This document summarizes a project exploring how human-agent collectives (HACs) could form symbiotic relationships between humans and machines to help during large-scale emergencies and disasters. The project observed Rescue Global's operations during a major exercise to identify areas where technology could help or be developed further, such as improving situational awareness through crowdsourced data verification and enabling more flexible human control of autonomous systems.

1. Human-agent collectives
How we can form symbiotic relationships between
humans and machines, and how these could help
during response to large-scale
emergencies and disasters
David Jones, Commanding Officer of Rescue Global and Member of
Crisis Response Journal’s Editorial Advisory Panel
www.crisis-response.com
Volume 10:1 September 2014

2. ¡ The international resource for resilience, response and security planningprint • online • digitalNow in its tenth yearRead Crisis Response Journal in print, on iPad, Android or onlineIndividual, institutional (including unlimited digital downloads), digital only and student rates availableSubscribe now: Contact us on +44 (0)20816691690 or email: subs@fire.org.uk CRISIS | RESPONSE V O L : 10 | I S S U E : 1 | SEPTEMBER 2014 CRISIS | RESPONSE VOL:10 | ISSUE:1 | SEPTEMBER 2014 WWW.CRISIS-RESPONSE.COM J O U R N A LCRJ IS TEN YEARS OLDA decade of exploring crisis response lifelinesPLUS India building collapse Search Rescue in Iran Queensland climate adaptation Terrorism in Pakistan Bioweapons bacterial resistance Training Syria’s rescuers Interview: Sir David King Smart, resilient cities Future technology Tenth anniversary edition | India building collapse | Climate change in Australia | Smart, resilient cities feature | Future technology feature | Syria’s rescuers L LRESILIENCEVisionary crisis leadershipEVOLUTIONFuture disaster medicineSENTIENCECities empowering people

