Disaster Management calls for papers / publications

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS): Geospatial Responses to Disasters: A Holistic Approach (Web-based GIS/Mobile Devices)

Guest Editors
Dr. Maria Antonia Brovelli, Politecnico di Milano
Dr. Piero Boccardo, Politecnico di Torino
Mr. David Alvarez, Fluor-B&W Portsmouth

The Internet is a valuable tool for communication and data dissemination. It provides an easy way to bring people together with common interests to exchange knowledge, ideas and technology regardless of their geographical location. In its role as an effective tool for communication, it can be invaluable for disaster management yet it has been underutilized. Access to spatial data, as well as advanced mapping and spatial analysis over the Internet, is critical for all stages of disaster management including preparedness, response and recovery.

Effective disaster management requires integration and distribution of historical, preplanned, and real-time information from various sources. This information must be reliable, accurate and understandable in the fastest time possible to carry out the required activities. It is in these situations where Geo-enabled web services and mobile GIS can be used to plan for, respond to and recover from emergency situations by providing responders with the most accurate information when it is most needed and with the ability to be updated consistently. In other words, Geo-enabled web services plus the mobile GIS give emergency management professionals the ability to assemble large amounts of public information about their community to analyze and use the information in a intelligent and efficient manner. This will also allow the personnel, on the ground, to collect, maintain and store vital information related to infrastructure, cadastre, street networks and land use; all of which make the response to the disaster more cohesive.

The exploitation of web services and mobile GIS can significantly increase the usage and accessibility of spatial data, which is a key requirement before, during and after any disaster. Also, recent growth and advancements of various technologies has helped mobile GIS enabled users to decrease task redundancy and keep their data current. Utilizing mobile GIS and web services is both a way to increase speed and accuracy of communication and data flow during disasters.

This Special Issue will solicit articles on the following topics:

• Web based multidimensional GIS for disaster management
• Data interoperability for disaster management
• Web-based geospatial disaster response
• Crisis mapping
• Crowd sourcing data collection before, during and after disasters
• Workflow to increase real-time accessibility of data
• Data standardization, organizational and legal aspects of sharing remote sensing information.
• Workflow to convert data into usable information.

Authors must prepare manuscripts according to the PE&RS Instructions to Authors, published in each issue of PE&RS and also available on the ASPRS web site at http:/www.asprs.org/pers/AuthorInstructions. All submissions will be peer-reviewed in accordance with PE&RS policy. Because of page limits, not all submissions recommended for acceptance by the review panel may be included in the Special Issue. Under this circumstance, the guest editors will select the most relevant papers for inclusion in the Special Issue. Papers that are reviewed favorably, but will not fit within the Special Issue, can be revised and submitted for review as a new paper to the PE&RS Editor-in-Chief for possible publication in a future regular issue of PE&RS. .

Please e-mail your manuscript directly to: David Alvarez, Email: davidalvarez76@gmail.com, Phone: (971) 225-0039

Important Dates:

Manuscripts Due: 11/01/12

Decision to Authors: 02/01/13

Final Papers Due: 03/01/13

Publication: 10/01/13

Call for Papers for a Special Issue of the International Journal of Human Factors and Ergonomics

Guest Editors:

Assist. Prof. Isabel L. Nunes, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal
Assoc. Prof. Prof. Pamela McCauley Bush, University of Central Florida, USA

There has been a global trend over the last decade for increase in the frequency and impact of natural and man-made disasters (Guha-Sapir et al. 2011). Statistical data indicates that in 2010 there were 385 natural disasters worldwide, killing more than 297,000 people, affecting over 217 million people and causing about 124 billion US dollars in economic losses. Countries, states, international organisations and civil society are often called upon to intervene collectively in the resolution of civil crises using a process usually referred to as emergency management.

Emergency management is a complex decision-making process with the objective of creating a framework within which communities reduce vulnerability to hazards, and organise themselves to respond to disasters and recover from them. It is a relatively new discipline which has a high degree of uncertainty. The timeliness of response in times of crisis impacts collaboration options, highlighting the importance of a systems approach.

The interdisciplinary science of human factors and ergonomics, being concerned with people and their successful interaction with all forms of technology, must be applied in every phase and action of the emergency management cycle.

Emergency management would profit from the benefits of the application of a human-centred philosophy to the design and operation of its vast activities and technical systems. Human factors and ergonomics should be used in order to ameliorate and prevent death and injury from similar events in the future.

