Leveraging Information Technology for Disaster Recovery: A Case Study of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Implementation for Facility Retrieval

Abstract

Interest in utilizing radio frequency identification (RFID) methodology to facilitate disaster recovery management has risen substantially in recent years, especially in coastal regions that periodically suffer catastrophic losses due to natural disasters such as hurricanes. At this early stage of adoption, however, it is unclear how RFID technologies can best be integrated into the disaster recovery process and help individuals and organizations renew themselves after the crisis. This teaching case study evaluated the performance of three potential information technology solutions: (a) a global positioning system (GPS), (b) RFID and magnetic locators, and (c) a combined RFID/magnetic locator/GPS system. Experiments were conducted in order to assess the feasibility, reliability and cost of using RFID technologies in disaster recovery. A cost analysis showed that using RFID, magnetic locators, and GPS together reduces the cost of recovering utility facilities buried under storm debris by 26% compared to current methods. The results clearly demonstrate that RFID technology does indeed contribute to the efficient retrieval of utility facilities and help the community renew itself.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Yichuan Wang

Yichuan Wang is a Ph.D. student in Management Information Systems and Research Associate for Business Analytic Laboratory at Auburn University. He received his M.S. degree in Technology Management from National University of Tainan (Taiwan) and B.B.A. from National Chung Cheng University (Taiwan). His research interests include healthcare IT, social media marketing, big data analytics, and IT in education. His research have appeared in Industrial Marketing Management, International Journal of Information Management, International Journal of Production Economics, Informatics for Health and Social Care, Robotics and Computer-Integrated Manufacturing, and International Journal of Market Research, as well as the proceedings of ICIS, AMCIS, and HICSS.

Yun Wu

Yun Wu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Aviation and Supply Chain Management at Auburn University. Her research interests include IT-enabled organizational capabilities, IT innovation adoption, and healthcare information systems. Her research has appeared in the proceedings of conferences and journals, such as the International Journal of Logistic Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, IEEE Transactions on Education, Journal of Educational Technology Systems, and others. She is currently working on projects about IT enabled organizational dynamic capability and IT application on coastal disaster recovery.

Chetan S. Sankar

Chetan S. Sankar is the Harbert College of Business Advisory Council Professor of Management Information Systems at Auburn University and director of the Geospatial Research and Applications Center. He has received more than 3 million dollars from several National Science Foundation grants to develop exceptional instructional materials that bring real-world issues into classrooms. He has won awards for research and teaching excellence from the Society for Information Management, NEEDS, Decision Sciences Institute, American Society for Engineering Education, American Society for Mechanical Engineering, International Network for Engineering Education & Research, Computer World, Campus Technology, and the Project Management Institute.

Lin Lu

Lin Lu is a graduate student in the Department of Aviation and Supply Chain Management at Auburn University. Her research interests include information risk analysis and GIS applications. She earned her B.B.A. in Information Management and Information Systems from Communication University of China and a MMIS from Auburn University.