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40: Information Technology in Disaster Management

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DOI:

10.1891/9780826144225.0040

Authors

  • Rains, Adam B

Abstract

The hallmark of modern disaster management is the effective and efficient use of information technology. Disaster management is now reliant upon a broad variety of key technologies and systems including: telecommunications, direct and remote sensing, information processing, logistics, decision support, early warning systems, telemedicine, and the Internet. Early adoption of these technologies by nurses will enhance preparedness and mitigation strategies, expand clinical capacity, facilitate decision making, and ultimately drive improvements in population-based outcomes. Information and communication are critical resources across all phases of the disaster management life cycle. This chapter surveys existing and emergent information and communication technology and information systems across the disaster management life cycle. It helps the reader to identify and describe key examples and roles for information and communication technologies in disaster management. The chapter discusses the potential role of social media in disaster risk reduction and emergency management.