Mobile Ad Hoc Network-Enabled Collaboration Framework

Supporting Civil Engineering Emergency

Response Operations
Feniosky Peña-Mora1; Albert Y. Chen2; Zeeshan Aziz3; Lucio Soibelman4; Liang Y. Liu5; Khaled El-Rayes6;
Carlos A. Arboleda7; Timothy S. Lantz Jr.8; Albert P. Plans9; Sanyogita Lakhera10; and Shobhit Mathur11

Abstract: This paper presents an information-technology-based collaboration framework that facilitates disaster response operations. The
collaboration framework incorporates a web collaboration service, radio frequency identification 共RFID兲 tags, a building blackbox system
共BBS兲, a geo-database, and a geographic information system 共GIS兲. Through the integration of these technologies, the framework provides
a collaboration medium for first responders, including civil engineers, to cohesively respond to disasters. Access to critical building
information, such as construction documents, through the BBS supports assessments of building integrity during disaster response.
Building assessment information is stored on RFID tags, which are accessible to first responders through digital devices via a wireless ad
hoc network. With on-site assessment information shown on a digital map, decision makers locate, collect, and distribute critical resources
through the GIS to first responders. In addition, the decision makers at distributed locations evaluate the incident through discussion
sessions, hosted by the web collaboration environment, for integrated decision making. Test-bed simulations for the framework have been
carried out with encouraging results at the training ground of the Illinois Fire Service Institute.
DOI: 10.1061/共ASCE兲CP.1943-5487.0000033

CE Database subject headings: Disasters; Emergency services; Damage; Assessment; Information systems; Information management;
Geographic information systems; Computer networks.
Author keywords: Disasters; Emergency services; Damage assessment; Information systems; Information management; Ad hoc
networks; Geographic information systems.

Introduction 共McGuigan 2002; McKinsey 2002; Foltz 2003; National Com-

A lack of communication, coordination, and standardization be-
tween different organizations and first responders continue to be
obstacles to disaster response operations 共Meissner et al. 2002;
National Commission 2004; SBC 2006兲. Obstacles faced during
recent disaster response operations, such as the 9/11 terrorist at-
tacks and Hurricane Katrina, have been discovered and studied
mission 2004; Meeds 2006; SBC 2006兲. To address the obstacles,
some researchers have focused on overcoming communication
issues with computer networks 共Noda and Hatayama 2004兲, tele-
communication 共Harbi 2002; Oh 2003兲, and mobile communica-
tion 共Louhisuo et al. 2004; Choi et al. 2006兲, while others have
proposed the utilization of infrastructure health monitoring sys-

1
Dean of The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Sci-
ence and Morris A. and Alma Schapiro Professor of Civil Engineering
and Engineering Mechanics, Earth and Environmental Engineering, and
Computer Science, Columbia Univ., 510 S. W. Mudd Bldg., 500 W. 120th
St., New York, NY 10027. E-mail: feniosky@columbia.edu
2
Ph.D. Student, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana,
IL 61801 共corresponding author兲. E-mail: aychen2@uiuc.edu
3
Lecturer, School of Built Environment, Univ. of Salford, The Cres-
cent, Salford, Greater Manchester, UK M5 4WT. E-mail: z.aziz@
salford.ac.uk
4
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Carnegie Mellon Univ., 118 N. Porter Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. E-mail:
lucio@andrew.cmu.edu
5
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana,
IL 61801. E-mail: lliu1@uiuc.edu
6
Associate Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana,
IL 61801. E-mail: elrayes@uiuc.edu
7
Visiting Assistant Professor, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engi-
neering, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave.,
Urbana, IL 61801. E-mail: carboled@uiuc.edu
8
Student, Dept. of Computer Science, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-
Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801. E-mail: tlantz@uiuc.edu
9
Graduate Student, Dept. of Project Engineering, Univ. Politècnica de
Catalunya–ETSEIAT, Barcelona 8034, Spain. E-mail: albert.plans@
upc.edu
10
Advanced Technology Associate, Citi Financial, Wall St., New York,
NY 10005. E-mail:sanyogita.lakhera@citi.com
11
Master Student, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering,
Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 205 N. Mathews Ave., Urbana,
IL 61801. E-mail: smathur3@uiuc.edu
Note. This manuscript was submitted on May 16, 2008; approved on
July 2, 2009; published online on January 22, 2010. Discussion period
open until October 1, 2010; separate discussions must be submitted for
individual papers. This paper is part of the Journal of Computing in
Civil Engineering, Vol. 24, No. 3, May 1, 2010. ©ASCE, ISSN 0887-
3801/2010/3-302–312/$25.00.

