FP6 – Priority 2.3.2.9 Improving Risk Management ......Doc b - EMW comments included Draft 2.8...

This document is the property of OASIS Consortium.

FP6 – Priority 2.3.2.9 Improving Risk Management

Integrated Project Project Acronym OASIS Project Full Name Open Advanced System for dISaster and emergency

management Contract Number 004677 Starting date 01/09/2004 Ending date 31/08/2008

Deliverable ID D-TA2_01 Deliverable Reference OASIS_TA22_REQ_003_DSF Title of the Deliverable OASIS User Requirements synthesis WP related to the deliverable TA2.2 Type Public Partner(s) Contributing EADS DS SA, EADS DEUTSCHLAND,

BAE SYSTEMS, ERICSSON, FRAUNHOFER AIS, DATAMAT, CRANFIELD University, EDISOFT, MEDIUM SOFT, SINTEF

Date 20/09/2005 Version 3.1

Name / Function Company / Organisation Date Managed by : Jean-François GALLET /

OASIS Technical coordinator EADS DS SA 20/09/05

Checked by: Anne RIMBAUD / OASIS Quality Manager

EADS DS SA 20/09/05

Approved by: Martine COUTURIER EADS DS SA 20/09/05 Released by: Martine COUTURIER / OASIS

coordinator EADS DS SA 20/09/05

Project Coordinator Company name EADS DS SA Name of representative Martine COUTURIER Address 6 rue Dewoitine, BP 14

F-78142 Vélizy Villacoublay Cedex FRANCE Phone number +33 (0)1 34 63 73 51 E-mail Project WEB site http://www.oasis-fp6.org/

http://www.oasis-fp6.org/

Deliverable ID: Document Ref.:

D-TA2_01 OASIS_TA22_REQ_003_DSF_3_1

User Requirements Document

Document Status Sheet Issue Date Details Draft 0.0 20/10/04 Creation of the document – first draft version Draft 0.1 03/11/04 Use of documents received from ERICSSON, MEDIUM SOFT,

BAE SYSTEMS, CRANFIELD University, DATAMAT Draft 0.2 10/11/04 EADS DS SA internal version

Use of documents and remarks received from the FRAUNHOFER AIS, SINTEF, ERICSSON, DATAMAT, CRANFIELD University, EDISOFT, EADS DEUTSCHLAND, BAE SYSTEMS + complete rewriting of most of the requirements in order to be more “user-oriented”

Draft 0.3 15/11/04 Addition of an introduction describing the global crisis management process and the activities where OASIS is directly involved Specific section for the advanced decision support requirements

Draft 0.4 18/11/04 Intermediate version Draft 0.5 19/11/04 Version 0.4 reviewed by Martine Couturier

Last draft before version 1.0 1.0 01/12/04 Comments from ERICSSON and MEDIUMSOFT.

First official version, to be reviewed. Draft 2.1 17/12/04 Edited by CRU (EMW) and BAE (NSW) to enhance style &

content. Draft 2.2 18/12/04 Edited by BAE (NSW): Further tidying of details. Draft 2.3 11/01/05 Edited by BAE (NSW). Draft 2.4 13/01/05 Changes made during telephone conference. Draft 2.5 20/01/05 NSW made changes to the Gxx user requirements. Draft 2.6 21/01/05 State after meeting in London – Changes by NSW, JFG, EMW Draft 2.7 27/01/05 Doc a - NSW comments included

Doc b - EMW comments included Draft 2.8 04/02/05 Merge of NSW & EMW comments 3.0 02/03/05 Second official version to be released 3.1 20/09/05 Correction of English typos

Annex with the questionnaire (asked by the internal reviewers)

OASIS_TA22_REQ_003_DSF_3_1.doc This document is the property of OASIS Consortium / 60




Table of contents: 1. References...............................................................................................................................5

1.1 Contract documents ......................................................................................................5

1.2 Reference documents ....................................................................................................5

2. Introduction ............................................................................................................................7

2.1 Project aim.....................................................................................................................7

2.2 Project objectives...........................................................................................................7

2.3 Users’ Requirements Task............................................................................................8

2.4 Systems Requirements Task.........................................................................................8

2.5 OASIS Infrastructure and Services Architecture ......................................................9

2.6 Scenario Development...................................................................................................9

3. The disaster and Emergency Operations Process ...............................................................11

3.1 Overview of the Disaster and Emergency Management Cycle ...............................12

3.2 Organisational Structure for DEO ............................................................................16

3.3 The organisation responsibilities ...............................................................................18

3.4 Main Information Flows.............................................................................................20

4. Users Requirements Collection Process ..............................................................................23

4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................23

4.2 Methodology ................................................................................................................24

4.3 Interviews with Users..................................................................................................26

4.4 Key issues identified ....................................................................................................28

5. OASIS Users’ requirements.................................................................................................29

5.1 Classification of the Users’ Requirements ................................................................29

5.2 OASIS User Requirements.........................................................................................30 5.2.1. Formal Language...................................................................................................30 5.2.2. OASIS requirements list........................................................................................31 5.2.3. Advanced Decision Support..................................................................................50

6. Summary and Conclusions ..................................................................................................53

7. Glossary of Terms.................................................................................................................55

8. Acronyms and Abbreviations ...............................................................................................57

9. Annex: questionnaire used to support the interviews .........................................................58





Table of the figures:

Figure 1: The Disaster and Emergency Cycle...............................................................................12 Figure 2: Command, control and communication structure..........................................................16 Figure 3: Functions performed at different level of response .......................................................18 Figure 4: Connectivity diagram.....................................................................................................20 Figure 5: Response - Process Diagram .........................................................................................21 Figure 6 : User requirements collect process ................................................................................24

Table of the tables:

Table 1: OASIS User main requirements list................................................................................49 Table 2: OASIS advanced decision support Requirements List ...................................................52





1. REFERENCES

1.1 Contract documents

[AD01] OASIS contract – Annex I - "Description of Work"- Proposal/Contract no.: IST-2-004677-IP IST-2-004677-IP-technical annex V10.doc

1.2 Reference documents

[RD01] Common Alerting Protocol, v. 1.0 - OASIS Standard 200402, March 2004 - Document identifier: - oasis-200402-cap-core-1.0 – Location: http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/emergency/

[RD02] UK 9/11: Will Our Emergency Radio Networks Withstand a Major Disaster? BWCS, 11 September 2002. Location: http://www.bwcs.com/whitepapers/UK_9-11.pdf

[RD03] Increasing FDNY's Preparedness, Fire Department of the City of New York, McKinsey. Location: http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/mck_report/toc.shtml

[RD04] FORMIDABLE - EC FP5 IST RTD Project: User Requirements Definition and Methodology Specification

[RD05] CLIFF - EC FP5 IST Accompanying Measure: Final Report, Flood Requirements and Fire Requirements

[RD06] EGERIS - EC FP5 IST RTD Project: EGERIS URD [RD07] RISK FORCE - EC FP5 IST Accompanying Measure: Operational Requirements

and Risk Force Lexicon v1.0. [RD08] UNITED NATIONS - Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs -

UNDAC - DISASTER ASSESSMENT AND COORDINATION - Field Handbook – 2000 Edition Location: http://www.reliefweb.int/undac/documents/UNDACHandbook.pdf

[RD09] Description of the Swedish Rescue Service Agency’s Decision Support System (RIB) Location: http://rib.srv.se/

[RD10] U. Rosenthal, A Compulsive Crisis: The Inauguration of Queen Beatrix, In U. Rosenthal, P. Hart, and M. T. Charles (eds.) Coping with crises: the management of disasters, riots, and terrorism, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, USA, 1989, pp. 225-251

[RD12] U. Rosenthal, M. T. Charles, P. Hart, A. Kouzmin, and A. Jarman, From Case Studies to Theory and Recommendations: a Concluding Analysis, In U. Rosenthal, P. Hart, and M. T. Charles (eds.) Coping with crises: the management of disasters, riots, and terrorism, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, USA, 1989, pp. 436-472

[RD13] E.L. Quarantelli, Disaster Crisis Management: A Summary of Research Findings, Journal of Management Studies, 25:4, July 1988, pp. 373-385

[RD14] B. Pijnenburg and M.J. Van Duin, The Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster. Elements of a Communication and Information Processes Scenario. In U. Rosenthal, B. Pijnenburg (eds.) Crisis Management and Decision Making. Simulation Oriented Scenarios, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1991, pp. 45-73


http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/emergency/

http://www.bwcs.com/whitepapers/UK_9-11.pdf

http://www.nyc.gov/html/fdny/html/mck_report/toc.shtml

http://www.reliefweb.int/undac/documents/UNDACHandbook.pdf

http://rib.srv.se/




[RD15] T. J. Scanlon, Toxic Chemicals and Emergency Management: The Evacuation of

Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, In U. Rosenthal, P. Hart, and M. T. Charles (eds.) Coping with crises: the management of disasters, riots, and terrorism, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, USA, 1989, pp. 303-322

[RD16] U. Rosenthal and P. Hart, Managing Terrorism: The South Moluccan Hostage Takings, In U. Rosenthal, P. Hart, and M. T. Charles (eds.) Coping with crises: the management of disasters, riots, and terrorism, Charles C Thomas, Springfield, Illinois, USA, 1989, pp. 367-393

[RD17] U. Rosenthal and P. Hart, Riots Without Killing: Policy Learning in Amsterdam 1980-1985. In U. Rosenthal, B. Pijnenburg (eds.) Crisis Management and Decision Making. Simulation Oriented Scenarios, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 1991, pp. 81-100

[RD18] D. Alexander, Principles of Emergency Planning and Management, Terra Publishing, England, 2002, pp.1-9

[RD19] A Guide to Emergency Planning in Northern Ireland, Emergency Planning Unit, 1998

[RD20] UNITED NATIONS -International Strategy for Disaster Reduction – UN ISDR-Terminology: Basic terms of disaster risk reduction, Online Reference updated March 2004. Location: http://www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng home.htm

[RD21] UNITED NATIONS - Department of Humanitarian Affairs– UN DHA -Internationally agreed glossary of basic terms related to Disaster management, Geneva, December 1992.

