Tackling the zombie apocalypse: Sensemaking in simulated disaster management

Tom Duffy, Chris Baber

Research output: Contribution to conference (unpublished)Paperpeer-review

Abstract

In this paper, we report the design of a simulated disaster management exercise that is used to explore the manner in which teams of emergency responders make sense of unfamiliar, dynamic situations. The paper develops a notion of sensemaking that combines semantic (i.e., extracting meaning from cues in the environment) and pragmatic (i.e., recognising opportunities for courses of action). This notion of sensemaking is explored in a study in which teams of experienced emergency responders, organised into different command structures, deal with the spread of a threat on a University campus. The results indicate how the command structures affect the ability of the teams to employ semantic or pragmatic sensemaking. Implications for supporting emergency response are considered.

Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2016
Event30th International BCS Human Computer Interaction Conference, HCI 2016 - Poole, United Kingdom
Duration: 11 Jul 201615 Jul 2016

Conference

Conference30th International BCS Human Computer Interaction Conference, HCI 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited Kingdom
CityPoole
Period11/07/1615/07/16

Keywords

  • Collaboration
  • Communication Broker
  • CSCW
  • Disaster Management
  • Emergency Response
  • Sensemaking
  • Teamwork
  • Uncertainty

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Human-Computer Interaction

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