This special issue is intended to publish and disseminate the newest state-of-the-art in the area of human factors and ergonomics in emergency management. Authors are encouraged to submit technical papers that employ both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, case studies, and papers presenting new methodologies and procedures.

References
Guha-Sapir, D., Vos, F., Below, R., Ponserre, S. (2011) Annual Disaster Statistical Review 2010: The numbers and trends. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. Université Catholique de Louvain.

Subject Coverage

Suitable topics include but are not limited to:

HFE issues of collaboration and information sharing in emergency management
Biomechanics issues in emergency response activities
Design and development of products for emergency response and management
Macro-ergonomic aspects of emergency management
Risk and rewards related to HFE in emergency management systems
HFE in the development of emergency management systems
Ergonomic intervention in emergency management
Ergonomic intelligent training systems in emergency management
Participatory ergonomics in emergency management
Stress in emergency management
Cost justification of ergonomic improvements in emergency management systems
Usability and human-centred design in emergency management systems
Improving interaction maturity in distributed emergency management
HFE aspects of agile organisations for emergency management
Cognitive issues in emergency management tasks
Other topics related with the theme of the special issue

Notes for Prospective Authors

Submitted papers should not have been previously published nor be currently under consideration for publication elsewhere. (N.B. Conference papers may only be submitted if the paper was not originally copyrighted and if it has been completely re-written).

All papers are refereed through a peer review process. A guide for authors, sample copies and other relevant information for submitting papers are available on the Author Guidelines page http://www.inderscience.com/mapper.php?id=31

Important Dates

Submission deadline: 15 July, 2012

Acceptance notification: 15 September, 2012

Final paper due: 15 November, 2012

All papers must be submitted online.

Call for Papers: American Journal of Clinical Medicine

The American Journal of Clinical Medicine (AJCM) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the American Association of Physician Specialists, Inc. (AAPS), an organization dedicated to promoting the highest intellectual, moral, and ethical standards of its members. Its diversity incorporates physicians that represent a broad spectrum of specialties including anesthesiology, dermatology, diagnostic radiology, disaster medicine, emergency medicine, family medicine/OB, family practice, geriatric medicine, hospital medicine, internal medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, ophthalmology, orthopedic surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, psychiatry, radiation oncology, general surgery, and urgent care medicine.

To further the goals of AAPS, which include providing education for its members and promoting the study, research, and improvement of its various specialties, the AJCM invites submissions of high-quality review articles, clinical reports, case reports, or original research on any topic which has potential to impact the daily practice of medicine.

Publication in the AJCM is one of the criteria to qualify for the prestigious Degree of Fellow within the Academies of Medicine of the AAPS.

Isuue Deadlines:

Summer 2012 • Vol. 9, No. 3 May 1, 2012
Fall 2012 • Vol. 9, No. 4 August 1, 2012

Contact AAPS
5550 West Executive Dr., Suite 400
Tampa, FL 33609
(813) 433-2277
Fax (813) 830-6599

Call for Papers for a Special Symosium of Reason Papers: The Epistemology, Ethics, and Politics of Emergencies

Fall 2014 Symposium: The Epistemology, Ethics, and Politics of Emergencies

The Editors of Reason Papers are soliciting submissions of manuscripts for a special symposium on emergencies (due by March 1, 2014). Send submissions to reasonpapers@gmail.com. Inquiries welcome.

Submissions may grapple with any of a wide variety of issues related to emergencies (not an exhaustive list): How is “emergency” to be defined? How do we know when we enter/exit an emergency? How should moral and legal norms be formulated so as to take stock of emergencies–if they should? Are moral norms defeasible in the face of emergencies, or specially contextualized so as to preserve their indefeasibility? Who has special authority for decision-making in an emergency? How best to guard against abuses of power or corruptions of norms in emergency situations?

We’re looking for submissions across the broadest spectrum of relevant disciplines–philosophy, political science, legal studies, history, sociology, anthropology, medicine, criminology/police studies, strategic/military studies, etc.

Reason Papers is a peer-reviewed scholarly journal appearing annually each fall. It features book reviews and review essays along with full-length articles, symposia, and discussion notes of previously published articles. All manuscripts submitted for consideration as Articles are subject to a blind peer-review process (see Submissions page for instructions), and all contributions are subject to internal editorial review. Not limited to philosophy, we publish work by economists, legal scholars, political scientists, historians, and others, provided the content is normative in the philosophical sense. In addition to articles on moral, social/political, and legal philosophy, we also run essays on epistemology, aesthetics, art history, and classics.