[RD22] The Oxford Dictionary of English. Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press, 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Location: Press. http://www.oxfordreference.com/)

[RD23] OASIS_TA21_RPT_007_CRU: OASIS Terms and Acronyms


http://www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng home.htm

http://www.oxfordreference.com/




2. INTRODUCTION

2.1 Project aim The aim of the OASIS project (Ref: OASIS Technical Annex [AD01]) is to define and develop a first version of an open, modular and generic Disaster and Emergency Management (DEM) System in order to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of all agencies within the European Union who are likely to be involved in the management of Disaster & Emergency Operations (DEO). OASIS shall also be capable of supporting the whole spectrum of emergency operations, from large-scale national and cross-border crises, regional disasters down to local-scale incidents. In all cases, collaboration between a variety of different organisations and units is envisaged which may include Central Government a one end of the spectrum down to local people and support groups at the other end of the scale. There are a plethora of terms that are used interchangeably in the field of DEM. For the purposes of OASIS, and to avoid confusion, the key terms are defined in the Glossary (see paragraph 7).

2.2 Project objectives The principal objectives of the project are to provide a system as described below. • The system will enhance overall coordination by allowing all the agencies involved in the

management of disaster and emergency operations: o To communicate with each other in an effective and efficient manner. o To interoperate between, and within, all the national Civil Protections organisations, and

with the legacy systems. o To guarantee information security between the system users.

• The system shall provide and demonstrate the following functions: o Situational awareness through the continuous production, in ‘real time’, of an accurate and

consistent picture. o Resources management o Access to approved internal information and data (lessons learnt or identified, standard

operation procedures, prepared plans, etc.) o Immediate access to data stored externally that might be of use in managing an emergency

operation effectively





o Tools to assist decision making, planning and task management o Information capture and storage (e.g. logbook, incident reports, casualty information,

media communications, etc.). The initial study phase within the OASIS project has been divided in the following tasks: • The collection and synthesis of the Users Requirements • The development and production of the System Requirements • The definition of the OASIS Architecture (infrastructure and services). • The development of scenarios Each of these tasks is described separately in the following sections. The requirements (both users’ and system) will be uniquely identified so that they can be tracked through the Pre-Operational Systems (POS) demonstrations and in the validation tasks to demonstrate compliance of the project objectives. The requirements and high level architecture will cover as far as possible all the requirements collected to define a complete disaster and emergency system. Then the two successive versions of the pre-operational systems POS1 (in June 2006) and POS2 (in 2008) will implement and comply to a selection of these requirements, mainly chosen amongst the key requirements designed by the users.

2.3 Users’ Requirements Task The objective of this task was to collect information relating to the user requirements from different national, regional and local emergency responders across the European Union and synthesis a set of generic User Requirements working in close co-operation with the Strategy Group. The user community included those from civil protection planning and emergency response organisations and a variety of other aligned organisations.

2.4 Systems Requirements Task The Systems’ Requirements Task will take the users’ requirements as an input and an analysis will be undertaken to produce a set of system requirements. The system requirements will be the basis for the OASIS architecture. The system requirements will define the functionality that is necessary to meet the objectives of the OASIS project and meet the user requirements. The systems requirements will define the functionality to the level appropriate for the definition of the architecture of OASIS The system requirements will also specify the non-functional performance and robustness criteria that need to be satisfied by the project to demonstrate the project meets the aspirations of the users.





2.5 OASIS Infrastructure and Services Architecture The OASIS infrastructure and services definition will be developed from the systems requirements. Demonstration of the OASIS infrastructure and services will be the key output from the project, showing the benefits of the latest research and technology in assisting the execution of emergency operations. The OASIS high-level system design will be based on these system requirements, through the decomposition in software modules and telecommunication network topology. Then each sub-project will go deeper, will refine its own modules, taking advantage of the skills and assets that they own.

2.6 Scenario Development

The development of scenarios has several purposes: • It assists in the definition of system requirements, • It has a core importance in the validation process. The entire process of evaluation and validation needs to be conceived in a "holistic" manner. The value of OASIS will be demonstrated and established by the testing procedures it has gone through. The validation needs to test the system from a variety of angles, which rest upon a number of significantly different, but complementary scenarios.





The table below shows how scenarios selected during the verification process will illustrate the capacity for the system to meet some of the users needs. From To User Requirement demonstrated Onset of the event

Rapid Slow Ability to plan, simulate, train and exercise Ability to work in a collaborative environment Ability to store information and trace its origin

Geographical zone covered by the event

Local or Regional

National or International / cross border

Transportability Interoperability, Scalability Access to multilingual glossary and configuration in other languages Situation awareness picture

Dispersal Contained Spread Situation awareness picture Ability to plan, simulate Access to lessons learnt

Unconnected incidents

Single Multiple Ability for the system to be modular and compatible with legacy systems Ability to manage resources,

Sequential incidents

Discrete Compound Flexibility to cope with changes with organisational structures Situation awareness picture Capacity to aggregate information

Duration of the event

Short Long Flexibility to cope with changes with organisational structures Autonomy and energy efficiency

Degree of sensitivity

Open-source data exchanged

Confidential or secret data exchanged

Security Ability to define a media and public information strategy





3. THE DISASTER AND EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PROCESS The objectives of this chapter are to: • Place the OASIS project with regard to the whole of the emergency operations and disaster

management process (Section 3.1) • Define a typical organisational structure for crisis management (Section 3.2) • Clarify the responsibilities and missions of the OASIS users (Section 3.3) • Show the main information flows during the OASIS missions and activities (Section 3.4)





3.1 Overview of the Disaster and Emergency Management Cycle A simple approach to look at the disaster management cycle is provided below. This model shows how the phases neither fit neatly together nor follow an exact sequence. For instance, reconstruction does not wait until restoration has been completed. There is considerable overlap and it can be difficult to know precisely in which phase a particular activity is assigned.

Source: Adapted from D. Alexander, Principles of Emergency Planning and Management (Terra Publishing, 2002), p.6. [RD18]

After the

Event

Before the

Event

IMPACT

RECOVERY

PREVENTION& MITIGATION

Restoration

Emergency Pre-impact

Assessment& Planning

Reconstruction

PREPARATIONRESPONSE

Alarm

Figure 1: The Disaster and Emergency Cycle

As contracted under the FP6 by the European Commission, OASIS activities encompass only a part of these phases. Its main focus is on the response phase. The system will support the whole spectrum of emergency activities but also provide assistance in some of the pre-impact and restoration activities. Other EU ICT projects deal with other phases of the disaster and emergency cycle and their finding will be linked to the OASIS system.





These phases of the disaster and emergency cycle consist of: • Prevention and mitigation Prevention includes those measures that are aimed at impeding the

occurrence of a disaster or preventing such an event having harmful effect on a community. Mitigation comprises all actions designed to reduce the impact of disasters. They can be divided into: • Structural or physical measures (eco-structural measures,

engineering solutions, strengthening of buildings, construction of flood defences, etc.)

• Non-structural measures (urban planning, insurance, legislation, control of land use, training in disaster and emergency management, public education, etc.)

• Preparation Preparation consists of actions taken when disaster is anticipated or

impending in order to ensure a rapid and more effective response. Unlike prevention and mitigation measures they are generally short term.

• Response Response relates to the emergency operation activities conducted during the impact of a disaster and the short-term aftermath. The main emphasis is on the saving of human life but it also encompasses the protection of assets, the supply of vital goods and services, and protection of the environment. Public warning can be classified as a response measure whereas early warning instruments could either be considered as part of the preparation phase or the response.

• Recovery Recovery is the process by which communities return to a normal level of functioning. In the initial stages of this process the emphasis is on the restoration of basic services and facilities. However, in the long run, the impact of reconstruction is crucial; agencies involved at this stage should ensure that vulnerabilities are reduced without simply reproducing the existing risk. Several activities are included in this process: • Damage assessment and post-disaster review • Restoration of key infrastructure and essential services • Rehabilitation of persons, of livelihood • Reconstruction, replacement infrastructure and buildings





Within the phases described a number of activities may occur: • Assessment and Planning A number of tasks performed by a variety of stakeholders may be:

Risk assessment, identification of threats and vulnerabilities Horizon scanning for potential hazards Evaluation and monitoring of resources Review and development of emergency plans and

procedures Prevention measures through land-use planning, legislation Review of critical infrastructure Training and exercise of plans Testing of equipment Evacuation planning Public awareness (planning and campaign)

• Pre-impact activities These activities may include:

Organising resources (e.g. food, water, etc.) Inventory of defences (e.g. antidote, vaccine or sandbags) Mobilisation of personnel Provision of vehicles and equipment Distribution of protective equipment Public awareness (before impact), practice Early Warning

Systems Evacuation Training and exercising

• Emergency These operations may include: Search and rescue, fire fighting, decontamination, etc. Implementation of plans Evacuation Warning Immediate relief activities covering basic needs (shelter,

water, food and medical care) Organisation and coordination of response (rendezvous

points, casualty bureau, triage, etc.) Survey and assessment of damage Investigation and collection of evidence Forecasting on the development of the Disaster Management of resources, assessment of financial resources

and needs Provide temporary public utilities

• Restoration These activities comprise: Survey and assessment of damage Provide and secure temporary public services, facilities and

infrastructure Management of resources, assessment of financial resources

and needs Planning for reconstruction





• Reconstruction These actions may include:

Construction of permanent housing Full restoration of all services, infrastructure an facilities Complete resumption of the pre-disaster state and development Planning for future development

It is important to note that the DEM cycle can be used to describe the development of situations in which • The phases and the activities may take place either sequentially or simultaneously; this

explains the redundancy in the functions described in each of the activities. • Pre-impact activities may not take place for example in an earthquake, when the onset of the

crisis is sudden • The definition of impact can differ; famines for instance do not really have a moment in time

that can be referred to as impact • Some functions may be encountered in various activities; the redundancy in the tasks reflects

the difficulty in clearly defining the activities themselves. • A responder may undertake a series of tasks which are in different phases of the DEM cycle It may also emerge that in compound or second-order incidents, a community may be faced with disaster and emergency cycles running in parallel. The concurrent development of events may mean that pre-impact activities for one incident may occur at the same time as restoration activities of another event. In the same way, depending on the responders, their positions in the cycle may be different for the same event. For instance, the Fire Service may still be undertaking emergency activities of decontamination when the Ambulance Service may be dealing with restoration activities.