302 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010

tems 共Aktan et al. 2002兲 and geographic information systems
共GIS兲 for emergency response operations 共Nakatani et al. 2002;
Lu 2004; Okada et al. 2004; Tobita and Fukuwa 2004; Kwan and
Lee 2005; Kristensen et al. 2006; Pradhan et al. 2007兲. Access to
a collaborative medium that allows efficient and effective disaster
response is imperative. However, the integration of various tech-
nologies through a single framework to improve collaboration
in current disaster response operations is not yet adequately
addressed.
This paper presents research as part of the “collaboration
framework to prepare against, respond to, and recover from di-
sasters 共CP2R兲” project supported by the National Science Foun-
dation 共NSF兲. Civil engineers, with the professional knowledge
and skills for precise and accurate infrastructure damage assess-
ments, are not normally part of, or available to, the first responder
teams. Thus, in addition to the usual triad of first responders
共i.e., firefighters, police, and medical personnel兲, civil engineers
are envisioned to play a key role in the first response operations
共Prieto 2002; Aldunate et al. 2006兲. The goal of the CP2R project
is to develop an integrated framework through a combination of
various collaboration patterns supported by a robust and reliable
information technology 共IT兲 platform for decision makers and
first responders, including civil engineers, to collectively mitigate
impact cause by disasters.
Motivation
Urban areas have been continuously vulnerable to extreme events
共XEs兲 throughout the past few decades 关Mileti 1999; Tierney
et al. 2001; Columbia/Wharton Roundtable 共CWR兲 2004;
Godschalk 2003兴. There are challenges that made disaster re-
sponse operations extremely difficult. The 9/11 terrorist attacks
共National Commission 2004兲 and Hurricane Katrina 共Meeds
2006; SBC 2006兲 revealed these critical obstacles. The following
sections present obstacles in communication and coordination,
building assessment, and logistics management.
Communication and Coordination
Communication and coordination capabilities are critical but vul-
nerable during XEs 共Kevany 2005兲. A lack of interorganizational
and intraorganizational coordination leads to the delay and dupli-
cation of disaster response efforts. For example, during and after
Hurricane Katrina, there were communication and coordination
deficiencies within and between the three levels of government:
local, state, and federal 共SBC 2006兲. The confusion over resource
deliveries caused by remote officials diverting supply trucks with-
out communicating with the incident command led to poor coor-
dination 共SBC 2006兲. As a result, resource management was not
under control by the authorities. Furthermore, due to ineffective
communication between organizations, Federal Emergency Man-
agement Agency 共FEMA兲 officials claimed they were unaware of
thousands of people trapped in the New Orleans Conventional
Center, while the media was showing the situation repeatedly to
the national audience 共Meeds 2006兲. Most importantly, inoper-
ability issues had great influence on communication and situ-
ational awareness that lead to inefficient coordination of first
response operations 共Meeds 2006兲.
Communication and coordination problems are also affected
by a lack of communication infrastructure. During XEs, first re-
sponders communicate and coordinate among themselves through
radio systems, as infrastructure-based communication is usually
JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010 / 303
collapsed, unreliable, or overloaded 共Aldunate et al. 2006; SBC
2006兲. However, radio systems are not sufficient for information
dissemination. To have an effective disaster response, first re-
sponders depend on real-time critical information to make precise
judgments. During Hurricane Katrina, one of the methods emer-
gency management agencies 共EMAs兲 used to transmit textual in-
formation was through daisy chains. This includes writing notes
and running documents from officer to officer to send the infor-
mation back to the incident command post 共Jenkins 2006兲. Yet, in
dynamic and chaotic situations such as XEs, the efficiency of
information dissemination influences critical decision making for
execution of live-saving operations. As a result, there is a need to
integrate information across different organizations and to have a
communication medium capable to transmit critical information
to facilitate decision making and augment situational awareness
共NRC 1999兲.
Building Assessment
The damage and collapse of critical infrastructures, such as build-
ings and bridges, has become one of the most vital and challeng-
ing issues in urban search and rescue 共US&R兲 operations during
and after XEs 共McGuigan 2002兲. Civil engineers depend on
building information to make accurate structural integrity assess-
ments to support US&R. However, access to building information
is often limited during disaster response 共Tsai et al. 2008兲. As a
result, the efficiency of US&R operations is influenced by the
time spent on retrieving critical information. The probability of
rescuing victims under a collapsed building decreases by 50% or
more after the first 24 h 共Mizuno 2001兲. The longer first respond-
ers spend on accessing critical information for decision making,
the higher the probability of having more casualties caused by a
delay of response efforts. Therefore, efficient access to critical
building information is vital to disaster response operations.
Building assessment results need to be visible to both decision
makers in the incident command post and the first responders in
the disaster zone. The decision makers need to have thorough
information of the disaster in order to make critical decisions,
while the first responders need to be aware of the condition of the
