Raj Sharman

Coordination in emergency response management

Developing a framework to analyze coordination patterns occurring in the emergency response life cycle.

Security in grid computing: A review and synthesis

This paper provides an extensive survey of the different methods of addressing security issues in the grid computing environment, and specifically contributes to the research environment by developing a comprehensive framework for classification of these research endeavors. The framework presented classifies security literature into System Solutions, Behavioral Solutions, Hybrid Solutions and Related Technologies. Each one of these categories is explained in detail in the paper to provide insight as to their unique methods of accomplishing grid security, the types of grid and security situations they apply best to, and the pros and cons for each type of solution. Further, several areas of research were identified in the course of the literature survey where more study is warranted. These avenues for future research are also discussed in this paper. Several types of grid systems exist currently, and the security needs and solutions to address those needs for each type vary as much as the types of systems themselves. This research framework will aid in future research efforts to define, analyze, and address grid security problems for the many varied types of grid setups, as well as the many security situations that each grid may face.

Efficiency of critical incident management systems: Instrument development and validation

There is much literature in the area of emergency response management systems. Even so, there is in general a lacuna of literature that deals with the issue of measuring the effectiveness of such systems. The aim of this study is to develop and validate an instrument to measure the critical factors that contribute to the efficiency of decision support in critical incident management systems (CIMS). The instrument presented in this paper has been developed using a CIMS efficiency model that is based on an adaptation of media richness theory, aspects of the national incident management system (NIMS) and interviews with experts on emergency management. The instrument has been validated through a pretest, followed by a pilot test and, finally, a main field test which includes a survey of 76 experts. The final instrument consists of 28 statistically relevant question items, which form eight constructs. The instrument allows communities to assess both strengths and weaknesses of existing systems. This allows communities to better prepare for disasters as it informs both policies and practice on areas of weakness that need addressing.

Data model development for fire related extreme events: an activity theory approach

Post-analyses of major extreme events reveal that information sharing is critical for effective emergency response. The lack of consistent data standards for current emergency management practice, however, hinders efficient critical information flow among incident responders. In this paper, we adopt a third-generation activity theory guided approach to develop a data model that can be used in the response to fire-related extreme events. This data model prescribes the core data standards to reduce information interoperability barriers. The model is validated through a three-step approach including a request for comment (RFC) process, case application, and prototype system test. This study contributes to the literature in the area of interoperability and data modeling; it also informs practice in emergency response system design.

Design principles for critical incident response systems

The national incident management system (NIMS) was developed so that responders from different jurisdictions and disciplines could work together to respond to natural and manmade disasters and emergencies, including acts of terrorism. The NIMS document provides a set of guidelines about practices but it does not make explicit the design requirements for information systems to support the management of critical incidents. Though there are academic and practitioner papers in the general area of emergency management, there is a lacuna of literature discussing how to design information systems to support critical incident response. In this paper we develop a set of design principles that are grounded in emergency management concepts and also in the insights from the real response managers in the Western New York area. The set of design principles provide a foundation for the development of critical incident response systems.

Secure knowledge management and the semantic web

Strengthening security within the domain of shared knowledge is a critical issue, and great challenge, to businesses today. A number of different protocols currently available offer an array of benefits and limitations.

Agile Integration Modeling Language (AIML): A conceptual modeling grammar for agile integrative business information systems

The proliferation of newer agile integrative business information systems (IBIS) environments that use the software agent and the multiagent systems paradigms has created the need for a common and well-accepted conceptual modeling grammar that can be used to efficiently, precisely, and unambiguously, model agile IBIS systems at the conceptual level. In this paper, we propose a conceptual modeling grammar termed Agile Integration Modeling Language (AIML) based on established ontological foundation for the multiagent-based integrative business information systems (MIBIS) universe. The AIML grammar provides adequate and precise constructs and semantics for modeling agile integration among participating work systems in terms of quickly building and dismantling dynamic collaboration relationships among them to respond to fast-changing market needs. The AIML grammar is defined as a formal model using Extended BNF and first order logic, and is elaborated using a running example in the paper. The grammar is also evaluated in terms of its syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic qualities and is found to exhibit a high degree of quality on all these three dimensions. In particular, the pragmatic quality of AIML measured in terms of grammar complexity evaluated using complexity metrics indicates that AIML is much easier to learn and use as compared to the Unified Modeling Language (UML) for modeling agile integration of work systems in organizations.