3.2 Organisational Structure for DEO An example, simplified representation of the command, control and communication (C3) structure is shown in Figure 2. This figure is not intended as a definitive view of the C3 structure but serves only as a representation for the purposes of the following discussion. The figure shows three levels of decision-making.

Tactical command

Operational Local Government

Local Services

National

Regional

Strategic Command Control Room

Mobile Ops Command in a fixed building (shared temporary control room)

Mobile Operational Command in kitted vehicle

National

Strategic Command Control Room

Mobile Operational Command in kitted vehicle

Strategic Command Local Government

Tactical command

Tactical command

Tactical command

Tactical command

Tactical command NGO

Tactical

NGO Strategic Command

Government Department for Foreign Affairs

NGO Operational

Coordination with the recipient nation, the EU and/or the UN

Out of Country Operations

Figure 2: Command, control and communication structure

A generic description of the architecture is as follows: • A strategic command level establishes objectives and overall management of the operations,

ensuring that long-term resources and expertise are available. In some cases, each agency will have its own strategic command level set up in a fixed control room in others there is a joint common control room. The strategic commands will interoperate with other commands at the same level. The strategic command will provide the interface to Regional and Central Government when required.

• The operational command level determines priorities in obtaining and allocating resources,

monitors and co-ordinates the on-site response. Emergencies responders will generally have one or more mobile control rooms on the scene of the incident. Typically, operational commands will co-ordinate activities with each other at shared boundaries and locations. The operational command will co-ordinate the activities of a number of tactical commands. Co-ordination with NGOs may also be undertaken.





• The tactical command level manages front line operations and the on-scene emergency

responders. Tactical command also provides reports and requests to operational command. Tactical commands co-ordinate activities across other units at the tactical level where co-working exists.

Local authorities (symbolised in Green in Figure 2) are involved throughout the disaster and emergency cycle. Their involvement in the response phase focuses on the support of the affected population and Emergency Services. For instance, they may be in charge for the setting up of evacuation centres, organising evacuation, fulfilling basic needs of victims (such as food, water and shelter). They also have a key role in the supervision of the voluntary sector’s assistance and coordination with utilities or local businesses (in charge for critical infrastructure). In addition, they liaise with central government departments in particular to deal with emergency financial issues. In some instances, Non Governmental Organisations (NGO) will bring valuable support to overstretched emergency services and local authorities. Some of them have significant experience and specialist skills to enable them to deploy rapidly at home or abroad to support the statutory emergency services. They are represented in Red/Pink in Figure 2, and although, they often take part in an autonomous manner they feed into the Command, control and communication structure. For instance, when in operations abroad they will liaise not only with their home country and strategic command but also with the authorities of the “recipient” nation.





3.3 The organisation responsibilities The disaster and emergency organisational structure has been described for project OASIS in Section 3.2. Each level of the organisational structure has responsibility for undertaking a number of functions. Examples of these functions are shown in Figure 3.

TACTICAL

OPERATIONAL

STRATEGIC

Long- term recovery measures

Ministerial briefing & statements

High level & long term

coordination

Prioritisation of actions

and resources

Ongoing welfare

provision

Public Healthimplications

Financial provision

Environmental assessment and

restoration

Public Inquiries

Media Discussion

Coordination of response

Reserve resources

Support for tactical staff

Casualty information

Hospital services

Environmental protection

Media information

InvestigationsSurvivor/Evacuee welfare

Search & Rescue

Safety of site

Fire fighting Tactical control

First Aid & Emergency Treatment

Restoration of scene

Specialist responsesCasualty

triage

Source: Adapted from A Guide to Emergency Planning in Northern Ireland, Emergency Planning Unit, 1998 [RD19].

Decontamination

Determination of strategy

Figure 3: Functions performed at different level of response





The tactical functions cover the immediate response and the longer-term clean-up activities at the location(s) of the DEO. Tactical control commands the securing of the disaster area, provides the immediate fire fighting activities and the initiation of the search and rescue tasks. Triage and treatment of casualties at the location is undertaken. Special response teams, including immediate decontamination and environmental teams, work at the tactical level. The operational functions cover the supporting activities to ensure the tactical operations are co-ordinated and executed effectively and with consideration to prioritisation, efficiency and safety. The operational functions also include co-ordination activities and the dissemination of information to the tactical teams as well as providing briefings to the media. The operational functions co-ordinate hospital services, compile casualty figures and deal with evacuees from the disaster area. Collection of information and evidence is also facilitated by operations. The strategic functions are focussed on the overall higher-level co-ordination of the disaster rather than the lower-level functions of the other control commands. The strategic functions include the longer-term activities, such as the formation of strategy, the assessment of environmental impact, public health concerns, and longer-term recovery measures. The strategic functions include interaction with government and other high-level bodies. Cost accounting and financial provision are included in the strategic remit.





3.4 Main Information Flows

The following diagram (Figure 4) illustrates the main information flows during the response activities. The various communication links that take place during DEO are shown. The details are described fully in the following section.

Ad hoc sensor network

Operational Command, Fixed Control Room

Operational Command, Mobile Control Room

Outer Incident boundary

Inner Incident boundary

Strategic Command Control Room (Remote from incident)

RemoteExpertsNetworkRemote/local

specialist databases

Tactical Command

Tactical Command

Tactical Command

Strategic - multi-agency control remote from incident

Operational - usually single agency e.g. police, fire,..

Tactical - front line control

Figure 4: Connectivity diagram

Most of the above activities are performed in command and control rooms. Several levels of control exist in an emergency operation. A typical example is: • The strategic command level generally operates from fixed control room and manages the

overall situation. These fixed control rooms are used for the collaboration of several organisations. It has a global view of the situation in order to define the high level strategy.

• One or several mobile control rooms are deployed in the operational area. These are

responsible for the management of the operations in the field, and follow-up the tasks performed by the deployed teams.

Due to the nature of the DEO, other set-up can occur, thus a flexible command and control structure is required to face of all eventualities.





The diagram below (Figure 5) shows a detailed view of the information content of the links described in Figure 4.

Location of resources

Overall view of the situation

Decision-making & task management Task definition

Task planning

Task follow-up

Event description Reports

Collect external data

Crisis and resources related data

Disaster and Emergency

Management System

MapsDangerous materials characteristics

Data of interestPrepared plans

Resource availability

Store Events

Manage resources

Logbook entries

Internal Database Access

SOPs

Lessons learned & identified

Situation awareness

Dispatching

Current Legislation

Protocols & procedures

Financial accounting

Figure 5: Response - Process Diagram

At the centre of Figure 5 the Disaster and Emergency Management System collects the information in order to assist with the decision-making and will also be used to assign the available resources to the different tasks that will be carried out. The system produces the situational reports which are used internally (within the operation at the different command levels) and external reports provided to the media or other response organisations outside the direct emergency operation command structure.





The major activities the DEM system will perform are described below: • Managing the resources: Management ensures that the resources are used in an optimum way,

and provides an up-to-date and accurate map of the resource availability. It is maintained through receipt of mission reports and by through the assignment of resources to given tasks,

• Decision-making and task management: The decision-making process defines what must be

done and its outcome is the definition of a list of tasks (How must it be done),this is then followed by their planning (when they must be done) and their dissemination or dispatching (who does what). Later, follow-up and checking ensure that the tasks have been executed or are underway,

• Situation awareness: Situation awareness, in this context, includes collection display and

visualisation of information concerning the location of the resources, (people, materials, etc) and of the event itself (e.g. flood extent, building damage, gas plumes, etc.), and provides overall views of the situation tailored for the different levels of users,

• Storing the events: An emergency operation log stores and provides access to the information

concerning the event itself and the actions taken during the crisis. • Internal data access: Internal data includes prepared plans, Standard Operating Procedures

(SOP), data of interest, and a library of lessons learned from previous emergency operations. • External data access: Gateway to the external data, such as hazardous materials, information

on similar past disasters, maps, satellites imagery, plans, protocols and procedures,



D-TA2_01 OASIS_TA22_REQ_003_DSF

User Requirements Document – 3.0

4. USERS REQUIREMENTS COLLECTION PROCESS

4.1 Introduction

The activity required the consortium partners to arrange meetings with the relevant organisations, conduct a series of interviews (using a structured approach) and generate a report of their requirements. There are a great number of organisations across Europe involved in emergency response. Attempting to contact and document information pertaining to each organisation is beyond the scope of the OASIS project and, in practice, would lead to a plethora of information and much of it would be repeated. Therefore, the OASIS consortium, together with the Strategy Group, agreed to target emergency responder organisations within each of the nations represented in the consortium to gather their requirements and then to provide a synthesis of those requirements to the User Requirements Task Leader. The Task Leader then undertook to analyse the information received and extract a ‘generic’ set of requirements. Generic in this report refers to the requirements that are common to the different organisations. It is these generic requirements that are documented in this report. In general the users’ requirements assimilated from the interviews reflect their current operational needs and are perhaps not as forward looking as might be anticipated. Users were perhaps only able to think of improvements to existing systems rather than a radical re-evaluation of their current processes. This result was to be expected. Considerable effort has therefore been expended by the Consortium to enhance the requirements to take account of the research theme of the OASIS project and to provide the opportunity to bring in some of the more advanced technologies the Consortium has to offer. These technologies will then be used to show the benefits that can be achieved by adoption of advanced research and new technologies.