surrounding buildings to perform successful US&R safely. How-
ever, the current mechanism of information transmission needs
improvement. Building assessment documents are sent back to
the incident command post via paper format, which can easily
take up to 24 h. In addition, the results of building assessments
are currently marked on the buildings with the international or-
ange spray paint for on-site situational awareness. However, cur-
rent building markings have several shortcomings. There are
overlaps, differences, and priorities in the building marking sys-
tems used by different levels of government. This leads to confu-
sion and result in remarking and reworking of the building
assessments whenever higher level governments join the response
operations. Furthermore, smoke and debris within the disaster
area delay US&R operations as the building markings may not be
visible to first responders.
Logistics Management
Logistics are required for US&R and the functional restore of
infrastructures. However, insufficient communication and data
sharing among different organizations hampers the awareness and
coordination of available resources. For example, during Hurri-
cane Katrina, the ability of the authorities to deploy the right
people and equipment at the right place and time was influenced
 Fig. 1. 共a兲 Use-case for building assessment; 共b兲 sequence diagram for critical information retrieval
by shortcomings in the interoperability, functional damage, and
inefficient mechanisms of communication 共Meeds 2006兲.
During XEs, limited resources must be allocated to the first
responders. However, logistics management is a major obstacle to
response operations in recent XEs 共Halton 2006兲. There were
challenges in collection, prioritization, and delivery of resources
during Hurricane Katrina 共Kevany 2005兲. School buses were
available for evacuation in New Orleans before the landfall, while
no suitable bus drivers were standing by for deployment 共SBC
2006兲. After the landfall, buses were soaked in the flood and
thousands of people were trapped. During the 9/11 terrorist at-
tacks, the authorities were not fully aware of available resources,
which led to ineffective deployment 共National Commission
2004兲. EMAs discovered that resource management is extremely
important to disaster response: “Throughout the government,
nothing has been harder for officials than to set priorities, making
hard choices in allocating limited resources” 共National Commis-
sion 2004兲.
Objective
In the previous sections, the challenges discovered in recent XEs
are highlighted. This paper presents an IT-based collaboration
framework that addresses these challenges. The framework inte-
grates research areas in real-time communication and coordina-
tion, digitized building assessment and its document retrieval, and
automated resource management.
Problem Statement
To achieve the objective, system requirements are discovered,
understood, and implemented for the IT-based collaboration
framework. The requirements have been discovered based on
conversations and regular meetings held with domain experts in-
cluding decision makers 共Champaign County EMA兲, fire fighters
共Illinois Fire Service Institute兲, structural specialists 共U.S. Army
Construction Engineering Research Laboratory兲, and FEMA
US&R first responders 共Massachusetts Task Force I兲. These do-
main experts have been deployed to disasters such as the 9/11
terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, and Hurricane Rita. Within
304 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010
these meetings, system requirements in the form of use-cases and
graphical user interfaces 共GUI兲 are established based on the ex-
perience of these domain experts. The following requirements are
identified and summarized for the collaboration framework:
1. A unified communication medium to coordinate geographi-
cally distributed response units and decision makers with ac-
cess from generic digital devices.
2. On-site access of real-time digital building information
through digital devices. Building information is preserved
electronically to be accessible to first responders.
3. On-site building assessment through digital devices. Elec-
tronic assessment information is propagated to first respond-
ers and decision makers.
4. Instant access of critical resource information. Available re-
sources are shown on a map with attributes to facilitate ro-
bust resource assignment.
5. Automated resource management decision making, which in-
cludes digital requests, real-time shortest path finding, and
resource prioritization and scheduling.
Requirements are documented for developers and stakeholders
to work closely throughout the development and testing phases
共Kroll and Kruchten 2003兲. Artifacts, such as use-cases and se-
quence diagrams, are commonly used to document functional re-
quirements of IT systems. Through these artifacts, developers
recognize the requirements and stakeholders understand the capa-
bilities of the developing software. Use-cases and sequence dia-
grams are used during the inception phase of the CP2R system
development. Use-cases visualize the tasks that users can perform
through the IT system. For example, a use-case for building as-
sessment is shown in Fig. 1共a兲 with available tasks such as “create
new evaluation” and “get critical information.” On the other hand,
the sequence diagrams illustrate the procedures that the IT system
executes for specific functionalities. A sequence diagram is shown
in Fig. 1共b兲 for information retrieval such as request for building
information.
Collaboration Framework
This section presents a collaboration framework composed of five
subsystems. Each subsystem has its own assignment to improve
current disaster response operations. As a whole, they form a
 Fig. 2. Collaboration framework

