oDMN: An Integrated Model to Connect Decision-Making Needs to Emerging Data Sources in Disaster Management

Horita Flávio, Link Daniel, Porto de Albuquerque João, Hellingrath Bernd

Abstract

Disaster managers depend on timely and accurate information for task-related decision-making in highly complex and dynamic environments. New data sources, like online social media provide an increasing volume of data that promises improvements in situation awareness. But it remains difficult to focus data collection on information needs and integrate relevant information back into decision-making. In this paper, we present the observation-aware Decision Model and Notation (oDMN), which connects tasks, decisions, information and data sources based on standardized models and notations as well as on domain-specific information models. The oDMN allows for deriving information requirements and determining the impact of incoming observations on relevant tasks and decisions. To demonstrate its usefulness, we apply oDMN to a case centered on logistics operations during the 2015 Nepal earthquake response. The results show that oDMN is indeed able to formally connect tasks, decisions, information and data sources, and thus support better decision-making.