4.2 Methodology We proposed a simple process for collecting the User Requirements:

Discussionswith selected

end-users

Firstsynthesis

Inputfrom SG

Finalsynthesis

Synthesisfrom otherEU projects

OpenSource

Material

Secondround of

interviews

Figure 6 : User requirements collect process

A questionnaire was devised to facilitate discussions with a number of diverse end-users who are involved in emergency operations. In addition, open source material (mainly from the internet) was searched for relevant user experiences which was deemed relevant to OASIS. In a number of cases, National Government doctrinal documents, together with emergency operation reports and background knowledge from the Consortium members were used to compile specific requirements. Requirements were also assimilated from National Government procurement initiatives. The interviewees were selected mainly on the suggestion of the Strategy Group members. These were on the basis of a previous related project or were known to the working on an associated project. All of them have been involved in the management of one or more large-scale emergency operations. Some of the interviewees had participated in joint operations inside and outside of Europe. In parallel, a synthesis of the user requirements from other projects such as EGERIS, FORMIDABLE, CLIFF, RISK-FORCE was also undertaken, building on previous work. A first synthesis of all these documents and interviews was undertaken to extract common and generic requirements. Following on from this synthesis, a second round of interviews took place and collected information from users in other countries. This process assisted in refining the common and specific (national) aspects of the disaster management process.





The final synthesis of the users’ requirements took into account the first and second round of interviews, information gathered from open source material and from the Strategy Group inputs. The output of the process is this Users’ Requirements Document (URD). This document provides one of the inputs to the next phases of the work as described in Section 2.2. In accordance with the Technical Annex [Ref: AD01], the following main priorities were also investigated during the user requirements capture phase: • Interoperability priority: o Which information may be exchanged, with whom, when, at which rate, etc? o Which information is useful, required, and mandatory? Who has it? Who needs it?

How can it be transferred? o What are the main barriers for the exchange of each type of data (language,

confidentiality, formats, availability, volume, localisation, etc.)? Can we avoid some of these barriers?

• Security issues in distributed systems: o Who is the owner of the information? Is he able to specify the conditions to access to

the information? o What information networks are used to transfer the information? Can we secure these

transfers? o Can we secure the information, which reaches the workstation where it is used by the

end-user? • Situation awareness priority: o How can we support the user by presenting the most appropriate information to him? o What processing could be used in order to simplify the analysis of all the information

that is received?





4.3 Interviews with Users It must be noted that these requirements were extracted after a very large number of interviews and documents. Here is a list of the people who has been contacted, which is as complete as possible (we apologise if we forgot some interviewees in this list): • At the international level: o Following the advice of people involved in large rescue operations, we have studied the

organisation, the procedures and the methods of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of United Nations (the UNDAC), which is often coordinating the operations in the field [RD08]

o We also studied US document (for example the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) training kit provided by the FEMA and Feature Comparison Report of the Crisis Information Management Software (CIMS) issued by the US Department of Justice)

• At the European level: o Discussion with representatives of the Civil Protection Unit at DG-ENV, o Review of several documents from previous projects in the same domains:

FORMIDABLE [RD05], CLIFF [RD06], EGERIS [RD07] and RISK FORCE [RD08], o Participation as observer to the ESCEX 2004 – an exercise organised by the civil

protection unit of the DG-ENV, which took place in Finland between the 22nd and the 25th of November, with the active participation of operational teams from several European countries (Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, Poland and Belgium).

• In Sweden: description of the Swedish Rescue Service Agency’s Decision Support System

(RIB), [RD09]. Discussions with high-level representatives within the SRSA, several persons with international experiences of catastrophes. Also discussions with local representatives for the Fire Brigade in Gothenburg.

• In France: responsible in the DDSC (national level), discussions with high level

representatives (European co-ordinator for the earthquake in Morocco in March 2004, etc…), observations during some events inside the control room (international football match in Stade de France)

• In England: discussion with representative of the police and of some fire departments,

attendance to the International Disaster And Emergency Readiness (IDER) Conference on the 14 &15 October 2004, and studies of several documents (cf. [RD02] and [RD03]). In addition, a sample of responders was selected to answer the questionnaire. The sample is considered to be representative in that it covers: o Three emergency services and the local authority o All level of command o Urban and rural area responders o Areas with (e.g. Kent) and without international borders





o Further research will endeavour to include Non Governmental Organisations' (NGO)

experience and responders with international experience. • In Italy, interviews with: o The Seismic Survey Director of the National Civil Protection Department o The Responsible of the Provincial Civil Protection of MODENA Province o Responsible of Health Prevention (and often responsible of the establishment of

hospital infrastructures in critical area [national and abroad]) of the Italian Red Cross o One Expert of Interventions of National Fire Brigades o One Operational Room Responsible of National Protection Department

• In Portugal: interview with the head of division for the emergency planning of the National

Service for Fire and Civil Protection (SNBPC). • In Germany, many interviews were done (Fire Brigade Hamburg - Head of IT department,

Fire Brigade Hamburg - Head of training centre, Katastrophenschutzamt Hamburg - Head of section, Fire Brigade Stuttgart - Head of brigade and president of association, Head of project Command and Control Centre Stuttgart, Fire Brigade Karlsruhe - Head of strategy group, EnBW - Project Mgr., University of Kiel, Rettungsflugwacht, BBK Bonn, THW Köln - various technical contributors, GiLS – Director, attendance to the DWT Congress, Bonn, with German Armed Forces, BKA, BND and to the RettCON Conference Hamburg. In addition, collect information concerning the Florian Exercise Nov. 12th, 2002, with German Armed Forces, THW, Johanniter Ambulances, more than 10.000 men and of the Elbe Flooding Aug. 2002, with German Armed Forces, THW, Johanniter Ambulances, approx. 130.000 men)

• In Czech republic: o interviews with representatives of Fire Rescue Service of the Czech Republic, general

directorate - planning departement. o review of relevant EGERIS documents o knowledge of CEC (Centrum of Emergency Calls) in Ostrava and national emergency

call system 112





4.4 Key issues identified During the interviews three main points were indicated: 1. Interoperability

The challenge of sharing information is complex: it requires understanding which information is useful, the format and who owns or controls it. The OASIS system is to provide a technical solution that will allow sharing information, whilst controlling which part of the information is shared and with whom it is shared.

2. Networks

Almost all users complained about their networks. Compared to public radio networks, the private radio networks are slower, and sometimes (for analogue networks) with a lower acoustic quality, barely supporting data transfers, etc. However, they are reliable, especially during an emergency operation, and that remains a fundamental requirement.

3. Applications

Tools that are used are still very basic: voice, emails, texts and Short Message Services, faxes, telephones and paper maps. So the initial requirements focus on a simple system that will allow tracking of the vehicles and the teams in the field, access to external databases, having consistent and real-time display of the situation, exchanging information with the people in the field, managing the resources and their planning, storing information on their activities and the emergency operation and retrieving information form internal and external databases.





5. OASIS USERS’ REQUIREMENTS Based on the discussions and interviews with experts in Emergency Management operations as described in Section 4.x, the generic OASIS Users’ Requirements (UR) were extracted from reports of those meetings. The generic requirements are those that are common to across the different users.

5.1 Classification of the Users’ Requirements

The URs have been assigned into classes. These classes are to assist in developing the systems requirements task and to allow traceability and tracking of the URs throughout the life cycle of the project. To facilitate tracking of the URs, each generic requirement has been given a unique identifier of the form <L><nn> where <L> is the classification of the UR and <nn> is a unique number for each requirement in that classification. Within the OASIS project, the URs have been placed in the following classes: Id Class Class name Comments 1 G General High level and overarching OASIS URs 2 S OASIS Services These URs are associated with the core

services that OASIS will provide. The core services are those which are common across the OASIS system and available to all users.

3 I Information exchange URs to facilitate sharing of information across the different users and organisations.

4 N Networks URs relating to the network requirements to support the OASIS services.

5 C seCurity Security of data and information stored within the OASIS system and across legacy systems must be assured.

6 D Information display These URs specify the visualisation and display of the situational awareness picture across the OASIS and legacy systems.

7 A Advanced information processing

The UR synthesis showed that the users need advanced processing and tools to assist in the decision making process.

8 P Performance The users have requirements about performance and the specification of prioritisation with the OASIS system.

9 M System Management and administration

The users require the capabilities to manage the OASIS system at different command levels within the system. These requirements address the users expectations about the functionality required.





To assist in the understanding of where each UR has originated, the URs have been identified with specific phases and aspects of the Disaster and Emergency Operations (DEO). Within OASIS, the URs have been categorised into a number of activities to facilitate understanding from where the URs have originated. This grouping highlights the users’ perceptions of the activities in which they perceive a need for enhancements. The activities are to assist in the next phase of the OASIS requirements task, namely the development of the systems requirements. The activities map to the different phases in an emergency operation. A priority has been associated with each UR. Three levels of priorities have been defined: Priority Level Remarks K Key UR - these URs are mandatory 1 Level 1 UR - these are important and desirable 2 Level 2 UR – these are optional The demonstration of each requirement will be proportional of the importance of the requirement.

5.2 OASIS User Requirements

5.2.1. Formal Language

Within this document, the formal language keyword definitions defined in reference [IETF RFC 2119, March 1997, S. Bradner, Key words for use in RFCs to Indicate Requirement Levels, http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt] has been adopted to express the URs.


http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc2119.txt




5.2.2. OASIS requirements list

Id Priority Text Remarks General Comment: High level and overarching OASIS URs

G01 K The OASIS system shall be capable of supporting a wide variety of DEOs.

e.g. natural & environmental emergencies (floods, forest fires, etc…), health emergencies, maritime emergencies, man-made emergencies, etc.

G02 KOASIS shall be scalable OASIS must be scalable to allow management of all scales of emergency

operation (e.g. global, national, regional and local emergency), and the different type.

G03 K OASIS shall be modular OASIS shall comprise of interchangeable components.

G04 K OASIS shall be flexible The system should be able to cope with changes in the organisational and command structures as an emergency operation evolves.

G05 K OASIS users shall be able to work in a collaborative environment.

The OASIS project shall enable collaboration to assist in developing plans (contingency, operations, tactical)

G06 KOASIS users shall be able to work in a stand-alone mode.

If an OASIS user has to work in an isolated environment, or becomes detached from the OASIS network, the user must be able to continue to plan, execute activities.

