a sustainable infrastructure and ICT solution based on the financial and sustainability capabilities of the LGU.
Equipped with a strong ICT competency, Pineda said academe would be in-charge of the system’s feasibility or prototyping study and the whole project-management details.
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