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ANNOUNCE CFP ISCRAM 2009 - Modeling of Humanitarian Op

Posted: Tue Jan 06, 2009 7:27 am
by ""Paulo Goncalves"" <paulog@M
Posted by ""Paulo Goncalves"" <paulog@MIT.EDU>

ISCRAM2009
The 6th International Conference on Information Systems for
Crisis Response and Management

Gothenburg, Sweden=20
May 10-13, 2009
http://www.iscram.org

FOR A SPECIAL SESSION ON Modeling of Humanitarian Operations

Session ID: 1.4 (Humanitarian 4)

Motivation=20

Demand for humanitarian operations that seek to alleviate human suffering
continue to increase. Forecasts estimate a five-fold increase in the numb=
er
and impact of natural and manmade disasters over the next 50 years, which
will continue to pressure the need for effective humanitarian operations.
The magnitude of recent humanitarian mobilization efforts (e.g. Indian Oc=
ean
Tsunami, China=92s Sichuan earthquake, Myanmar cyclone) has generated an
outcry for improved logistics in humanitarian operations. For instance,
China=92s massive earthquake alone mobilized the effort of tens of thousa=
nds
of people and hundreds of humanitarian organizations.=20

Academics and practitioners recognize that more effective and efficient
humanitarian operations have the potential to improve the results of
disaster relief efforts. However, focus on most severe aspects of an
emerging crisis often leave other factors unchecked, allowing them to
interact, grow over time and lead to further consequences. Because
cause-and-effect relationships are unclear and dispersed in time, they ma=
y
appear to not be present when small, but nonlinear interactions can lead =
to
highly unpredictable and policy resistant systems.=20

Research modeling aspects of humanitarian operations has the potential to
improve performance (the number of people benefiting from operations) and
alleviate suffering caused by epidemics, famine, extreme poverty, and
natural disasters. In particular, various optimization and simulation
methods allow researchers to state their assumptions and explore their
consequences in emergency contexts.=20

Topics
Topics that could contribute to this session include, but are not limited
to, modeling humanitarian operations to improve:

=95 logistics and distribution of basic survival kits in crises affected
areas;
=95 prepositioning of goods in anticipation of needs;
=95 collaboration among organizations in the field to address common
challenges;
=95 planning and response to large-scale crises;=20
=95 utilization of donor funds;
=95 alignment of donor interests with beneficiary needs;
=95 emergency preparedness and response planning;
=95 transfer of lessons learned in the field to headquarter and emergency
preparedness plans;
=95 human resource management in preparation for emergencies; and=20
=95 relief operations ability to lead to sustained recovery.

Type of contribution:=20

The session allows academic and practitioner contributions.
=95 Academic contribution: we invite researchers from academia or researc=
h
labs to present their research or research-in-progress papers. Prospectiv=
e
presenters submit a regular research (or research-in-progress) paper.=20
=95 Practitioner contribution: we invite practitioners to present their
practice or experiences in information systems development, use or needs.
Prospective presenters submit a short practitioner paper or a Powerpoint
presentation along with an abstract.
Important Notice:=20
=95 All submissions must be formatted according to the ISCRAM 2009 format=
ting
guidelines. Templates and instructions are published on www.iscram.org.=20
=95 All submissions must be submitted through the ISCRAM 2009 conference =
paper
submission web page at www.conftool.com/iscram2009. Instructions for the
ConfTool system can be found on www.iscram.org.=20
=95 All papers and presentations will go through a double-blind review
process, leading to a decision of (conditional) acceptance or rejection.
=95 Accepted papers will be included in the ISCRAM 2009 program and publi=
shed
in the official proceedings if and only if=20
(1) the paper is formatted according to the instructions,=20
(2) the authors sign the copyright transfer form and=20
(3) one of the authors registers for the conference and pays the
registration fee before the cut-off date for early registration.=20
=95 Authors who have multiple papers accepted can only register for and
present one paper at the conference; co-authors need to register separate=
ly.
Important ISCRAM 2009 Dates:
=95 Submission deadline: January 11, 2009
=95 Notification of conditional accept: February 16, 2009
=95 Final submission revised paper: March 1, 2009
=95 Final author notification: March 9, 2009
=95 Early registration deadline: March 22, 2009
=95 Conference: May 10-13 2009
About ISCRAM:
The ISCRAM Community is a worldwide community of researchers, scholars,
teachers, students, practitioners and policy makers interested or activel=
y
involved in the subject of Information Systems for Crisis Response and
Management. At its annual international conference alternating between th=
e
US and Europe, the ISCRAM Community gathers to present and discuss the
latest research and developments in this growing area during an interacti=
ve
and stimulating 3 day program. The ISCRAM Community also organizes an
International Summer School for PhD students and ISCRAM-CHINA, an annual
conference for ISCRAM research in China. All information on ISCRAM can be
found at http://www.iscram.org=20
This year the conference will be held from 10-13 May at the G=F6teborg
University located in Gothenburg, Sweden. The conference will be hosted =
by
the Viktoria Institute and the IT-university of Gothenburg. All details o=
n
this conference will be made available via the ISCRAM website mentioned
above.
Posted by ""Paulo Goncalves"" <paulog@MIT.EDU>
posting date Mon, 5 Jan 2009 11:03:20 -0500

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