G07 K

OASIS users must be interoperable An OASIS user will be provided with systems to provide communications and information exchange between organisations attending an emergency operation. Sharing of information & information exchange (voice, data, video teleconferencing, tele-medicine) is a major concern to users from all organisations. The ability to exchange information between users using different natural languages and using different systems will be addressed.

G08 KOASIS shall be compatible with legacy systems and applications.

Users may not be provided with new and replacement systems. Interoperability between systems must take into account legacy systems which already use or have open standards.

OASIS_TA22_REQ_003_DSF_3_1.doc This document is the property of OASIS Consortium. / 60




Id Priority Text Remarks

G09 K

OASIS users shall be able to trace informationmanaged within the OASIS system.

It is important to keep records and be able to trace information (source, destination, distribution & track changes). For example, in case of a bacteriological contamination, it shall be possible to find, and trace all people and equipment which may have been in contact with, or contaminated by the source. Records may need to be accessible even for extended periods (e.g. months, years).

G10 K

OASIS users shall be able to undertake training using the OASIS system.

The ability to undertake training with the OASIS system shall be included as part of the overall requirements. The users consider it an important UR that commonality existing between training and the operational systems. This has the cost benefit of reducing the number of systems that an operator needs to be trained on, and the users will be more familiar with the functionality and operation of the situation. This will be beneficial in an emergency operation

G11 K

OASIS users shall be able to undertake exercises using the OASIS system.

The ability to undertake exercises with the OASIS system shall be included as part of the overall requirements. The users consider it an important UR that commonality existing between exercise systems and the operational systems. Personnel are deployed in the field.

G12 K OASIS users shall be able to undertake simulations using the OASIS system.

Simulations are table-top type exercises with no deployment of personnel in the field.

G13 KOASIS users shall have the capability to obtain hard copy reports of information.

IT and computer systems and infrastructure can fail or become inoperable (e.g. power failure). The capability to obtain printed material to allow operators to revert to manual methods of working is required.

G14 1

In exercise & training modes, the OASIS users will be provided with clear protective markings declaring the status of the operational system.

OASIS users need to know in what state the system is currently operating (e.g. training, exercise, operational).

G15 KOASIS users shall use open standards within the operational processes.

OASIS will make use of, or adopt, existing open standards for communications, information storage and exchange, collaboration and security. It may be necessary to developmental new or prototype standards to fill a capability gap.






G16 K OASIS users will have access to a multi-lingual glossary.

OASIS users shall have access to an ontology or glossary which allows them to translate between languages.

G17 K

OASIS users require equipment and applications which have user-friendly interfaces.

Ergonomic1 equipment and user friendly Human-Computer Interfaces (HCI) are to be considered in the development of the OASIS system & services. The users may be wearing protective equipment such as gloves, protective eye wear, ear protectors, etc.

G18 1 OASIS shall provide capability which has the potential to use ruggedised equipment.

OASIS applications shall be able to be used on robust hardware (such as military standard equipment conforming to MIL-810-F).

G19 2OASIS users shall be assisted by the use of autonomous components within the OASIS system.

Where possible & appropriate, OASIS will demonstrate the use of autonomous components which assist in the management, set-up, initialisation, task execution, reporting, tracking, etc.

G20 1 OASIS users shall be able to use the system in different lighting conditions

Human Factors will be used to consider aspects of the HCI.

G21 1 OASIS shall be portable. This will be demonstrated by the use of portable equipment.

G22 K

OASIS users shall be able to configure applications for different languages.

New applications which will be developed should be capable of being configured into any OASIS user language. Applications will present users with buttons and toolbars in the language of their choice. (It may not be possible to generate Help files directly).

G23 2 OASIS components shall be energy efficient. To save on energy supply requirements.

1 Ergonomics - The study of the design and arrangement of equipment so that people will interact with the equipment in healthy, comfortable, and efficient manner.






OASIS services and applications Comment: These URs are associated with the core services that OASIS will provide. The core services are those which are common across the OASIS system and available to all users.

S01 K

OASIS users (dismounted, mobile and in control rooms) shall be provided with a sharedsituation awareness picture.

Each user in the OASIS system, providing he requires access to it, will haveaccess to a situation awareness picture. The picture will show the locations ofresources (personnel & equipment), mobile command vehicles, fixed facilities, cordons, safe routes & zones, unsafe areas (flood zones, fires), threat assessmentzones, at risk areas, utilities and access points (electricity, water, etc), etc.Depending on the level and function of the user within the command structure, the appropriate situation awareness picture pertinent to the user will be provided. The situation awareness picture may include a visualisation using maps, images and synthetic backdrops.

S02 1

OASIS users shall have access to knowledge-based applications and tools to be able to plan and allocate resources efficiently.

These tools will be able information on • personnel (available manpower, addresses,…) • equipment (location, quantity, type, status,…) to be accessed in a timely manner and assist in the processes of • Defining missions for different teams • Planning missions • tracking execution of the missions • Establishing situation awareness • Tracking risk • Assisting decision making

S03 1Deployed OASIS users will have access to route planning and navigation support tools.

In unfamiliar locations, OASIS users will be provided with information and tools to assist in navigation and route finding. The route finder should also take into account inaccessible and blocked areas, traffic hold-ups, cordons, etc.






S04 K

Deployed OASIS users shall be able to function in a stand-alone mode.

Navigation and route-finding tools should be available to users who may be disconnected from the OASIS network. Other examples include the ability of fire fighters to have details on hazardous & dangerous materials and chemicals etc., within the (local) operational area. Symbols will be used to display in the various resources on the visualisation system. For OASIS users, the visualisation system should support different resolution (scale) maps, open formats and standards for maps, and functionality toallow:

S05 K

OASIS users shall be able to manipulate the situation awareness picture.

• Geo-referencing • zooming • scrolling • maps selection

• measurement of distances, areas, … • measurement of elevation levels on 3D maps • positioning of lines and symbols

S07 1

OASIS users shall have tools to assist in briefing material to other users and responders.

Users will need to brief other users and responders on the emergency operation. Tools to assist in this will be needed (electronic post-it notes, electronic slides, electronic whiteboard, electronic notepad, etc) which can be used to provide summary information or keep track of important events or operations.

S08 1 OASIS users shall have displays of the currentlogistic situation.

OASIS users will be able to access logistics information.

S09 2 OASIS users shall have access to planning tools.

S10 KThe OASIS users shall be able to produce detailed reports of each phase of the DEO.

A report can include detailed descriptions of the type of DEO, tasks (planned, in-progress and completed), activities (planned, in-progress, completed), resources, deployments, hazards, casualties, accessibility and situation awareness.

S11 1 OASIS users shall be able to display imagery. Imagery is available from a large number of sources (automated cameras, video/image telephones and PDA, …),

S12 1 OASIS modules shall tag information sources with origin, system, date, time, resolution,..






OASIS users may require access to information (via databases) which are either part, or not part, of the OASIS system. The ability for any users (control room, mobile, dismounted) to have direct (application on users’ PCs etc) or indirect access (via communication with control room) to information (or virtual experts) which they may or may not be familiar with as part of there normal day-to-day activities is a significant enhancement required by the users. The Swedish Rescue Service Agency’s Decision Support System (RIB) [RD09] is an example of such a service. Remote services using metadata and metadirectories could facilitate information sharing. For example, the following data were highlighted by some users as examples of useful data, but it is not an exhaustive list:

S13 K

OASIS users shall be able to access other information & knowledge bases.

• wide area mapping • local area mapping • tactical plans • procedures • Chemical data • Gazetteer • vehicle details • power supplies (switches, stopcocks)

• water supplies & hydrants • storage of hazardous materials • digital photos of site • telecommunications installations • protocols and procedures (patient

care protocols for example)

S14 K

OASIS users shall be able to access maps and geo-referenced imagery at a resolution of 1/25.000 and better for any region of the world.

DEM can occur at any location, worldwide and at any moment. OASIS must be able to use up-to-date mapping and imagery that becomes available. OASIS is not responsible for producing these maps and images This is an important requirement for the GIS application tools.






S15 2

OASIS users shall be able to store, retrieve, filter and visualise all the information and data concerning a DEM which have been received or generated. The display shall allow sorting the events according to several criteria (time, severity, localisation, etc.).

The OASIS system shall be capable of saving, recalling, sorting and displaying all sources of information and data. This can be achieved by using electronic logbooks. Logbooks can contain records describing the situation awareness, decisions made by the commanders, etc. This type of data needs to be stored securely as it is critical to any post operational analysis or saved as training data.

S16 1 OASIS users shall be able to have access to lessons learnt from previous DEO.

The OASIS system shall be provided with tools to assist in learning from previous DEOs and users shall have access to the information in real-time.

S17 2 OASIS users shall be able to visualise the geographical position of OASIS resources.

OASIS users’ will be provided with situation awareness tools appropriate to their level of responsibility and location.

S18 K

OASIS users shall be able to send information to individual users, to a group of users and to all users using a standard message format.

An OASIS user will be able to send information and formal messages to non-OASIS users, who may be connected via the Internet using IP or GSM or TETRA(Pol). Information and messages can be sent using an appropriate application on the users PC etc.

S19 1

OASIS users shall have the capability to manage their desktop environment according to their functional needs.

OASIS users will be able to configure the desktop environment to assist in fulfilling their role and tasks. Some users specified a desire to only use one application and have the functions that they commonly use as part of the application.

S20 1

OASIS users shall have access to existing and new DEM plans. The users shall be able to enhance and change plans, and make them available to other users as the DEM situation evolves.

In general, information systems for DEO planning can contain static2 data that are affected during a DEO. The users require the capability to enhance and up-date plans as the DEM evolves or changes.

S21 KOASIS control room users shall have access to data and information received by an existing 112 call centre.

OASIS users with CAD systems will be able to share and manage information between CAD legacy and new CAD systems to facilitate emergency response.

2 Static – Pre-defined lists of tasks






S22 2

OASIS users in the field (dismounted & mobile) shall be able to use portable equipment to exchange information, imagery and video about situation at the scene to other OASIS users.