collaboration framework that supports cohesive collaboration and
coordination, robust on-site building assessment, and effective re-
source deployment.
Fig. 2 depicts an overview of the collaboration framework
共Chen et al. 2007兲. The framework is composed of a central col-
laboration medium layer, an on-site building assessment operation
layer, and a resource management layer. The following sections
discuss the system components and their integration into a whole.
Collaboration Medium
inMeeting 共Peña-Mora and Dwivedi 2002兲 is the core component
of the integrated collaboration framework. The distributed client
server architecture of inMeeting provides critical functionalities
to augment communication and coordination among the first re-
sponders and decision makers. inMeeting enables the first re-
sponders, distributed throughout the disaster zone, to coordinate
and share critical information through its generic device access
and conferencing, polling, and application sharing capabilities.
The system architecture and user interface of inMeeting are
shown in Fig. 3. The system consists of three components: client,
server, and third-party resources 共Peña-Mora and Dwivedi 2002兲.
Limited computational power and hardware specifications are
required for the client application. Thus, a variety of lightweight
digital devices such as personal digital assistants 共PDAs兲 and
cellphones are capable of running the client application. The in-
Meeting server provides an efficient web conferencing environ-
ment, which serves different client devices through the generic
device access interface. Various meeting protocols, such as free-
style, lecture, chalk passing, chairman, and side conversations,
have been implemented. These meeting styles are control strate-
gies that are the same as those in actual meetings. The control
strategies provide meeting participants an environment for effec-
tive discussions to facilitate decision making. The third-party
software interacts with the inMeeting server through a generic
software component interface. The server provides an image bit-
map of third-party applications for client access. Third-party ap-

