Information technology in emergency response and hazardous waste management

Abstract

The dangers to life and property resulting from various toxic releases are a matter of rising concern throughout the United States. Whether the focal problem is centered on “dump sites” or the often more spectacular hazardous waste incidents involving tanker truck explosions or manufacturing plant plumes, there is an acknowledged need for an orchestrated program of information collection, processing, and analysis from which can come the products and services useful to the emergency management community. Both public and private entities have assumed action responsibilities in this realm, and are seeking ways to achieve optimum collaborative results.     

“Saving Lives”: A computer simulation game for public education about emergencies

Abstract

One facet of the Information Revolution in which the nation finds itself involves the utilization of computers, video systems, and a variety of telecommunications capabilities by those who must cope with emergency situations. Such technologies possess a significant potential for performing emergency public education and transmitting key information that is essential for survival. An “Emergency Public Information Competitive Challenge Grant,” under the aegis of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has sponsored an effort to use computer technology—both large, time‐sharing systems and small personal computers—to develop “computer games” which will help teach techniques of emergency management to the public at large.     

Information technology and the developing world: Opportunities and obstacles

Abstract

The developing countries, although not homogeneous, share a growing recognition of the importance of information technology for fostering the development process. Rapid advancements in computer and telecommunications technologies offer new opportunities for improved resource management and for the successful employment of these tools in rural areas. Although developing nations have responded enthusiastically to the advantages of modem information technology, they are equally cognizant of the negative impact that reliance on foreign technology and services may have. As a result, developing countries are taking a number of actions—at the national, regional, and international levels—to ensure their active participation in the emerging Information Age.     

Conceptualizing and Measuring the Social Uses of the Internet: The Case of Personal Web Sites

The researchers working on information society measures have recently started to consider how people use the Internet not only as a tool but also as a platform for social relations. As the ultimate objective of information society measures is to provide reliable guidelines for social policy, finding criteria for separating “positive” uses of Internet from “negative” ones is an important task. This article employs the concepts of communicative and strategic action as defined by Habermas for that purpose. A general conceptual typology of three communicative and three strategic social uses of Internet is offered, which can be applied to measure uses of any of the Internet's interactive services. A specific empirical application to social uses of personal web sites demonstrates that the deduced measurement instruments achieve satisfying levels of validity and reliability.     

A Reviews of: “Towards a Sustainable Information Society: Deconstructing WSIS”

Abstract

In an effort to confront the key issue of where the information society is leading us, this essay begins where most discussions leave off: if advanced industrial societies are dedicating increasingly greater resources to the use of information services and technologies, what is the value of information in organizational and governmental processes? To assess the value of information: information technology, information/library science, information resource management, value/burden, organizational theory, and the economic theory of information. Based on this overview, we propose a conceptual framework which is sensitive to the major objectives and assumptions of previous approaches, but which also attempts to expand the criteria for the assessment of information value.     

Document: Public sector/private sector interaction in providing information services

Abstract

This paper uses an econometric analysis to explore the technology associated with the use of information services in manufacturing industries. A study of the 1972 data for 51 manufacturing industries indicates that the assumption of constant unitary elasticity of substitution between capital and information is probably not appropriate. This causes one to doubt the appropriateness of the Cobb‐Douglas production function to model the relationship between inputs and value added in these industries.

Using production functions more general than the Cobb‐Douglas, estimates of the elasticities of substitution between information and other inputs and of the marginal product of information are obtained. The estimates of the marginal product of information range from 2.3 to 3.7, and are consistent with the Hayes and Erickson conclusion that the firms in these industries underinvest in purchased information.     