Information sharing will depend on the capability of each end-user. Not all OASIS users will have access to the same functionality – this is equipment and deployment dependent – however hooks will be made available for information sharing.

S23 1 The OASIS Users shall have the capability to perform post operational analysis.

To evaluate a DEO and to obtain lessons learned, functionality is required to capture lesson learned and DEO metrics (e.g. collect response times, …)

S24 K

OASIS users shall have access to current and forecast meteorological and environmental information.

(e.g. weather forecast, rain, snow, wind intensity and direction at various altitudes, etc.) The format with which this information is transferred needs to be an open standard. Other aspects of the information need to be tracked including age, accuracy, reliability, etc.

S25 2

Authorised OASIS users shall be able to send information about a DEM to the public through Public Service channels.

Information pertaining to: • public awareness • safety • media

S26 K

OASIS user at a operational level (e.g. a mobile control room) shall have the capability to take control and responsibility for the DEM.

• During a DEO, it may be necessary for the local responders to become thestrategic command for the DEM. Reason may include communicationsproblems with strategic command

• Strategic command may devolve responsibility to the operational and tactical(also include regional & local) level as it is overloaded with severalsimultaneous DEO.

• Strategic command may devolve responsibility to the operational and tactical(also include regional & local) level as the DEO progresses and the situationstabilises or reduces in scale.

S27 2OASIS users shall be able to provide timely warnings and alerts to large groups of responders simultaneously.

The OASIS users want the capability to provide (instant – within one minute) warnings and alerts to other OASIS users. The sending of warnings & alerts also requires co-ordination i.e. commanders and/or deputies etc.






S28 1

OASIS users shall have the ability to send and receive requests to/from the UNECE INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENT NOTIFICATIONSYSTEM

This is the information exchange convention between the EU and the UN. It is used to notify situations in which cross border issues are concerned e.g. the effects of an industrial accident, or a request for mutual assistance.






Definition and characteristics of the shared information Comment: URs to facilitate sharing of information across the different users and organisations.

I01 K

Authorised OASIS users shall have the capability to send and receive situational awareness information.

Situational awareness picture includes (what, where, when and the updates about the DEO and about the resources (what, who, where, when, and the updates). OASIS shall describe the situation using an open format (simplified where possible), allowing all organisations involved to share their view of the situation.

I02 K

Authorised OASIS users shall be able to define which information can be shared with other organisations, and the restrictions which shall be imposed on the information.

Restriction could be: a list of authorised organisations, secured access, periodicity, etc. Some information may require encryption (such as medical data). In order to avoid the risks of information overload it may be necessary to consider dividing users into categories and define functional access in those groupings.

I03 1OASIS shall allow to define different levels of authorised users who are allowed to access to different levels of information






I04 K

Within the situation awareness picture, tactical OASIS users shall have as a minimum information pertaining to the geographic extent of the DEM, numbers and type of casualties (when known) and extent of the damage (environmental, buildings, etc). All information shall also be marked with date and time, the level of importance (urgency, criticality), level of confidence of the information and the level of severity of the DEM or incident.

For example, Urgency: (cf. [RD01]) • “Immediate” - Responsive action should be taken immediately • “Expected” - Responsive action should be taken soon (within next hour) • “Future” - Responsive action should be taken in the near future • “Past” - Responsive action is no longer required • “Unknown” - Urgency not known For example, Confidence: (cf. [RD01]) • “Very Likely” - Highly likely (p > ~ 85%) or certain • “Likely” - Likely (p > ~50%) • “Possible” - Possible but not likely (p <= ~50%) • “Unlikely” - Not expected to occur (p ~ 0) • “Unknown” - Confidence unknown Severity: (cf. [RD01]) • “Extreme” - Extraordinary threat to life / property • “Severe” - Significant threat to life or property • “Moderate” - Possible threat to life or property • “Minor” - Minimal threat to life or property • “Unknown” - Severity unknown

I05 1OASIS users shall be able to use prepared message formats and templates.

The user may be able to call up templates or forms that include standard fields e. g., number. of fatalities, number of injured, extent of damages, use of medical report templates to send to hospitals, etc.






Communications and Network characteristics Comment: URs relating to the network requirements to support the OASIS services.

N01 KOASIS users shall be able to communicate seamlessly with other OASIS users

OASIS users will be able to communicate irrespective of which communications networks they are connected to. OASIS will make use of gateways to interconnect different networks.

N02 1

OASIS users shall have a redundant and resilient communications network.

In case of failure of a communication system within OASIS, it should be possible to switch or re-route via other systems e.g. VHF, UHF, telephone (digital and analogue net), Internet, SatCom (INMARSAT-Phone / INMARSAT A, others), Tetrapol, Tetra, etc. Redundancy should be available for all services e.g. voice, short message systems (SMS), faxes, Web (e-mail, chat, internet) etc.

N03 KOASIS users at fixed Command & Control HQs shall be able to display and record the incoming subscriber identification data.

This facility is available in many existing CAD systems. The information shall be available to OASIS users.

N04 1

OASIS users shall be able to connect to high bit-rate data services when such services are available.

Example high bit-rate services may include: • GPRS with data rates, 115kbps (peak network) to 53kbps (peak device) • EDGE technology with data rates 384kbps (peak network) to 237kbps (peak

device)..

N05 1

The OASIS user shall have the capability to request message acknowledgements

The acknowledgement can be returned: • When received by the recipients mailbox • When read by the recipient with the same level of security (encryption).

N06 2 OASIS users shall benefit of the Video TeleConference (VTC) services.

This requirement is aimed at users primarily in fixed and mobile control rooms

N07 1OASIS communications systems must not be limited by interference.

Communications systems operating in close proximity to each other can be subject to interference. Some form of spectrum and frequency management system can be provided to mitigate against such effects.






N08 1

OASIS users shall be able to establish communications links to other OASIS users who are linked directly into the OASIS network within 110% of the time taken to connect to the wide-area network (WAN).

The proportion of time to establish an OASIS to OASIS user connection should break down as: OASIS user to WAN: x seconds OASIS user to WAN to OASIS user: x + 10% seconds

N09 K

Deployed (dismounted or vehicle) OASIS users in the field shall have the capability to maintain communications between users even when communications to HQ (tactical, operational & strategic) is unavailable.

If the WAN is down, communications between local responders will still be available. Support might be provided by back up commercial services (e.g. SATCOMs) or other services to provide redundancy.

N10 KIn the event of communications networks failures, the OASIS users shall be subject to a graceful degradation in performance.

During a disaster, public and GSM telecommunication networks are often saturated or fail. During a DEM, the OASIS system shall support graceful degradation of network performance whilst not conflicting with requirement N09.

N11 K

All OASIS users shall be able to communicateby voice using a standardised set of voice

phrases.

As an example taken from the maritime activities, for voice communications, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Standard Marine Communication Phrases (SMCP) could be used as a basis to aid understanding in emergency situations and may be used in routine situations (other solutions may be explored).

N12 1The OASIS User shall be able to take account of national and regional Frequency Allocation Plans.

Ideally, the goal would be to configure radio sets automatically but this would require the use of software reprogrammable radios throughout the OASIS project. However frequency planning can be included as it is more of a local issue.

N13 1The OASIS User shall be provided with the EU common Radio Channel Frequency Allocation Plan.

N14 K

OASIS users shall have the capability to search and retrieve information about resources and materials.

During the initial phase of a DEM, considerable effort is expended finding resources and information about the resources. The ability to locate, identify and collate information rapidly is essential. This is especially important in cross-border, cross-region & in co-ordinating operations between civil protection organisations.






N15 KOASIS users shall be provided with network availability.

Users will be able to establish the extent of the network connectivity. It is not necessary for all users to have full visibility of the network connectivity, but the information can be made available as the user requests it.






Data security, confidentiality and privacy Comment: Security of data and information stored within the OASIS system and across legacy systems must be assured.

C01 K

Only OASIS users shall have access to the OASIS system.

OASIS users will need to be authenticated before being given access to the OASIS services and information systems. This requirement will ensure all users are verified users of the system and information exchanged between users can be trusted.

C02 K

OASIS users shall have the capability to retrieve past messages or information.

OASIS shall record and store all exchanged messages and data. This requirementwill: • allow users to quickly review previous activities (for example when shifts

handover,… etc) • allow for the review of the sequence of events during a DEO for the purposes

of collating lessons learnt, rehearsal, training etc.. • provide a record if required for legal purposes • etc.

C03 K All information managed by OASIS shall be stored securely.

It includes integrity controls and secure storage and transfers. This includes back-up procedures and systems.

C04 K

OASIS users shall have the capability to encrypt information for transmission across the OASIS network and for information storage when the information is sensitive.

The encryption employed may depend on information type (such as protecting patient medical information), or by network type (protecting information which is transferred on public networks). Data security may be depending on the level of security required (e.g. password protection, symmetric and asymmetric codes communication protocol encoding). The level of security employed may need to be considered on a case by case or on a generic basis, for example: • less important for tactical working rescue units, e.g. locally working fire

brigades • more important for links between Command & Control HQ and other

organisations and authorities • more important for communication of police forces






Information display Comment: These URs specify the visualisation and display of the situational awareness picture across the OASIS and legacy systems.

D01 K

OASIS users from different organisations shall be able to share a common representation of the tactical situation.

OASIS users shall propose a common representation for the display of the tactical situation. It will be necessary to investigate what exists at present, what can be adapted & used, and what additional work is required to satisfy this requirement.

D02 KOASIS users shall have access to advanced visualisation of the tactical situation.

The use of 3-Dimensional visualisation to assist in planning operations, route-finding, etc. Another example is the case where users in the field cannot use their hands for any reason (for example because they are wearing sterile gloves).


Information advanced processing Comment: The UR synthesis showed that the users need advanced processing and tools to assist in the decision making process.

A01 1

OASIS users shall be able to run forecasting modules, provided by environment and meteorological modelling agencies, that can be used to predict scenario development and predict environmental conditions.

