Less is more - Some cautions regarding mindless use of ICT in emergency management

Emergency management practice can be supported by ICT in many ways, and numerous ICT-based systems are available that offer support in the different phases of emergency management. Yet, many such systems do not provide as much support to emergency management as expected or wished for. In some situations they may even compromise emergency management performance, due to suboptimal adaptation to the people who use them. This paper describes aspects of human functioning that should be considered in the design of ICT-based emergency management support systems, and points out why they matter. This is illustrated with examples of GIS in emergency management. The paper also briefly sketches how better adjustment to end users can be incorporated into the design of ICT-based systems for emergency management support. It is recommended that human factors are properly considered in both the design and operational phases of ICT-based emergency management support systems, which can be realized through cooperation between experts in emergency management, human factors and GIS.