Supporting humanitarian relief logistics operations through online geocollaborative knowledge management

Over the past two years, horrific disasters such as the Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the Pakistan Earthquake have demonstrated the critical need for effective technological infrastructure that is scientifically grounded in geo-visual group interaction theory [1] and humanitarian knowledge management procedures [2] to quickly and effectively facilitate planning for predictable events and post-event response. In this demonstration, we address specific issues that negatively impact the effectiveness of geocollaborative process in disaster relief. These include lack of common group operating picture, lack of command structure understanding and blatant miscommunication and misunderstanding about where relief supplies needed to be delivered, who will deliver them, when they need to be delivered, and the relevancy of deliveries to stricken areas. Our approach improves on existing systems by using methods and technologies that meet the challenges of coordinating the efforts of diverse and spatially distributed private, public, and governmental agencies throughout the world responding to disasters. This is accomplished by applying new forms of distributed geospatial data, technology, and collaboration functionality. We present our progress on the development of the Geocollaborative Web Portal (GWP), an asynchronous, open source geospatial information framework designed to support international group interaction and knowledge management in the context of humanitarian relief logistics.