Users require access to models which can assist in determining risk areas. These models tend to be event specific (i.e. forecasting is scenario dependent e.g. forest fire, a flood, a land slide, an oil slick, etc.). OASIS shall allow integration of thesemodels through defined interfaces. The CLIFF project [RD05] identified some commonalities which could be exploited between forecasting models for floods and fires, that could ease the achievement of standardised supporting applications.

A02 1 OASIS users shall be able to demonstrate the use of advanced situation analysis tools.

This requirement will attempt to use work developed under SP4 within the OASIS demonstration.






Performances and precision Comment: The users have requirements about performance and the specification of prioritisation with the OASIS system.

P01 K

OASIS users shall have the capability to set message priorities, which are defined as guaranteed delivery times, for each item of information exchanged.

Message priority will be defined in a list of guaranteed delivery times. These priorities will cover messages that require immediate delivery to those that are non time critical.

P02 1

OASIS systems users shall be able to define different levels of priority for the information sent, and the resources allocated shall take these priorities into account.

OASIS services will allow systems level users to be able to define the message priority categories and settings. Allowing anyone to set these could result in a ad-hoc approach leading to a potentially unstable network.

P03 K

An OASIS user shall be able to take advantage of redundancy, preventing a single failure causing an OASIS system outage.

Redundancy includes: • Network coverage • Infrastructure replication and alternatives • Planning • Back-up procedures • Protection of infrastructure • Capability for pre-emption e.g. key personnel can be registered for priority of

use over cellular phone networks (e.g. UK Access Overload Control forCellular Radio Telephones - ACCOLC). The preferential access scheme should have clearly defined procedures for enforcement (legislative basis toavoid litigation).

• Arrangements with amateur radio networks can be initiated. Note that this requirement refers to the entire infrastructure and not only communication aspects.

P04 K

An OASIS user shall have adequate capacity to mitigate effects during the busy-hour periods and to mitigate effects during conditions of unexpected enhanced usage.

Busy hour statistics may be obtainable, surge (unexpected enhanced) conditions may not be easy to quantify.






Installation, system management and administration Comment: The users require the capabilities to manage the OASIS system at different command levels within the system. These requirements address the users expectations about the functionality required.

M01 K

An OASIS user shall be provided with lightweight3 configuration & components when necessary.

The aim will be to provide a minimum system component which is man portable or wearable, and which can be deployed in a non hi-tech environment (hotel room, tent, inside a vehicle or a aircraft). Typically the minimum system components or configuration may include: • A single computer (typically a laptop) • A single communication device (typically a satellite device or GSM phone or

two-way radio) Light-weight peripherals, e.g. printer, scanner, memory stick, etc Examples of existing systems include: the UNDAC ([RD08]) Office Support Equipment. Augmented module includes: • Office equipment: o 5 workstations (Microsoft Office), 3 printers + scanner head, 2 copy

machines (small) or 1 large, 1 INMARSAT Mini M with fax • Telecommunication equipment: o 2 INMARSAT M and Fax, 3 Laptops with e-mail and Microsoft Office, 12

VHF radios hand held, 1 Base station for VHF, 1 VHF repeater station, 1 3KVA generator

A similar configuration is described in UK (for UKFSSART): o 2 satellite telephones based on the INMARSAT system, 1 Laptop

computer for email and fax, 1 Handheld fire ground radios, 1 Sonicrepeater or similar to boost radio signals

3 Lightweight is defined as: minimum configuration & capability






M02 K

An OASIS user shall be able to establish connectivity and commence exchanging information on arrival at the site of an incident in less than ½ hour.

When a DEO commences, the user will generally have between 1 and 4 hours preparation time prior to departure for the incident site.

Table 1: OASIS User main requirements list





5.2.3. Advanced Decision Support

The following section of this document lists the requirements for advanced decision support. The list does not result from any particular interviews. It has been generated from the review of existing Disaster and Emergency management open literature research material and, in particular, the analysis of decisions made during a number of previous Disaster and Emergency operations. The requirements provide direction and assist in defining the proposed research topics for SP4. Priorities have not been assigned to the advanced decision support requirements as by their nature they are research topics and the technology readiness level is not at a high enough level for a judgement to be made.






Advanced decision support Comment: The requirements have been generated to assist in guiding the research programme in SP4.

B01 OASIS decision makers shall be helped in detecting and assessing hazards and risks.

In DEO, decision makers require tools to assist in estimating risk and predicting the extent of hazards.

B02

OASIS users will benefit from tools which assist in prioritisation of information, collation and in generating summaries within an emergency operation.

Case studies have shown that during the initial stages of an emergency, information overload can be a major problem. Also, information may be scarce for a particular incident or event. The ability to make requests for additional intelligence from other OASIS users will be considered.

B03

OASIS decision makers will benefit from tools which can assist, or automatically produce, structured, relevant and clear information from sensor data and incomplete information and messages.

Data tends to be unprocessed. The ability to convert & combine data into intelligent information automatically or in an assisted capability is of interest.

B04

OASIS decision makers shall be supported through knowledge-based systems • To provide enhanced situational awareness• To improve clarity of information • To develop techniques to ensure the right

information is received in the right format and at the right time by the right users

• To improve the presentation of information to the users.

Decision makers and agencies are drawn into a DEO at different times and phases of the operation. Users may have significantly different roles. New users may not be aware of the full operational picture. For example, teams arriving from other areas or countries may not have information relevant to their deployment and this information may be distributed across different parts of the OASIS system depending upon who has responsibility for that part of the DEM. The ability to provide clear, relevant and unambiguous information and command is essential for a focussed and timely response.

B05 OASIS users will benefit from the development of new standards and methods for the exchange of information.

New methods of information exchange will be demonstrated to show the enhanced benefits that can be derived from the research in this technical area.

B06 OASIS users will benefit from the development of tools that can be used to assist in learning.

The ability to learn from previous DEO will assist decision makers. It is important to assimilate best practice as well as collecting bad-practice methods, procedures and decision-making.






B07

OASIS shall support the management, and processing of lessons learnt and knowledge-based enhancement

One major problem is that many agencies lack institutional memory. They don’t recollect their past in a systematic manner. Alternatively, some agencies such as police and the armed forces have discussions after major operations to improve and enhance standard operational procedures. The capability to capture this information and be able to use it in future DEO is essential for improving action within the DEM cycle.

B08

Adaptive workflow monitoring will benefit OASIS decision makers in assessing the effectiveness of the current and alternative courses of action.

In DEO, decision makers can have difficulty in redefining the course of action when other factors emerge for which a better strategy might be adopted. Tools to assist in these tasks, and to rapidly re-plan etc. will enhance capability.

B09

OASIS shall support risk assessment & management.

The German civil protection stressed the importance of taking into account various aspects of an emergency situation. For example, in the case of a fire, concern should include, not only fire fighting but also about potential impacts upon people’s health, environment, and so on.

Table 2: OASIS advanced decision support Requirements List





6. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS A broad spectrum of users has been contacted and users’ requirements have been captured through a series of detailed interviews and discussions. Users from Central Government, Regional and Local authorities, emergency services and first responders have been consulted for views and information that has been used in this analysis. Material obtained from open source literature has been reviewed and the information has been used in developing the Users’ Requirements (UR). The users tended to give a list of requirements that were seen as an immediate or near-term in the context of the OASIS project. Further synthesis by the OASIS Consortium has developed these requirements and combined them with the longer-term research aims and goals of the project. The derived requirements given in this document are generic to cover the broader vision and goals of project OASIS. The URs capture the vision of a completely open system that allows users to connect easily into the OASIS infrastructure and services, and be able to share information across new and legacy systems, yet within a secure and trusted environment. The URs also capture the flexibility that the OASIS infrastructure and services must provide to enable any deployment, or emergency operation, in terms of size (regional or local in scale) and location (an international or national) can be successfully undertaken. The URs capture the need for an implementation which supports the hierarchical structure of command and control. The ability to communicate via phone, fax, email, video teleconference, etc., and to exchange information requires an advanced network. It requires that different communications technologies are interoperable at a functional level to enable the delivery of assured services, and at the appropriate level of service. Users expect the same level of service (or better) that can be achieved with the civil communications services (e.g. mobile phone services, internet access, etc.). Interoperability is essential between the different command and control entities. Information transfer is essential to all units taking part in the emergency operation (DEM). This covers all the phases in an operation (prevention, preparedness, response and recovery). The main focus for project OASIS is the response phase, but it is also recognised that a significant amount of work within the project will be relevant to the other phases of an DEM. Shared situational awareness is a major requirement with users. The shared picture will enable any user to have access to the situational awareness in a format and at a level required to understand and execute a plan or mission. The picture will be available at different levels of fidelity, appropriate for and compatible with the users’ functions. The provision of all information to all users is inappropriate and will lead to a deluge of information beyond which the user cannot cope. It is essential that a user has access to the right information, in the right format, at the right time.





At the same time, users require information confidentiality and security to ensure only that information which is required, and authorised to be exchanged, is made available (e.g. database servers) or transmitted. Emergency responders require tools and services which can assist them in their tasks. Risk assessment and planning tools are key to responders as well as access to information knowledge-bases (e.g. radiation, chemical and biological hazard databases), real-time services (e.g. meteorological and tidal data), and prediction and forecast modelling capability. Assisted route-finding applications and navigation services are included in the requirements. Logistics support tools to assist in the management and planning of resources (man-power, fuel, water, food supplies, medical supplies, etc.) are key requirements in the OASIS project. The use of a common language and ontology is a key enabler to pan- and cross-organisation operations in an DEM. Not only do that words and phrases used need to be common, but also the meaning, understanding and intent meant by the words. This is a difficult problem. The requirements have been listed so that the problems can start to be addressed.





7. GLOSSARY OF TERMS

DEFINITION SOURCE Alarm Signal of danger.

Adapted from: Internationally agreed glossary of basic terms related to Disaster management, UN- Department of Humanitarian Affairs DHA- December 1992

Disaster A serious disruption of the functioning of society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses, which exceed the ability of affected society to cope using only its own resources. Disasters are often classified according to their cause (natural or man-made).

