Sovereignty, Globalism, and Information Flow in Complex Emergencies

A Fragile Link: Disaster Relief, ICTs and Development

“…For relief efforts, communication has been referred to as "the central nervous system" [2]. Without communication coordination is impossible, and lack of communication will result in limited information exchange, leaving organizations unclear on tasks and responsibilities.…”

“…Information during emergencies is classified into situational (what has happened), operational (what is being done) and educational/policy (what should be done now/next) [2]. Collection and dissemination of situational information is problematic [2], and it is not enough to have just timely information: information must be gathered from different sources, with different values and the preferences of stakeholders must also be taken into account [3]. Information technologies typically used in relief include shared/relational databases, GIS systems, inventory control systems and decision support systems.…”

“…However, despite these interdependencies, an important difference lies in the response to these crises, with natural disasters being perceived as emergencies more so than protracted conflicts. Furthermore, information about a humanitarian disaster often represents a threat to the government's sovereignty, and tensions between humanitarian goals and political considerations also impede information flow about an emergency [2].…”

Improving Humanitarian Relief Information and Communication Systems through Research

“…[7] Other research has explored the complexity of sovereignty and values impacting information flow and decision making in humanitarian emergencies. [8] On the political front of international policy related to humanitarian response and responsibilities, the role of the United Nations in coordination and communication was closely examined. [9] The influence of knowledge management (KM) research is evident in humanitarian relief research through examinations of standardization [10], the applicability of KM structures to humanitarian relief ICS [11], and KM frameworks for decision making support.…”

A Fundamentally Confused Document: Situation Reports and the Work of Producing Humanitarian Information

“…In studies of disasters, researchers argue that "information flow is the central nervous system for all disaster relief efforts" [30]. Information is a useful concept precisely because it resembles what Latour calls an "immutable mobile"-an entity that can move from one context to another keeping its original properties.…”