Mobile applications in crisis informatics literature: A systematic review

Tan, Marion Lara; Prasanna, Raj; Stock, Kristin; Doyle, Emma E.H.; Leonard, Graham S.; Johnston, David

doi:10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.06.009

Cited by 113 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 48 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…For the purpose of this study, “disaster apps” are defined as mobile phone apps, which are specifically designed for the purpose of disaster‐related information and communication (such as NINA or KATWARN in Germany), in contrast to apps that are not designed for this purpose but are used in case of emergency (e.g., the traffic and navigation app Waze, or the app versions of social media websites). Whereas the early years of app development saw a strong emphasis on authority‐centric one‐way communication, which limited the public to the role of victims or passive information receivers, more recently there has been a paradigm shift towards seeing citizens also as participants who can provide information via apps to authorities as well as provide aid themselves (Tan et al, ). These mobile phone disaster applications are designed to support complex connections between multiple stakeholders, can send alerts and disaster‐related information to citizens, provide recommendations and guidance for citizens on disaster preparedness, allow citizens to submit information to authorities or collect information from citizens, and/or provide a platform for information‐sharing between citizens, often via links to social media platforms…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is still little research on how citizens view these apps, and how perceptions of disaster apps may differ from perceptions of social media. A recent review of the literature on mobile communication in crisis informatics identified this gap in the literature and highlighted the need for further research: “To fully realise the potential of mobile apps for disasters, it is important that future research engages in citizen‐centred studies to gain more insight into users' needs, motivations, expectations, experiences, and limitations when using disaster apps” (Tan et al, , p305).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… Tan et al () identified 115 articles focusing on social media in disaster communication, but only 49 articles that discussed the specific use of mobile phone apps in disaster situations. Further, they found that most of the reviewed articles presented theoretical or model app systems. …”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Truth, trust, and civic duty: Cultural factors in citizens' perceptions of mobile phone apps and social media in disasters

Appleby-Arnold

Brockdorff

Fallou

et al. 2019

Contingencies & Crisis Mgmt

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study investigates how citizens perceive the role of mobile phone apps specifically designed for disaster communication, and how these perceptions may differ from perceived roles and functions of social media in disaster-related tasks/situations. Focusing on trust in authorities and technology use, results suggest that social media use not only fosters trust via shared narratives and collective sense-making but may also improve trust relationships through local authorities assuming the function of a trustworthy information provider. In disaster apps usage, trust between citizens and authorities is generated through perceptions of shared responsibility rather than shared narratives. Apps were seen as mechanisms that reveal authorities' general willingness to share control, which may help overcome citizens' perceptions that they are distrusted by authorities. K E Y W O R D Scitizen summits, culture, disaster communications, mobile phone apps, social media, trust

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Truth, trust, and civic duty: Cultural factors in citizens' perceptions of mobile phone apps and social media in disasters

Appleby-Arnold

Brockdorff

Fallou

et al. 2019

Contingencies & Crisis Mgmt

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Emergency management, disaster management, and crisis management are often used interchangeably [40]. The application of technology intervention in crisis management is referred to as "crisis informatics" and researchers have linked the termed to be coined by Hargar (2006;2007) [5], [15], [25], [41]- [44]. The crisis informatics field is a multidisciplinary area of studies, which is widely defined as sociotechnical interactions that exist between people, organisations, information and technology during crises.…”

Section: A Overview Of Crisis Informaticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Crisis Informatics in the Context of Social Media Crisis Communication: Theoretical Models, Taxonomy, and Open Issues

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The involvement application and use of crisis and emergency management and communication are increasing rapidly. This study conducts a systematic literature review to identify the development of theoretical models in the area of social media crisis communication and management. The study aims to review and analyse the relationship of social media-based crisis communication in the context of crisis informatics and its taxonomy and the related crisis communication theoretical models to derive the challenges and limitations. A total of 207 articles were selected for the evaluation based on quality, relevancy, and contribution. The findings revealed that the situational crisis communication theory (SCCT) is the most dominant theory, followed by social-mediated crisis communication (SMCC) and integrated crisis mapping (ICM) models. The study identified theories such as the STREMII model, social media crisis management matrix/framework (SMSMF), and an interactive crisis communication model (ICCM) as emerging models. Moreover, the result of the finding shows that stakeholder interaction is an understudied field, while information reliability and processing for decision-making purposes, the wider application of social media sites, privacy issues, and how social media interaction can improve community resilience or build stakeholders relationships remain suitable topics for future research.

show abstract

“…Some authors highlight the need for resilient ICT [2]. Crisis information sources [31,36], platform tools [14] and, in general, a trend towards mobile applications [54] and cloud computing [57] are omnipresent, which may also lead to technology related risks [17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Empirical insights for designing Information and Communication Technology for International Disaster Response

Stute

Maaß

Schons

et al. 2020

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Due to the increase in natural disasters in the past years, Disaster Response Organizations (DROs) are faced with the challenge of coping with more and larger operations. Currently appointed Information and Communications Technology (ICT) used for coordination and communication is sometimes outdated and does not scale, while novel technologies have the potential to greatly improve disaster response efficiency. To allow adoption of these novel technologies, ICT system designers have to take into account the particular needs of DROs and characteristics of International Disaster Response (IDR). This work attempts to bring the humanitarian and ICT communities closer together. In this work, we analyze IDR-related documents and conduct expert interviews. Using open coding, we extract empirical insights and translate the peculiarities of DRO coordination and operation into tangible ICT design requirements. This information is based on interviews with active IDR staff as well as DRO guidelines and reports. Ultimately, the goal of this paper is to serve as a reference for future ICT research endeavors to support and increase the efficiency of IDR operations.2 communication systems. To this end, we were in contact with 126 IDR experts and active staff (including 15 interviews) from 71 different national and international DROs who also provided pointers to official guidelines, reports, and other resources.This article is structured as follows: In the next section, we outline the body of related work. We present our methodology in Section 3. In Section 4, we present our empirical insights for ICT design. In particular, we introduce important terminology in Section 4.1. We then explain the organizational structure of DROs at the example of the United Nations (UN) in Section 4.2. We detail how different DROs coordinate on a global level in Section 4.3, and how a typical local IDR operation is coordinated and carried out in Section 4.4. Finally, we conclude in Section 5. Related workThe field literature refers to ICT for disaster response as crisis informatics, although the terms disaster, crisis, and emergency are often used interchangeably. Due to the growing number of crisis situations occurring across the world [20,25], the use of crisis communication and management via technology has gained in importance and been increasingly researched [46,47]. There are several challenges and obstacles in sharing and coordinating information during multi-agency disaster response [8].Research efforts have focused on describing the specific characteristics of emergencies and the resulting challenges and requirements for ICT support, for example, derived via case studies and interviews [11,37]. The conference for Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM) was the first scientific venue for ICT-based crisis communication. Founded in 2004 by a group of scientists from various related fields, its aim was to address the issue of ICT support for effective [69] disaster management. One major work presented at the first meetin...

show abstract

Mobile applications in crisis informatics literature: A systematic review

Cited by 113 publications

References 48 publications

Truth, trust, and civic duty: Cultural factors in citizens' perceptions of mobile phone apps and social media in disasters

Truth, trust, and civic duty: Cultural factors in citizens' perceptions of mobile phone apps and social media in disasters

Crisis Informatics in the Context of Social Media Crisis Communication: Theoretical Models, Taxonomy, and Open Issues

Empirical insights for designing Information and Communication Technology for International Disaster Response

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About