Source :Internationally agreed glossary of basic terms related to Disaster management, UN- Department of Humanitarian Affairs DHA- December 1992

Disaster & Emergency management

The organization and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all aspects of disasters and emergencies, in particular throughout the pre-impact, emergency and restoration activities. Disaster and emergency management involves plans, structures and arrangements established to engage the normal endeavours of government, voluntary and private agencies in a comprehensive and coordinated way to respond to the whole spectrum of emergency needs.

Adapted from: Terminology: Basic terms of disaster risk reduction, UN-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction ISDR, Online Reference, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng home.htm

Emergency A sudden and usually unforeseen event that calls for immediate measures to minimise its adverse consequences.

(Source :Internationally agreed glossary of basic terms related to Disaster management, UN- Department of Humanitarian Affairs DHA- December 1992)

Mitigation Measures taken in advance of a disaster aimed at decreasing or eliminating its impact on society and environment.


Planning The process of making arrangements and/or plans for a future activity or a possible occurrence.

Preparation Short-term actions taken to reduce the impact of impending disasters. Preparedness describes the state of readiness following the preparation measures.

Adapted from RD 18:D. Alexander, Principles of Emergency Planning and Management, Terra Publishing, England, 2002, p.316]

Prevention Activities designed to provide permanent protection from disasters. It includes physical and non-physical protective measures.

Adapted from :Internationally agreed glossary of basic terms related to Disaster management, UN- Department of Humanitarian Affairs DHA- December 1992







Reconstruction Actions taken to re-establish a community after a

period of restoration subsequent to a disaster.

Adapted from: Internationally agreed glossary of basic terms related to Disaster management, UN- Department of Humanitarian Affairs DHA- December 1992

Recovery Decisions and actions taken after a disaster with a view to restoring or improving the pre-disaster living conditions of the stricken community, while encouraging and facilitating necessary adjustments to reduce disaster risk.

Adapted from: Terminology: Basic terms of disaster risk reduction, UN-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction ISDR, Online Reference, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng home.htm

Response The provision of assistance or intervention during or immediately after a disaster to meet the life preservation and basic subsistence needs of those people affected. It can be of an immediate, short-term, or protracted duration.

(Source: Terminology: Basic terms of disaster risk reduction, UN-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction ISDR, Online Reference, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng home.htm)

Restoration The action of returning something to a former condition.

Adapted from: The Oxford Dictionary of English. Ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson. Oxford University Press, 2003. Oxford Reference Online. Oxford University Press. http://www.oxfordreference.com/)

Risk Assessment

A methodology to determine the nature and extent of risk by analysing potential hazards and evaluating existing conditions of vulnerability that could pose a potential threat or harm to people, property, livelihoods and the environment on which they depend.

(Source: Terminology: Basic terms of disaster risk reduction, UN-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction ISDR, Online Reference, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng home.htm)

Warning Dissemination of message signalling imminent hazard which may include advice on protective measures







http://www.oxfordreference.com/






8. ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS CAD Computer Aided Dispatch CECIS Common Communications- and Information System for accidents between

Community mechanism and States CEMEC Centre Europeen pour la MEdecine des Catastrophes located in San Marino Republic

who defined a glossary of medical terms. CERT Community Emergency Response Team CIMS Crisis Information Management Software CLIFF CLuster Initiative for Flood and Fire emergencies CTIF The International fire fighters association DDSC Direction de la Défense et de la Sécurité Civile (French national authority for the civil

protection) DG-ENV European Commission Directorate-General of Environment EDGE Enhanced Data rates for GSM Evolution EGERIS European Generic Emergency Response Information DEM Disaster and Emergency Management DEO Disaster and Emergency Operations FEMA Federal Emergency Management Agency GPRS General Packet Radio Service HF High frequency (a frequency of 3 - 30 MHz) IDER International Disaster And Emergency Readiness Conference IETF Internet Engineering Task Force IHMS In-vehicle Hazard Management Systems IMO International Maritime Organisation MIC The European Commission Monitoring and Information Centre NGO Non Governmental Organisation NRBC Nuclear, Radiological, Bacteriological and Chemical OCHA Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs of United Nations POS Pre-Operational System Relief Web Project of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, OCHA RFC Request For Comments RIB Swedish Rescue Service Agency’s Decision Support System (Räddningsverkets

Integrerade Beslutstöd) SMCP Standard Maritime Communication Phrases TBD To Be Defined UHF Ultra High Frequency (a frequency of 300 - 3000 MHz) UKFSSART UK Fire Services Search and Rescue Team UNDAC United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination UR Users’ Requirement VHF Very High Frequency (a frequency of 30 - 300 MHz) VTC VidDEM Tele Conference





9. ANNEX: QUESTIONNAIRE USED TO SUPPORT THE

INTERVIEWS This document provides some of the questions which must be discussed with the potential users of an OASIS system in order to collect their real needs. It shall be seen as an help used to conduct the discussions with the users, not as a rigid document which must be filled in its smallest details. In the questionnaire, we have outlined in blue the questions which are the most important for the OASIS project.

Question 1 Personal details of user: 1.1 Name 1.2 Employer 1.3 Nature of Job (responsibilities etc) 1.4 Experience 1.5 Level (e.g. National, Regional, County or Local) 1.6 Did you participate to a joint operation, with people coming from different

organisations (different countries, different entities in your own country – such as a joint operation with fire brigades, police, civil protection, the army, non governmental organisations, etc.)? If YES, please describe for which event, when, and the global context (duration of the intervention, location, length of preparation phase, lessons, etc.). In the discussion we expect that one of these operations will illustrate the answers.

Question 2 Communication 2.1 How did you communicate with the other organisations?

by direct voice (in which language: your own language, in a common language such as English, in the local language). How many people in your team where able to communicate (or their percentage)?

2.2 Do you have working knowledge of English Y/N 2.3 What voice telecommunication systems did you use (public telephone, GSM,

private radio networks, satellite network, talky-walky, etc.)? Was it easy to communicate, did you experience important problems due to various reason (language, noise, telecommunication quality). Was the network reliable?

2.4 For data exchanges (via computers), if nay, what did you use (emails, messaging software, cartographic and situation assessment software, etc.). What was the level of the information that you were able to exchange?

2.5 What communication medium do you prefer? (e.g. voice, data, graphical, symbology etc)

2.6 What is your primary communication system? 2.7 What radio system do you use? (e.g. TETRA, TETRAPOL, Airwave etc - a

diagram of your communication system might help) 2.8 Are all the emergency services on the same radio communication system? If

not outline differences 2.9 Do you have a secure communication system? What multi-level features are

used? What authentication for users is used?





2.10 Are your communication systems compatible with adjacent regions in your

own country and other EU countries? 2.11 Is there a need for video teleconferencing? 2.12 Do you have a need for a broadcast capability to enable information to be sent

to all users? 2.13 Do you have a need for a multicast capability to enable information to be sent

to groups of users or selected individuals? Question 3 Command, Control and IT systems 3.1 What C4 systems do you use (if any)? Use a sketch if possible 3.2 Is the system secure? 3.3 Do the systems have backup? 3.4 How is your organization connected to the emergency response system? 3.5 Do you have computer aided situation awareness/assessment software? Please

describe it and explain what additional functions you would like from it. 3.6 Do you feel the need to standardize the exchanges with other teams involved

in emergency situations? 3.7 Do you feel the need to standardize the presentation (icons etc) with other

people engaged in the operation? 3.8 Do you feel the need for a standardized glossary of terms? 3.9 Do you expect to exchange large volumes of information (e.g. photos, videos,

maps and large databases)? 3.10 Is there a need to connect to remote databases (international, national, other

agencies)? 3.11 Do you have well worked-up contingency plans and operational procedures? 3.12 Do you have an online library of lessons learned from previous operations

and exercises? 3.13 Do rely on media information sources (e.g. BBC, CNN etc)? 3.14 Do you have a simulation facility to develop scenarios and model events and

effects? If not, would you find such a facility useful? Question 4 Operating outside your area 4.1 What equipment do you use in the field? (e.g. laptops, Personal Digital

Assistants (PDAs), tablets, etc) 4.2 When using portable equipment in field conditions, did you experience

problems with practical issues such as cold, rain, darkness, battery life etc? Did the need to use hands and/or look at the screen distract users, or hinder them, in carrying out the tasks for which they were primarily responsible in the field? Even if you have not actually used portable computers in field conditions, what would your expectations be on the above points?

4.3 What communication system do you normally use to speak to your base? 4.4 Do you need a secure system to operate with your base? 4.5 Do you need access to insecure communications (e.g. telephone, internet etc)?4.6 Do you need access to a fixed database on arrival in a new operating area?

(e.g. do you need access to maps, structures, procedures and contacts?) 4.7 Are you able to obtain information on other regional or national areas where

you might be deployed to? (e.g. databases, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), hierarchy, contacts and telephone numbers etc)

4.8 If you were abroad, did you communicate with your own country (your





hierarchy, your government, other organisations which could help you)? How did you communicate with them (public telephone, satellite network, etc.)?

Question 5 Mobile Control/Ops rooms 5.1 Do you have (or need) mobile operations rooms/mobile controls with built-in

C4I? 5.2 Is your system mounted (e.g. on a vehicle) or dismounted (e.g. tent) 5.3 Do you cater for the user interface (e.g. firemen using gloves or NBC masks

etc) 5.4 What C4I functions should this mobile operations room be equipped with?

(e.g. situation assessment, threat and risk analysis, GPS mapping, messaging, localization, tasking/planning, resource management system etc)

5.5 Are you easily able to provide information on your own team (e.g. position, capabilities, available resources, tasks in progress, etc.)

5.6 Assuming that you deploy with your own communications systems, please describe and explain what is needed to connect to other telecommunication systems? (e.g. is it easy? Do you need to connect up to a computer network?)

5.7 Can your system allow you to quickly dispatch a team to an overseas emergency (e.g. earthquake at Bam)?


FP6 – Priority 2.3.2.9 Improving Risk Management ......Doc b - EMW comments included Draft 2.8...

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Transcript of FP6 – Priority 2.3.2.9 Improving Risk Management ......Doc b - EMW comments included Draft 2.8...