The adoption and social impacts of information technology in U.S. agriculture

Abstract

By 1986 (a decade after their invention) microprocessors had diffused to about 18 percent of all U.S. households and 6 percent of U.S. farmers. In addition to general consumer uses, farm households in the United States utilize microcomputers for such small business applications as record keeping, word‐processing, payroll handling, etc. A special application of microprocessor technology occurred in 1980–1981 when 200 Kentucky farmers participated in a trial of the Green Thumb Box, a video‐text system providing market, weather, and technological information. The nature of the information needs of U.S. farm people seems to fit well with the new information technologies built around the microprocessor, although little of this potential has yet been realized. Since that experiment, videotex has shown itself to have doubtful value as a channel for the distribution of agricultural information, leaving open the question of what might be the best technological vehicle for this audience. Research is needed on two issues: (1) the adoption and use of the new communication technologies, and (2) their social impacts on rural society.     

Public information systems

Abstract

Public information systems are described and contrasted to commercial information systems. Three generations of public information systems are identified in close correspondence to the three generations of commercial information systems. Each generation is characterized in terms of the technology and the infrastructure required, the problems it alleviates, and the impact on society. Examples are given both of the traditional and the automated public information systems and the social problems they attack.     

Chinese Media,Global Contexts,edited by Chin-Chuan Lee. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003. xii + 275 pp. $95.00 cloth. ISBN 0-415-30334-6

Abstract

Several information processing technologies which are capable of augmenting human performance in handling a range of emergency situations are featured in this discussion. Among the more sophisticated systems which have proven useful in enhancing information collection, transmission, and selective processing are packet radio networks, “expert planning systems,” multiple‐satellite technology, and such related emerging developments as “internetting” and “machine intelligence.”     

The use of information technologies in dutch households

Abstract

In 1985 the Department of Household Sciences conducted research on Dutch households that use information technologies for domestic purposes. This research was part of a six‐nation research programme and was supported by the FAST‐II research activities of the EEC, and the Agricultural University of Wageningen. The use of three types of information technology was surveyed: home computer, Videotext, and Teletext. Analysis of the finding indicates the types of households likely to benefit from information technology in the future and groups households into three classes according to their attitudes to information technology—productivistic, hobbyist, and socially committed.     

Automated geography and emergency management

Abstract

The value of geographical knowledge to emergency managers at all levels of government is unquestioned. Maps have always been an important tool, and in recent years computers and new information technologies have expanded the ways in which geographical data can be utilized. Technical specialists continue to develop increasingly flexible and powerful tools which allow emergency managers to examine multiple parameter scenarios treating both human‐caused and natural disaster situations. The importance of establishing a coordination center and geographical information network, with appropriate computer support and staff expertise, is underscored in this discussion.     

Remapping the Digital Divide

Abstract

Just as the introduction of advanced information technologies—computers, telecommunications, microform systems, video and audio devices—into the realms of business, agriculture, education, various social services, and science has had a decided impact on those vital activities, so are these “tools” and their related methodologies having an effect on emergency management. The growing complexity of our society is necessitating changes in many institutions and processes, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the four phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. One approach to enhancing governmental preparedness, both at the federal and state‐local levels, is through the selective utilization of devices and networks which facilitate and improve the collection, storage, processing, and dissemination of information vital to those who must anticipate and cope with a range of disasters.     

Topic‐specific market concentration in the information services industry: Evidence from the DIALOG group of data bases

Abstract

Recent interest has been expressed in the potential of information technology to create new kinds of monopolies. This paper looks at production and marketing factors in the information services industry which may increase concentration in the hands of fewer producers, potentially leading to monopoly formation. The research develops an economic model of topic‐specific market concentration and delineates the factors which might cause monopolies to occur in the markets of information data base production firms. The model shows that market concentration rises with inelastic demand, reduced marginal costs and efficient technology, and increased data acquisition costs exacerbated by low rates of data obsolescence. These effects are empirically investigated in the DIALOG group of data bases. The results of the research have implications for corporate information systems and information systems in the public sector.     

Business teams in an information age

Abstract

A critical success factor for businesses in the twenty‐first century will be their ability to meet the environmental demands for complex coordination of action and rapid adjustments to volatile markets and global competition. Business teams are effective mechanisms for addressing the need for dynamic, flexible organizations that can effectively cope with complexity and turbulence.

Business teams are not a new phenomenon, but there is a new element in the equation: the use of information technologies (IT) to leverage team effort. Information technologies can enhance team performance through support of interaction processes by providing two types of functionality: coordination support and task execution support.