Fig. 3. inMeeting architecture and server interfacing client devices

JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010 / 305

 Fig. 4. System architecture and user interface of BAS
plications, such as AutoCAD 共2009兲 and ArcGIS 共2009兲, which
usually require heavy computational power and specific hardware
and software support, are accessible to client devices. Addition-
ally, the inMeeting server provides a generic interface to effort-
lessly add and remove third-party applications as independent
modules.
In summary, the decision makers and first responders can hold
web meetings and access third-party software and critical infor-
mation with a variety of devices through inMeeting. The first
responders can access off-site construction documents when as-
sessing building integrity on-site. This greatly reduces the time
overhead of accessing off-site information. As a result, disaster
response operations can be expedited through the flexible com-
munication and simple software access provided by inMeeting.
On-Site Assessment Operations
Two system components are presented in this section: building
assessment system 共BAS兲 and building blackbox system 共BBS兲.
The BAS provides on-site first responders an interface to assess
damaged buildings through digital devices. BBS offers the first
responders electronic access to critical building information. To-
gether, the BAS and BBS make on-site building assessment op-
erations more efficient and robust.
Building Assessment System
The BAS automates on-site building assessment operations dur-
ing XEs. The BAS is based on the Applied Technology Council’s
共ATC兲 procedures for postearthquake building safety assessment.
First responders assess the building integrity in a standard ATC
building evaluation form and store the results on radio frequency
identification 共RFID兲 tags through the BAS 共Peña-Mora et al.
2008兲.
The BAS has a five-tier architecture 共Fig. 4兲, which provides
flexibility for system extension and software swapping 共Aziz
et al. 2009兲. The BAS is developed in C# with the .NET Frame-
work 2.0 and Compact Framework 2.0. The networking protocol
306 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010
of the BAS utilizes user datagram protocol 共UDP兲 and transmis-
sion control protocol 共TCP兲 through standard 802.11 networks in
the ad hoc mode. The BAS communicates with RFID tags
through i-CARD III with the application programming interface
共API兲 developed by IDENTEC 共2008兲. Data persistence and ex-
change within the BAS are encoded in extensible markup lan-
guage 共XML兲 format.
During disaster response, first responders are equipped with
RFID tags and 802.11 networking enabled mobile devices such as
PDAs or tablet PCs. Within the disaster zone, the first responders
set up a wireless ad hoc network with these mobile devices. The
ad hoc network provides computer network communication with-
out any infrastructure-based communication such as cellular net-
work and internet. When the first responders arrive at a particular
building, they place a RFID tag on the building. A GUI with
standard ATC building assessment forms is provided by the BAS.
The building assessment is performed and the result is stored on
the RFID tag. Afterward, a reduced format of the building assess-
ment information is distributed throughout the network with a
color-coded marker shown on the map representing the location
of the building. Markers are color coded with green, yellow, or
red according to the building conditions: safe, restricted, or dan-
gerous, respectively 共Fig. 4兲. With the building assessment infor-
mation visible on digital devices, the situational awareness of the
first responders is enhanced. Detailed building evaluation infor-
mation can be retrieved, through the networking protocol, by
clicking on the marker on the digital map. Fig. 4 shows the sys-
tem architecture of the BAS and its GUI with color-coded loca-
tions of the RFID tags. The square markers 共yellow and red兲 on
the map of the GUI represent two damaged buildings already
assessed at the moment.
The BAS solves several existing difficulties of building assess-
ment. No overlaps and differences in the building marking sys-
tems used by different levels of government will preserve.
Whenever a higher level of government joins the disaster re-
sponse operations, the BAS is used to view and edit previous
assessments. This reduces remarking and reworking. Instead of
using the orange spray paint on walls or columns, the on-site
building assessment information is stored electronically through
 Fig. 5. BBS information request 共adapted from Tsai et al. 2008兲
digital devices. Smoke and debris no longer affect the visibility
of on-site building assessment information. Furthermore, the
building assessment information is disseminated to the incident
command post electronically via the wireless ad hoc network.
Therefore, the time overhead is reduced without having officers to
pass hardcopy documents back to the command post.
Building Blackbox System
The BBS provides the first responders with building information
during disasters 共Tsai et al. 2007, 2008兲. Building blackboxes are
preinstalled in buildings with digital building design documents.
Once an XE occurs, an ad hoc network is established between the
blackbox and digital devices for the first responders to access
information. The integration of existing building sensing and con-
trol systems into the BBS is envisioned to provide abundant
building information to the first responders for successful US&R
operations. In addition, the BBS is designed to be disaster surviv-
able. High temperature resistant and high strength geo-polymer
materials are used for its physical protection to ensure informa-
tion availability after the impact of XEs.
The BBS incorporates the mobile ad hoc space for colla-
boration 共MASC兲 as the basis of the communication network
共Aldunate et al. 2006兲. The MASC is a distributed system that
supports collaboration in first response operations. Collaboration
capabilities of the MASC, such as ad hoc distributed shared
memory and data replication, provide high availability and trans-
