A Communications Strategy for Disaster Relief - Hastily Formed Networks Deployment Review - Covering Katrina, Tsunami, Haiti Earthquake, Typhoon Haiyan, Cybersecurity, Mobile Apps, and Disaster Alerts

The problem with current international disaster relief is ineffective communication, coordination, cooperation, and collaboration (4C). Ineffective international 4C allows chaos and anarchy to significantly hinder disaster-relief efforts. After action reports (AARs) and disaster relief (DR) materials were examined to identify system-level issues during DR missions. These issues were examined to determine if DR exhibits characteristics of a wicked problem. The results of systems-thinking analysis show that anarchy, social complexity, and stress within the DR system have a negative impact on all components of the system. To improve the effectiveness of DR missions and help mission teams to present a unified front for DR, anarchy, social complexity, and stress must be reduced. This work proposes a communication strategy for DR missions that harnesses capabilities of information communication and technology (ICT) solutions, introduces a cloud-based hierarchical trust model, and outlines a common integration interface. The strategy encourages open and transparent 4C between DR mission teams and the international DR community. Properly implemented, this communication strategy could reduce system-level anarchy and social complexity, resulting in reduced post-disaster damage, injuries, and loss of life. In Chapter II, this study discusses solutions implemented to address specific problems of communication within DR. It continues with an introduction to current information and communications technology (ICT) example and explores significant issues identified from DR missions. Chapter II further provides a brief summary of past and present implementations, elucidating and justifying how previous solutions have failed to reduce information anarchy within the DR system. Information anarchy is the problem of disjointed, ad hoc information sharing and the poor situation awareness that results from a system that fails to promote or encourage the free flow of communications, impeding coordination, discouraging cooperative behavior, and providing very limited incentives for collaboration (i.e., "reduced 4C"). Chapter III introduces the concept of wicked problems. It then compares the issues in DR with known characteristics of wicked problems to formally identify it as a wicked problem with system-level issues. The chapter then explores the DR system using the Systems Thinking process. The Systems Thinking process allows a better understanding of the physical characteristics and social implications of the problem space. The chapter continues with an introduction to injection points and balancing mechanisms. Injection points and balancing mechanisms depict a section within the system where a solution may reduce the anarchy within the DR system. Chapter IV begins with an introduction to a communication strategy for DR missions. The communications strategy combines an ICT capability with a cloud based, decentralized, integrated 4C interface concept. This chapter continues with a design structure proposal for the integration interface concept. The discussion concludes with a brief overview of security implications for the proposed concept model and a short summary of the combined communication strategy. Chapter V introduces some general security considerations. The chapter addresses security of data-at-rest and data-in-transit. The chapter approaches security considerations of critical components of the security strategy. The study conclusion provides a summary of the concepts discussed in the study. Conceptually, creating an internationally accepted communication strategy reduces DR system-level anarchy.