Social Network Analysis and Communication in Emergency Response Simulations

Abstract

In this article, social network analysis (SNA) is applied on two emergency responses, involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosives (CBRNE) simulations. However, SNA has seldom been used in the literature to explain communication breakdowns, leading to the question of “can it?” To examine the applicability of SNA when assessing communication, the SNAs of two CBRNE simulations are compared and the structural differences are related to instances of ineffective communication. Study 1 has two tiers in the response (commanders and first responders) and Study 2 has three tiers, where operations officers are added between the commanders and first responders. A higher percentage of communication breakdowns is found in Study 2, possibly as a result of the additional layer. SNA provides researchers with a convenient representation and summary of team functioning. However, basic SNA does not help researchers distinguish between effective communication and breakdown. Breakdowns are attributed to long multi-hop communications, attributable to larger networks.

Keywords:

• social network analysis
• CBRNE simulations

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Milica Stojmenovic

Milica Stojmenovic is a Ph.D. student at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. She holds a B.Sc. degree in psychology with a minor in statistics, plus an M.A. in Psychology from Carleton University in Ottawa. Her master’s thesis studied issues of communication and teamwork during crisis management situations. Ms. Stojmenovic’s research interests include human-computer interaction, user interfaces, social and peer-to-peer networking, social network analysis, and shape perception. Her Ph.D. research focuses on the influence of external variables on the relationship between perceived visual appeal and perceived usability in a web domain.

Gitte Lindgaard

Gitte Lindgaard, until recently, served as director of Carleton University’s Human Oriented Technology Lab (HOTLab). She was holder of one of Canada’s nine prestigious National Science & Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Senior Industry Research Chairs, working on User-Centred Product Design, a branch of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). She is currently professor in neuro-affective design at the Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia. In an earlier life, she was principal scientist and head of the Human Factors team at the Telstra Research Laboratories in Melbourne, while also being the chair of the Computer-Human Interaction Special Interest Group (CHISIG) of the Ergonomics Society of Australia for many years. She has been deputy editor of the international journal Interacting with Computers and associate editor for several HCI journals.