ABSTRACT
Abstract: Coordination management plays an important role in emergency response as it resolves the complex and dynamic interdependences among actors, resources, information, and decision making. Review of current emergency response practice suggests that emergency coordination is an understudied research area and new knowledge in this area is of high importance. In this chapter, we examine the roles of people, process, and information technology and their impacts on emergency coordination. Through a case study of Snowstorm 2006 in western New York, we demonstrate their practical operation and evaluate their individual performance. Further, we summarize the important lessons learned in the management of these factors and propose solutions. Also included in the chapter is a detailed discussion of one cutting-edge emergency response system named DisasterLAN, through which we demonstrate how modern response systems are designed and in what ways they facilitate emergency coordination.
