Abstract

Disasters are unpredictable. However, occurrences follow a specific time sequence. Disaster management encompasses routine disaster reduction, pre-disaster preparation, mid-disaster response, post-disaster recovery, time management and allocating routine tasks over an extended period, and emergency response during highly stressful periods. Various response organizations rely on effective “integrated disaster management” to react to situations at different periods in time. In addition to making personnel and organization adjustments at different times, integration also requires systems for effective and fast communication and for providing first-hand supporting information to responders for data, manpower, organization, and resource integration. Based on design science theory, disaster decision support systems integrate internal and external data through (1) confirming problems and motivations, (2) defining solution objectives, (3) designing and developing a solution, (4) presenting the solution, (5) evaluating the solution, and (6) communicating protocols, and then consolidating the data into graphical or visual platforms and systems. These systems not only contain disaster prevention information, provide pre-disaster emergency response warnings, allocate supporting resources for mid-disaster response, evaluate the scale of disasters, and formulate response plans, but also simulate various disaster situations and scenarios during disaster-free periods for training and education purposes.

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