A fast and accurate method to register medical images using Wavelet Modulus Maxima

Abstract This paper presents a fast, accurate and automatic method to register images of rigid bodies. It uses wavelets to obtain control points. Wavelets are not shift invariant but the structures determined by the wavelet high pass image, the Modulus Maxima Image, provide the information necessary for a fast-rough convergence. These structures represent shapes from which we segment the invariant shapes for the images being registered. For example, the MRI and CT images of the brain can be considered as rigid bodies that do not undergo a change in shape over reasonable periods of time. By using a convex hull, we make the procedure insensitive to the internal changes in the object. Hence, even with the growth of tumors, the procedure registers brain images very accurately. The method uses the correlation coefficient to measure the similarity between images and to determine how well the images are registered. The method has been extensively tested with various types of images and in all cases the registration accuracy is very high. The correlation coefficient used to validate the registrations has deficiencies that occasionally required a visual inspection to terminate the algorithm after a point of marginal improvement.

Health Information Exchange as a Multisided Platform: Adoption, Usage, and Practice Involvement in Service Co-Production

Health Information Exchanges HIE are becoming integral parts of the national healthcare reform efforts, chiefly because of their potential impact on cost reduction and quality enhancement in healthcare services. However, the potential of an HIE platform can only be realized when its multiple constituent users actively participate in using its variety of services. In this research, we model HIE systems as multisided platforms that incorporate self-service technologies whose value to the users depends on both user-specific and network-specific factors. We develop a model of adoption, use, and involvement of clinical practices in the coproduction of the HIE services. This model is grounded in social network theory, service operations theory, and institutional isomorphism theory. A longitudinal study of actual adoption and use behaviors of 2,054 physicians within 430 community medical practices in Western New York over a three-year period has been carried out to evaluate the proposed model. This study has been supported by HEALTHeLINK, the Regional Health Information Organization of Western New York, which has an extensive database comprising over half a million transactions on patient records by the HIE users. We extracted panel data on adoption, use, and service coproduction behaviors from this database and carried out a detailed analysis using metrics derived from the foundational theories. Positioning practices within two distinct but interrelated networks of patients and practitioners, we show that adoption, use, and service coproduction behaviors are influenced by the topographies of the two networks, isomorphic effects of large practices on the smaller ones, and practice labor inputs in HIE use. Our findings provide a comprehensive view of the drivers of HIE adoption and use at the level of medical practices. These results have implications for marketing and revenue management of HIE platforms, as well as public health and national/regional healthcare policy making.

Disaster experience and hospital information systems: an examination of perceived information assurance, risk, resilience, and his usefulness

This paper examines how an individuals disaster experience affects his or her perceptions of sociotechnical safety factors (risk, information assurance, resilience) and perceived usefulness of hospital information systems (HIS). This paper consists of two studies focusing on different aspects: a quasi-field experiment conducted with employees in three hospitals affected by a severe snowstorm (labeled a federal disaster) (N = 103), where we compare the perceptual factors in the context of the disaster experience (with versus without recall), and a comparative study between a first sample group (with disaster experience) and a second, contrast sample group (with no disaster experience) of hospital employees (N= 179) from two similar hospitals. The results show that the disaster experience changes the relationships among the perceptual factors that affect perceived usefulness. Individuals tend to perceive negative factors (such as risk) as having greater effects when they actually have direct experience in a disaster situation than in a normal situation. Positive factors (such as information assurance and resilience) have a lesser impact among individuals who have disaster experience (with versus without recall).