**6. Advanced technologies for emergency management**

Various applications of advanced technologies for emergency management are being trialed and tested in a number of settings. In their work on the large scale outdoor music festivals, Mogensen and Thomsen (2010) described an integrated approach, the @aGalance System, that provides overview and support collaboration between designated emergency responders. Key components of the communication technological solution proposed by Mogensen and Thomsen (2010) are:


However, the system does not provide for a direct communication loop between festival attendees and key management and associated stakeholders.

Bessis, Asimakopoulou and Xhafa (2011) reinforce the argument for a technological roadmap that enables improved application of computational intelligence in disaster management. This study described the merits of cloud computing services for emergency management. In addition, the study also identified next generation emerging technologies for emergency management and decision making. According to Bessis et al. (2011) the next generation technologies are as follows:

*Grid computing:* Grid computing combines high-end computing nodes, networks and databases in an integrated computing technology. In the emergency management, such infrastructure can support synchronous and asynchronous communication in a collaborative manner.

*Web services:* Web services use a *service-oriented approach* (SOA) to provide stateless, persistent services. An important merit of this service model is that it is always present for users to meet their information service needs.

*Web 2.0:* Web 2.0 offers a web based platform where users as individuals or communities are able to communicate online their ideas and feelings on shared topics of interests using available collaborative services. Different Web 2.0 technologies include wikis, blogs, photosharing, bookmarking. All of these technologies can be used as information sharing platforms.

*Pervasive computing:* Pervasive computing embeds computing and information technologies into our environments by integrating them seamlessly into our everyday lives (Weiser, 2001). Bessis et al. (2011) suggested that pervasive computing has many potential real-world applications ranging from health to environmental monitoring systems through the use of a number of mobile devices such as mobile phones, PDAs, sensors and computers.

*Crowd computing:* According to the information provided by Bessis et al. (2011), crowd sourcing or crowd computing is a new technology for crowd management. Some studies have proven the potential worth of so-called 'crowd-sourced' mobile phone data (Paulos, 2009; Bessis, 2010). Some of these pilot studies have shown that mobile phones and mobile sensors can be used by ordinary 'citizens' to gather data that could be useful in various settings (Paulos, 2009).

*Collective intelligence/complex event processing:* According to the information provided by Bessis et al. (2011), the concept of collective intelligence creates a free-flowing system of knowledge with no bureaucratic controller. According to Lévy (1997) the platform can also provide an informational free-for-all where no-one decides what knowledge is worthy of contribution and what should be left out. Gualtieri and Rymer (2009) suggested that complex event processing is best for applications that require near-real-time responses to dynamic, multifaceted, rapidly changing situations (cited in Bessis et al. 2011).
