Development of an SDI Conceptual Model to Facilitate Disaster Management 2 Disaster Management Community: Collaboration in Data Management Different organizations (such as Fire, Medical and police departments; Red Cross Society; and Utility Companies) collaborate in disaster management activities due to diversity of disaster response operations. Inter-organizational coordination of disaster response operations and controlling the emergency situation is generally conducted through Emergency Operation Center (EOC) where the representatives of involved organizations are gathered. Considering search, relief, rescue, firefighting, medical service, debate removal, sheltering, and repairing utility network as some examples of disaster response activities, a large number of spatial data layers are required for planning and coordinating such operations. Road network, closed road, hospital, disaster area, damaged building, location of victims, location of emergency workers, available resources, and utility network are some examples of required spatial data layers for disaster response operations. Due to dynamic nature of emergency situation, required data for disaster response should be collected regularly in order to be available for decision-makers. However, due to variety of required data, individual involved organizations in disaster management activities can not handle exclusively the collection and maintenance of all required data layers for disaster response. As a result, collection and maintenance of required spatial data layers for disaster response should be conducted based on collaborative effort of different organizations for spatial data collection and updating. If so, required spatial data layers are always available and accessible for producer. The required datasets should also be accessible for decision-makers (involved organizations and EOC) to be utilized for planning and decision-making purposes. This is achieved if collected data by each of the participants in data collection to be shared to wider disaster management community (Mansourian et al 2004 and Rajabifard et al 2004). One of the challenges of this collaborative effort in data collection and sharing (Figure 5.5) is to choose the collaborator organizations. In this respect, Mansourian et al. (2004) highlighted that considering their daily and disaster response businesses, involved organizations in disaster management community are potentially the main producers and maintainers of required spatial data for disaster response, based on and during their normal or disaster response activities. If such potential is turned into act and the results of data production and updating efforts are physically recorded in appropriate databases, the required spatial data for disaster response is always available to the producer. As described earlier, by sharing available data, they will be accessible to other organizations. In addition, the required datasets need to be easily integratable with each other and interoperable with decision-makers’ systems for real-time use. This is achieved by utilization of common and appropriate standards and specifications for data collection and sharing in the mentioned collaborative effort. Although a collaborative effort for spatial data collection and sharing can resolve the problem with collection, access and dissemination of required spatial data for disaster response, however, different researches on collaborative efforts for data collection and sharing (Rajabifard and Williamson 2003; McDougall et al. 2002; Nedovic-Budic and Pinto 1999) show that there are different technical, institutional, political, and social issues that create barriers for such participation to occur. With this in mind, by creating an environment in which such issues are taken into consideration and resolved and consequently the access of decision-makers to spatial data is facilitated, the concept of partnership in data production and sharing can become a reality. In this respect, Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI), as an initiative in spatial data management with related concepts and models, can be used as a framework for creating such an environment and consequently, facilitating disaster response. 3 Role of Spatial Data Infrastructure in Disaster Management Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) is an initiative intended to create an environment that will enable a wide variety of users to access, retrieve and disseminate spatial data in an easy and secure way. In principle, SDIs allow the sharing of data, which is extremely useful, as it enables users to save resources, time and effort when trying to acquire new datasets by avoiding duplication of expenses associated with generation and maintenance of data and their integration with other datasets. SDI is also an integrated, multi-leveled hierarchy of interconnected SDIs based on collaboration and partnerships among different stakeholders. With this in mind, many countries are developing SDIs to better manage and utilize their spatial data assets. As a result of these activities different models have been suggested for facilitating SDI development. Recent studies on SDI initiatives (Rajabifard and Williamson 2003) have highlighted that development of SDIs is a matter of different challenges such as social, cultural, political and economical challenges beside technical issues. With respect to core components, an SDI encompasses the policies, access networks and data handling facilities (based on the available technologies), standards, and human resources necessary for the effective collection, management, access, delivery and utilization of spatial data for a specific jurisdiction or community (Rajabifard et al 2002). Based on these components, Figure 1 illustrates a basic SDI model. According to this model, appropriate accessing network, policies and standards (which are known as technological components) are required for facilitating the relation between people (data providers, value-adders and decision-makers in disaster management community) and data. By clarifying each of these core components, an SDI conceptual model can be developed which can contribute to facilitating the availability, access and usage of spatial data for disaster management and hence facilitation of disaster management.  Fig. 1. SDI Components (Rajabifard et. al 2002) Considering Geographical Information System (GIS) as underpinning technology for SDI and its role in facilitating data collection and storage as well as facilitating decision-making based on spatial data processing and analysis, GIS is a good tool for improving decision-making for disaster management. In this respect, a web-based GIS can be a good tool for facilitating disaster management due to need to high interaction between decision-makers in disaster management community, particularly during disaster response. With this in mind, a web-based GIS using SDI can facilitate disaster management by providing a better way of spatial data collection, access, management and usage. |