Dependability of IT Systems in Municipal Emergency Management

Dependability of IT Systems in Municipal Emergency Management Kim Weyns, Martin Höst

Contents • Background • Research methodology • Findings Future work: IDEM3 • Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

IT Systems in Municipal Emergency Management In the aftermath of a crisis (natural disaster, blackout, terrorist attack, …) governmental actors have an important role • Crisis relief • Information • Sustaining normal operations => Dependence on IT systems Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Dependability If we are critically dependent on IT systems, then the systems need to be trustworthy. If we do not know whether the systems are sufficiently dependable, we should not become too dependent on them. Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Dependability We need two kinds of information • How dependable is the system? • How critically do we need the system?  Hard to measure  Changes over time  Emergency situations ≠ normal situations Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Example: • Storm Gudrun, January 2005 • Non-functioning communication system delayed repairs and relief efforts • GSM system – more critical than expected – more vulnerable than expected Image: Banverket, storm damage after Gudrun Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Case study • What are municipalities doing today? • What methods do they use? • What do they have problems with? • Where is the most room for improvement? – Testing? – Defining requirements for their system? – Risk analysis?  Not much research available Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Interviews Explorative case study: • Open interviews at two municipalities • With emergency managers and IT personnel • Collecting documents Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Interview Analysis Transcribed and analysed by categories: • Organisation • Risk analysis • Communication • Service level agreements (SLA) • Practical examples and problems Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Findings • System Responsibility – Specific systems – Common systems • Internal Communication – Lack of understanding • Service Level Agreements – No measurements – No guarantees Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Findings (2) • Emergency Management – Planning, scenario analysis, … (SEMA) • Practical IT work – Maintenance, technical details, … Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Common Problems • Border responsibilities • Lack of good tools and methods • Lack of cooperation • Lack of technical knowledge • Fast evolution Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Conclusions • Better understanding of current situation • Main problems identified: – Cooperation – Border responsibilities • Most logical solution: through better cooperation Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Future work : Maturity Model IDEM3 (IT Dependability in Emergency Management Maturity Model) • Based on case study • Focus on cooperation needed to include information about the dependability of IT systems in emergency management and vice versa • Adapted based on feedback from experts and practitioners • Currently being evaluated in practical setting Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Maturity Model (2) Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Questions? Lund University / LTH / Department of Computer Science / ISCRAM 2009 / 13-5-2009

Dependability of IT Systems in Municipal Emergency Management

by KimWeyns on May 13, 2009

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Dependability of IT Systems in Municipal Emergency Management — Presentation Transcript