Andreas Kuehn

Interoperability and information brokers in public safety: an approach toward seamless emergency communications

When a disaster occurs, the rapid gathering and sharing of crucial information among public safety agencies, emergency response units, and the public can save lives and reduce the scope of the problem; yet, this is seldom achieved. The lack of interoperability hinders effective collaboration across organizational and jurisdictional boundaries. In this article, we propose a general architecture for emergency communications that incorporates (1) an information broker, (2) events and event-driven processes, and (3) interoperability. This general architecture addresses the question of how an information broker can overcome obstacles, breach boundaries for seamless communication, and empower the public to become active participants in emergency communications. Our research is based on qualitative case studies on emergency communications, workshops with public safety agencies, and a comparative analysis of interoperability issues in the European public sector. This article features a conceptual approach toward proposing a way in which public safety agencies can achieve optimal interoperability and thereby enable seamless communication and crowdsourcing in emergency prevention and response.

A content analysis of institutional data policies

The newly issued requirement for a data management plan in proposals submitted to the U.S. National Science Foundation and other federal funding agencies prompted many institutions to develop their own policies to conform to this new requirement as well as to more effectively manage, share, publish, and provide access to research data. While the need for guidelines or a framework in developing such data policies is imminent, research is lacking in this area. The study reported here addresses this need by using a content analysis of 58 policy documents from 20 institutions. Our preliminary findings reveal an uneven distribution of data policies among the institutions and disciplines included in this study. We are currently analyzing our results.

Chapter 8 Extending Cybersecurity, Securing Private Internet Infrastructure: the US Einstein Program and its Implications for Internet Governance

This chapter addresses US government efforts to “securitize” its connections to the Internet and resulting, potentially restrictive effects on multistakeholder Internet governance.

Defining Cybersecurity Due Diligence Under International Law: Lessons from the Private Sector

Although there has been a relative abundance of work done on exploring the contours of the law of cyber war, far less attention has been paid to defining a law of cyber peace applicable below the armed attack threshold. Among the most important unanswered questions is what exactly nations’ due diligence obligations are to their respective private sectors and to one another. The International Court of Justice (“ICJ”) has not explicitly considered the legality of cyber weapons to this point, though it has ruled in the Corfu Channel case that one country’s territory should not be “used for acts that unlawfully harm other States.” But what steps exactly do nations and companies under their jurisdiction have to take under international law to secure their networks, and what of the rights and responsibilities of transit states? This chapter reviews the arguments surrounding the creation of a cybersecurity due diligence norm and argues for a proactive regime that takes into account the common but differentiated responsibilities of public- and private-sector actors in cyberspace. The analogy is drawn to cybersecurity due diligence in the private sector and the experience of the 2014 National Institute of Standards and Technology (“NIST”) Framework to help guide and broaden the discussion.

Intelligent Urbanism: Convivial Living in Smart Cities

Technology has been hailed as a panacea for global and local challenges in urban development. This research note explores the role technology plays in facilitating intelligent urbanism and considers how Illich’s notion of convivial living can inform urban development. Here, we present one case study on energy that is a work in progress. Two future cases will include transportation and food sourcing. The broader objective of this work is to develop a framework which those involved in the planning, design and deployment of technology in urban spaces can use to integrate conviviality into such environments. This note takes a step in this direction by describing the key elements which can promote convivial tools to facilitate convivial living.