An agenda for action for moving forward a team‐based organization and use of information technologies for support of business teams is provided.     

The elusive office automation benefits

Abstract

American management is ill‐prepared to enter the information age. Utilizing information technology to cut costs and improve decision‐making requires a great deal more knowledge about administrative activities than top management currently possesses. Historically Americans have been poor administrators. Recently recognizing the problem, management turned to office automation as a solution. The rub is you cannot automate what you can't structurally represent. This article explores past conditions leading to this predicament and suggests a conceptual framework for its resolution.     

Rob Kling and the Irvine School

Abstract

During the Industrial Revolution, manufacturing and related commercial activities led to the evolution of “dense cores” of heavily populated areas. Fundamental to the operation of these industrial‐commercial cores was the development of service activities—banking, risk‐bearing, legal services—which depended on rapid exchange of information or quick “cycle times of information” for effective decision making and allocation of resources. As these cores radiate resources away from the central body toward less populated areas, the need for short cycle times of information in rural areas has become apparent. For example, modem agriculture is an enterprise that requires short time cycles of information exchange. The technology for building computer‐based information networks to facilitate the desired rapid transfer of information exists. However, the installation of hardware linked by reliable, cost‐effective communications networks is only in the beginning stages. One computer‐based information network that has successfully met the challenges of rapid transfer of agricultural management information to farmers is the University of Nebraska's AGNET system.     

Letter from the Editor-in-Chief

The design and use of information technologies are not as easily separated as they may seem. Designers have much at stake in the use of their software, while users are greatly influenced by the design of the software that they use. In this article, I explore the complex relationships built up between the designers and users of human anatomy simulations, including processes of cooperation and conflict. I develop and apply a three-step process for studying the design and use of a software product in its social context. First, it is important to focus on the social worlds of designers and users that influence the development of the technology. Next, the emphasis shifts to the technology itself, which can be viewed as a boundary object emerging from the intersection of the contributing social worlds. Finally, the technology exhibits agency by reshaping the relationships and interactions among the contributing social worlds.     

Teleports as precursors of the 21st century's information society

Abstract

All national information activities are increasingly interfaced through telecommunications. Today's users stand as witnesses to the formative stages of a totally networked society in the 21st century. Telecommunications technology lies at the root of formal concepts such as Inter‐Information Subjects Networks (IISNs) and National Information Systems (NISs), developed in the last few years. The term teleport refers to the new types of nodes that will form an overall integrated information traffic system. The challenge to all nations in the coming years is to provide or open these teleports to all types of national and social groups. Such teleports will give democracy a finished quality and otherwise bolster freedom by supporting the availability of all types of information.     

Technology and Globalisation: An Overview

Globalisation is a term too easily used without reference to the basic enabling role of technology. It is the interplay between available technology and the prevailing social processes, especially dominant institutional forms, which has essentially determined the long process of globalisation. This process has gone through phases exhibiting varying core characteristics as production, transport and communications technologies especially have interrelated with the institutional structures of nation states, military forces and firms especially. However, a general trend to geographical and tendentially global expansion has been constant, along with an intensification of information processing and communications capacity. The role of technology has been to enable this physical expansion culminating in globalisation, including the techno-industrial capacity that increasingly drove it through the construction of better and cheaper artefacts.     

Communication Gone Wired: Working Toward a "Practiced" Cyberfeminism

Abstract

Numerous environmental forces exist today that contribute to changing industry and market segments. The least studied of these is the impact of information systems which transcend traditional company boundaries. One of the subtle impacts of contemporary developments in information systems technology is the redefinition of traditional organizational and industrial boundaries. Examples of these interorganizational systems (referred to as IOS), reviewed by the author, imply that a wide range of organizations may have an opportunity to use these systems to improve their operations, services to their customers, and their competitive position.

Some of these systems raise public policy issues that are not well understood, nor are they being addressed in a comprehensive manner. This article is designed to provide a conceptual framework for thinking about these systems.