Volunteer Reputation Evaluation for Emergency Response Operations (T-0696) (MFN 5089)

Abstract

After the occurrence of a disaster, there is a dire need to handle the situation effectively. Disaster management helps people to cope with the situation with ease. It also reduces vulnerability to hazards. It is the collaboration of resources, relief organizations; NGO’s and volunteers, in order to mitigate the effects of the disaster. Volunteers play a vital role in each disaster management phase. The information provided by them is critical as they are the first line of response in any disaster situation. Natural and man-made disasters are constantly occurring leading to human casualties, infrastructure destruction, and financial losses. Volunteers and volunteer organizations participate actively in disaster management phases. Therefore, selecting and retaining skilled, motivated and competent volunteers is imperative. Existing Information & Communication Technology (ICT) based solutions only focus on resource allocation, team work and other disaster management activities. Conversely, none of these systems have addressed the issue of volunteers and their reputation. Reputation of a volunteer based on his personal traits and experience can be used for their selection for an emergency operation. It can also be used as a performance measurement tool during a particular operation. The current work proposes a volunteer reputation management system. In order to do so reputation indicators have been identified based on existing disaster management agencies literature. These reputation indicators form the basis of the reputation evaluation framework. For the purpose of evaluation and validation of the framework a survey has been conducted to get feedback from the disaster management agencies. The results of the survey helped in identifying certain aspects which are essential for a good reputation evaluation framework. A computational algorithm has also been proposed to measure the reputation score of a volunteer. This computational algorithm has been used later in the reputation management system. A systems dynamics model is also proposed consisting of causal loop diagrams (CLDs) & stock and flow diagram to help understand the underlying dynamics of building reputation over a period of time.