parency of information and resource during disaster response.
In Fig. 5, the process of information request for the BBS is
shown from a user’s point of view. The first responders request
building information through the GUI and the application sends
the request to the building blackbox through HTTP protocol. The
BBS queries its database and responds to the request. Finally, the
GUI shows the received document to the first responders. From
the system’s point of view, BBS serves as a central information
service containing on-site critical building information. An inter-
face is provided to integrate building information components and
establishes a wireless ad hoc network for communication. Data
redundancy mechanisms at backup database servers are estab-
lished to ensure the availability of critical building information. A
JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010 / 307
proposed concept of the BBS, still under development, is to inte-
grate neighboring BBSs, embedded structural sensors, and build-
ing control systems. In addition, a plug-in interface for structural
analysis tools is envisioned to provide the first responders precise
structural health conditions. Real-time structural analysis and
building control systems such as building security, electricity, and
elevator systems will be accessible through the BBS. As a result,
the BBS offers the first responders with various functionalities for
on-site building information access and building system control.
Resource Management
In this section, two system components for resource management
are presented. The emergency resource repository portal 共E2RP兲
is a web-based geo-database service that gives access of resource
information to on-site and off-site decision makers. The auto-
mated resource management system 共ARMS兲 alternatively pro-
vides an automated route finding service for resource allocation to
support disaster response operations.
Emergency Resource Repository Portal
Resources such as construction equipment and professional
personnel are urgently needed in disaster response operations. Lo-
gistical information serves an important role in decision making
for resource allocation. The E2RP is a web-based geo-database
共Fig. 6兲 implemented with an open-source GIS Web service,
MapServer 共2009兲, and a database, PostgreSQL/PostGIS 共2009兲,
with geospatial extensions 共Chen et al. 2008兲.
Through a client-server architecture 共Fig. 6兲, the E2RP re-
quires low hardware specifications for clients; the server performs
the heavy computational analysis. The clients simply view and
query the content on the server through a web browser. The user
interface of the E2RP 共Fig. 6兲 provides predefined dropdown lists
and checkboxes for common data queries. Advanced users can
query the database with complex structured query language
共SQL兲. Different from relational databases, spatial queries are
available with geo-databases. Decision makers not only acquire
resource information more efficiently through the database, but
also perform geospatial analysis such as the distance, union, and
 Fig. 6. System architecture and user interface of E2RP
intersections of different spatial entities. For example, the deci-
sion makers can query for available resources within a specific
radius from any location on the map. This narrows down candi-
date resources to expedite decision making.
The E2RP provides information such as National Incident
Management System 共NIMS兲 resource types 共NIMS 2007兲, spa-
tial locations, and quantities of available resources. EMAs use
NIMS as standard types, which categorize resource functionality
and capacity. Through the E2RP, first responders search for re-
sources that suit their needs based on the NIMS standard types.
Future expansions of the E2RP include real-time update and syn-
chronization of the database with inventory systems and location
tracking systems for resource update and redeployment. In sum-
mary, the E2RP provides the decision makers and first responders
with resource information and access to spatial analysis to expe-
dite logistics management for disaster response operations.
Automated Resource Management System
During XEs, the first responders need to immediately reach the
disaster zone with the required equipment for instant responses.
However, the efficiency of disaster response operations is ham-
pered due to the high probability of vehicle rerouting 共Kwan and
Lee 2005兲. The ARMS is a GIS-based system that generates fast-
est routes to the disaster sites from multiple resource locations
共Chen et al. 2008兲. The ARMS utilizes the network analyst exten-
sion of ArcGIS 共2009兲 as an engine to generate the fastest routes
using a two-way Dijkstra’s algorithm 共ESRI 2009兲.
Before any geospatial analysis can be carried out, geospatial
data must be collected and processed. Rather than building a new
road network from scratch, the ARMS updates existing road net-
work data with traffic conditions using full blockages 共FBs兲 and
partial blockages 共PBs兲. While FBs terminate the traffic flow of
road sections, PBs, not part of the ArcGIS network analyst exten-
sion, diminish the traffic flow by a certain amount of value ac-
cording to the reported traffic condition. FBs and PBs are the
mechanisms for the ARMS to control the edge values of the road
308 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010
network. As a result, FBs and PBs enable the ARMS to present a
realistic road network for fastest route analysis.
The execution of the network analyst requires complex and
time-consuming preparation steps in the network analyst toolbox
of ArcGIS. To address this challenge, the ARMS automates
the preparation and analysis procedure of the network analyst
through an add-on application. The application is implemented
with ArcObjects 共ESRI 2009兲 in Visual Basic for Applications
共VBA兲. Users select the target location from the GUI to activate
the network analyst and the fastest routes are automatically pro-
duced. Fig. 7 shows the GUI of the ARMS running an example
route simulation provided with the road network data from the
Champaign County GIS Consortium, with the Illinois Fire Ser-
