The role of artefacts in Police emergency response sensemaking

Richard McMaster, Chris Baber, Tom Duffy

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

6 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

This paper presents a study of the role of artefacts in sensemaking during emergency response. A qualitative study was conducted with two UK Police Forces, with a particular focus on the role of artefacts in the creation and modification of sensemaking frames. This research demonstrates that sensemaking is a key component of emergency response Command and Control and that this activity is distributed across the individuals within the system. Collaborative sensemaking is coordinated via social and organisational means, supported by a range of private (informal) and shared (formal) artefacts, which function as resources for action - cueing frame seeking and frame-defined data collection. The study also reveals the role of narrative in bridging the gap between these two parallel sensemaking processes and raises implications for the further digitisation of the emergency response environment, demonstrating the importance of balancing social and technical factors in the design of ICT for emergency response.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings - 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management
PublisherSimon Fraser University
ISBN (Print)9780864913326
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2012
Event9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2012 - Vancouver, BC, Canada
Duration: 22 Apr 201225 Apr 2012

Publication series

NameISCRAM 2012 Conference Proceedings - 9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management

Conference

Conference9th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management, ISCRAM 2012
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVancouver, BC
Period22/04/1225/04/12

Keywords

  • Command and control
  • Communications
  • Distributed cognition
  • Emergency response
  • Sensemaking

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Information Systems

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