Chaos theory, informational needs, and natural disasters

A Chaos Theory Perspective of Destination Crisis and Sustainable Tourism Development in Islands: The Case of Cyprus

“…In contrast to linear systems, chaotic systems are subject to forces of stability and forces of instability, which push them towards chaos (Thiétart and Forgues, 1995). Accordingly, chaos theory develops the systems view to the behaviour of large, complex, non-linear systems that are characterised by social and technical (highly dynamic and disproportionate) interactions among elements and actors (Sellnow, Seeger and Ulmer, 2002). Additionally, chaos theory focuses on the tendency of initially small changes eventually creating large accumulative -often unpredictable-effects which accelerate fundamental alterations in the system (Faulkner and Valerio, 1995;Thiétart and Forgues, 1995).…”

“…Nevertheless, the chaotic approach pursues order and predictability, even if these occur without conventional causal and deterministic patterns (Hayles, 1990). As such, chaos theory seeks to describe the behaviour of non-linear systems at a higher level of complexity and explain, through a series of concepts, both the chaotic and organised elements of complex systems (Sellnow et al, 2002).…”

“…Additionally, the impact of these small changes on the environment and the insufficiency of the initial conditions precise measurement complicate the situation. Thus, the lack of clearly measuring the initial conditions and understanding their impact, along with the associated reduction in predictability, challenge accurate/confident forecasts regarding the long-term systems' behaviour (Sellnow et al, 2002).…”

Requirements and Open Issues for ISs Supporting Dynamic Community Bonding in Emergency Situations

“…The study discussed in this paper refers in particular to the support that ICT, and Information Systems (ISs) in particular, may provide to response and recovery after natural disasters that cause a massive failure in essential infrastructures and the disruption of the integrity of the affected community. The subject of social and psychological impact of disasters is widely debated in the literature (e.g., [3,4], [6], [14,16,17], [23,24], [29]) and it is generally agreed that one of the most relevant effect of a disaster is the relaxation or, in the worst case, the disruption of the social linkages upon which a community is based. Immaterial damages are less evident (though often more relevant) than material ones and may remain unnoticed for a long period of time.…”

“…The subject of social and psychological impact of disasters is widely debated in the literature (e.g., [3,4], [6], [14,16,17], [23,24], [29]) and it is generally agreed that one of the most relevant effect of a disaster is the relaxation or, in the worst case, the disruption of the social linkages upon which a community is based. Immaterial damages are less evident (though often more relevant) than material ones and may remain unnoticed for a long period of time.…”