vice Institute 共IFSI兲 as the destination for resource deployment.
The ARMS improves the current process of resource deploy-
ment in disaster response operations. A route-finding analysis is
automated by the ARMS for resource distribution. On-site first
responders, including civil engineers, can request equipment from
the ARMS through PDAs. The ARMS has a client-server archi-
tecture 共Fig. 7兲. Requests are sent to the ARMS through XML
format and the ARMS performs the path-finding analysis. The
resource request format follows the NIMS standardized resource
types 共NIMS 2007兲. Fig. 7 shows a TCP/IP network connection
that streams a resource request from a client application to the
ARMS service. Potential expansions of the ARMS include deci-
sion making for resource assignment, resource redeployment, and
automated traffic condition tracking.
Integration of inMeeting, BAS, BBS, ARMS,
and E2RP
In the previous sections, the system components of the CP2R
collaboration framework are presented. The integration of these
subsystems into one collaboration framework provides users with
a unified interface for communication and coordination, building
assessment, and logistics management. A single ad hoc network
established in the disaster zone integrates the communication me-
 Fig. 7. System architecture and user interface of ARMS
dium of inMeeting, BAS, and BBS, while the E2RP and ARMS
operate and show resource information to meeting participants
through the software component interface of inMeeting.
The integration of the BAS, BBS, and inMeeting with a single
framework provides the first responders a unified system to oper-
ate. The BAS, BBS, and inMeeting synchronize communication
through a single ad hoc network. The BAS is currently under
integration with the BBS and inMeeting through the bottom two
tiers of the BAS system architecture 共Fig. 4兲 as plug-ins 共Aziz
et al. 2009兲, providing a unified user interface in the BAS to
retrieve information from the BBS and run meeting sessions on
inMeeting. Cross-referenced information from these systems
strengthens the on-site situational awareness of the first respond-
ers and supports assessment operations with critical building
documents.
Challenges have been discovered for the system integrations.
Unpredictable network partitions and multipurpose entities on the
ad hoc space make communication unstable. Currently, a periodic
gossiping mechanism is used to inform neighboring devices of the
existence of network connections. The network attempts to come
to a stable state by exchanging information between peers. While
the connectivity of the network is not guaranteed at any given
point, information can be propagated from one partition to an-
other by as little as one connection. However, if several subgraphs
of the network stay partitioned over a long period of time, the
short range of 802.11 wireless signals limits the ability to spread
information to a geographically separated portion of the group
effectively. The capacities of ad hoc networks greatly depend on
the topology of the networks 共Li et al. 2001兲. Yet there is no
guarantee of the network topology in a dynamic and chaotic situ-
ation such as XEs, while no communication protocol is useful in
the face of long standing network partitions. Additionally, stream-
ing a large amount of packets across the ad hoc network congests
the network and exhausts the battery life of digital devices
quickly.
The integration of inMeeting, ARMS, and E2RP facilitates de-
cision making for resource allocation. Although the ARMS pro-
vides the resource allocation route finding with road network
condition update, the collection of resource information has not
JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010 / 309
been implemented. The E2RP, on the other hand, provides de-
tailed resource information. With the ARMS querying resource
information from the E2RP through activeX data objects 共ADO兲
connections, the collection of the resource information and deter-
mination of the fastest path to allocate these resources is accom-
plished and automated. Meeting participants of inMeeting are
able to visualize and make decisions for resource allocation based
on the resource queries and route analysis. As a result, the inte-
gration of inMeeting, ARMS, and E2RP achieves the goal of
implementing IT systems to support decision making for resource
distribution in disaster response.
The integration of inMeeting, BAS, BBS, E2RP, and ARMS
has great benefit to disaster collaboration and coordination. An
overview of the integrated collaboration framework is shown in
Fig. 2. The E2RP and ARMS form the resource management
layer, while the BAS and BBS form the on-site assessment op-
eration layer. With inMeeting hosting the web meeting environ-
ment in the collaboration medium layer, a unified communication
interface for overall coordination is established. When a web col-
laboration forum is engaged by distributed first responders and
decision makers, inMeeting offers an interface to share applica-
tions, such as the BAS, ARMS, and E2RP, to meeting partici-
pants. For example, the ARMS provides a visualization interface
to present the geospatial condition of the disaster and resource
availabilities through a GIS interface. The meeting participants
will not only see the geographically distributed resource in the
ARMS but also building damaged information retrieved from the
BAS through their digital devices. The decision makers can hold
discussions based on the situation and give professional assess-
ments and suggestions through the meeting environment. The col-
laboration framework expedites the process of critical decision
making through the application sharing and varies meeting con-
trols. inMeeting provides to enhance communication and coordi-
nation among various meeting participants. With functionalities
provided by these subsystems, the CP2R collaboration framework
as a whole addresses the aforementioned challenges in communi-
cation and coordination, building assessment, and logistics man-
agement in XEs.
 Fig. 8. IFSI exercises on September 25, 2006 and March 1, 2008

Field Testing tified. The issues highlight the importance of satisfying the con-
straints introduced by technological complexity, cost, user
The framework is demonstrated to domain experts through regu- acceptability, and organizational and group dynamics. The dis-
lar meetings in the laboratory and adjustments are made accord- covered challenges are addressed as part of the continuing CP2R
ing to feedbacks from the experts. Field tests are performed once research initiative.
every six to eight months based on the progress of system devel- In summary, the field tests at the IFSI and the GAMES pro-
opment. Once the target requirements are implemented and sys- gram helped to better analyze the requirements for the collabora-
tem adjustments are completed and agreed with domain experts, a tion framework. Future tests are planned to iteratively improve
field testing is carried out at the IFSI. On June 16 and September the system in collaboration with different levels of public EMAs.
25, 2006, the CP2R collaboration framework was tested at the
IFSI training ground surrounded with simulated fire and smoke Conclusions and Future Work
with firefighters being trained alongside. Graduate students per-
In this paper, the CP2R collaboration framework is presented to
formed tests such as operation of the BAS with full firefighting
support disaster response operations. The framework is expected
gear and measurement of the transmission range of digital de-
to overcome challenges discovered in recent XEs. Expansions and
vices. Firefighter trainers along with a dozen firefighters gave
refinements to the subsystems and overall framework are still in
feedback on user interface layout and functional requirements. In
progress for future deployment to disasters.
August 2006 and August 2007, the writers hosted educational
The framework improves current disaster relief efforts in many
sessions at the IFSI for the annual Girls Adventures in Mathemat-
aspects. A unified communication interface for the overall re-
ics, Engineering, and Science 共GAMES 2009兲 Program, orga-
sponse coordination and collaborative decision making is pro-
nized by the college of engineering at UIUC. During these
vided. The framework employs a visualization interface to present
sessions, the CP2R collaboration framework was demonstrated.
geospatial conditions of the disaster and resource availabilities
The girls were given the opportunity to explore the five sub-
through a GIS interface. On a digital map, not only available
systems. The demonstration provided a highly valuable source of
resources but also building damage assessment information is
insight and perspective for the research and identified various
shown to meeting participants. Based on the information, decision
system refinements including exception handling for unexpected
makers hold web meetings, through the framework, to discuss and
user input. A survey of system improvements was collected from
give professional assessments for critical decision making. As a
60 middle school girls and four firefighter trainers. On March 1,
result, the collaboration framework expedites decision making
2008, the framework was tested by 10 graduate students in par-
through application sharing and varies meeting controls. In addi-
allel with a technical rescue and hazardous material exercise at
tion, situational awareness is enhanced through the information
the IFSI conducted by the Illinois Army National Guard. Three
that the framework provides to the on-site first responders. Func-
partially and totally collapsed buildings were assessed through the
tionalities provided by the CP2R collaboration framework address
BAS with RFID tags. A required resource was requested through
challenges such as 共1兲 interorganizational and intraorganizational
the ARMS interface and a simulation resource allocation route
coordination; 共2兲 a lack of communication infrastructure; 共3兲 un-
analysis was performed. Fig. 8 shows pictures of field tests at the
available building document retrieval; 共4兲 ineffective propagation
IFSI with the training of first response units alongside. Tests and
of building assessment information; 共5兲 inconsistent building as-
results can be found in papers published from the same research
sessment markings; 共6兲 unavailable resource inventory; and 共7兲
group 共Chen et al. 2008; Peña-Mora et al. 2008; Tsai et al. 2008;
inefficient resource deployment. Thus, the efficiency of executing
Aziz et al. 2009兲.
life-saving operations, such as US&R, could potentially be im-
A key objective of the aforementioned field tests is to compare
proved by the framework.
process improvement using tools discussed in this paper with ex-
Future implementations of the CP2R collaboration framework
isting procedures. To ensure effective comparisons “the Charrette
are to solve barriers discovered from field testing. Research will
test method” was used 共Clayton et al. 1998; Peña-Mora et al.
continue to focus on further expansion of subsystems and further
2008兲, which is intended to increase the reliability and validity for
validation of the framework through the interaction with EMAs
exploratory research in comparison with other commonly used
such as the IFSI, Champaign County EMA, and Massachusetts
research methods. The field tests serve as technology demonstra-
Task Force I.
tors that identify requirements difficult to discover in a laboratory
environment.
During the field tests, keen interest toward the CP2R collabo-
Acknowledgments
ration framework was shown by the professionals. Many barriers Many people and organizations have contributed to this work.
such as cost, technology adoption, and usability issues were iden- The writers would like to thank NSF for their support of Award

310 / JOURNAL OF COMPUTING IN CIVIL ENGINEERING © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2010

No. 0427089, Richard Jaehne 共Director of IFSI兲, Brian Brauer
共Assistant Director of IFSI兲, Gavin Horn 共Research Program Di-
rector of IFSI兲, Eric Goldstein 共Assistant Fire Fighting Program
Director of IFSI兲, and Tad Schroeder 共IFSI Fire Factor Commit-
tee兲 for their help and guidance in the exercise at the IFSI, Mark
Toalson and Leanne Brehob-Riley 共Managers of Champaign
County GIS Consortium兲, Bill Keller 共Director of Champaign
County EMA兲, Chad Council 共Specialist, Massachusetts Task
Force I兲, Stuart Foltz 共Structural Engineer, Construction Engi-
neering Research Lab, Champaign IL兲, and the anonymous re-
viewers for their invaluable comments.
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