3. CRISIS | RESPONSEWE ARE ENTERING our tenth volume of CRJ, which was launched a decade ago. The nature of the publication means celebration is inappropriate; too many incidents have occurred over this time, too many lives lost. But it is, nonetheless, a gratifying milestone. Our founding ethos still holds true: to bridge any institutional, organisational and national gaps, to share information, enhance partnership working and improve communication. It has been good to see how dialogue between various disciplines and organisations has evolved, as shown by the increasing diversity of actors and stakeholders who have become involved in the conversation through our pages. Despite this, in many ways the world feels no safer. The Hydra of wicked problems sometimes appears invincible, the same incidents repeating themselves, locked in a dispiritingly familiar cycle. Each time we absorb the horror of a disaster or terrorist attack, a bigger, more destructive one seems to surpass it. The risk landscape has shifted in a decade: climate change has been added to the list of threats, exacerbating existing hazards. But the response, resilience and emergency planning community has developed accordingly in terms of leadership acuity, interagency co-operation, mutual assistance and business continuity. And it is fascinating to observe the proliferation of emerging technology – ten years ago we hadn’t heard of Twitter, YouTube, the Internet of Things, smart cities… Of course, these bring their own vulnerabilities and can be exploited to cause harm, but their potential for improving safety and resilience should not be overlooked. So is with gratitude that we thank our sponsors, many of whom helped to launch CRJ ten years ago. Thanks also to our Editorial Advisory Panel – those who have been with us since the start and those who joined us along the way – and to the writers who have generously shared their thoughts, knowledge and experience. And an immense thank you to our subscribers. To paraphrase Camus, most people are good rather than bad; it is usually ignorance that causes harm, despite good intentions. And this is why sharing experience and information is so vital: you are all working to eradicate ignorance and make the world a safer place. It is a privilege to observe and report on this. Emily Houghcomment@SyriaCivilDefKeryn van der Walt | National Sea Rescue Institute Rescue in conditions of war p70Bhopal 30 years on p81contentsCover story: CRJ’s Tenth anniversaryMain artwork: Neil Webb Inset images: Eureka Entertainment | Shutterstock A look at Johannesburg.................................46Is Johannesburg a world-class African city? Yes, and no, according to Hilary PhillipsA living laboratory.........................................50The campus of Lille University in Northern France has been turned into an experiment to demonstrate smart city concepts, write Isam Shahrour and his teamFuture technologyEmpowering people ......................................52The day when cities become smarter than their citizens are approaching, according to Robert OuelletteSpatial services ............................................55Dr Hervé Borrion says spatialised social networks might protect people and provide help in emergencies Evolution of disaster medicine ......................56There is an increased imperative to develop and implement novel technologies to help medical professionals in disaster situations. Here’s a glimpse of the futureEmerging technologies .................................61J P Vielleux describes real-time innovations in disastersHuman-agent collectives ..............................62David Jones describes a project that looks at forming symbiotic relationships between increasingly independent computer systems and user communitiesUnleashing the power of UAVs ......................64Glenn Smith joins the debate, exploring the positive potential of drones in emergency situationsEarth observation ......................................... 66The potential contribution of space-based information to disaster risk management is not being fully exploited, say Antje Hecheltjen and Anne PustinaIn depthBusiness excellence and new technology .....68Mike Hall says it is time to embrace the business benefi ts that emerging technology can bringUSAR in an active war zone ..........................70James Le Mesurier looks at how community responders in Syria are being trained in urban search and rescueBeyond the resilience apex ...........................72Brett Lovegrove refl ects on how leaders need to think more differently today than ever before when approaching business resilience and continuityFacing biological risk ....................................74Nicolae Steiner looks at the twin threats of biological attacks and of increasing bacterial resistance to antibiotics, and the prospect of an interaction between the twoCivil protection in Georgia ............................76The Republic of Georgia is the fi rst country to be profi led by this new series on the International Civil Defence Organisation and its membersRegularsEvents ...........................................................78EU response to Balkan floods .......................80Looking back: Bhopal ....................................81Frontline ........................................................823 Crisis Response Journal 10:1Editor in ChiefEmily Houghemily@crisis-response.comSales ManagerSacha Cunninghamsacha@crisis-response.comDesign and ProductionTim Baggaleywww.graphicviolence.co.uk Subscriptions and administration Emma Waytemma.wayt@crisis-response.comDirector Colin Simpsoncolin.simpson@crisis-response.comDirectorPeter Stephensonpeter.stephenson@crisis-response.com SubscriptionsCrisis Response Journal is published quarterly; it is available by subscription in hard copy, digital format and online. Association discounts, institutional and multiple rates are available; visit our website or contact us for more detailsTel: +44 (0) 208 1661690subs@fi re.org.ukBack issuesExisting subscribers: £25 (US$45; €36) per issueNon subscribers: £40 (US$72; €58) per issueTel: +44 (0) 208 1661690backissues@fi re.org.ukPublished by FireNet International LtdPOB 6269, Thatcham, RG19 9JXUnited KingdomTel: +44 (0) 208 1661690mail@fi re.org.uk www.crisis-response.comwww.fi re.org.uk COPYRIGHT FireNet International Ltd 2014 Articles published in Crisis Response Journal may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the Editor in ChiefPrinted in England by Buxton PressISSN 1745-8633 Resources, links, pictures, videos and much more are available for subscribers in our digital and online editions www.crisis-response.com join the CRJ LinkedIn group follow us on twitter @editorialcrjSeptember 2014 | vol:10 | issue:1 Earth observation p66Search Rescue in Iran p24ISAR NASACRJ’s Sponsoring Partners are leading specialists in the crisis, security and emergency response disciplinescontentsNews ...............................................................4News extra ......................................................8Comment ......................................................10Tony Moore takes a comprehensive look at the incidents that occurred in the year of CRJ’s launch – 2004AnalysisCompulsive un-safety ...................................16Satish Kumar Dogra examines why safety limits are being stretched in India‘Green’ rescue kit ..........................................19One of our sponsoring partners, Holmatro, introduces its latest rescue toolsClimate change and the Fire Service ............20Shan Raffel describes a co-ordinated approach to manage the effects of climate change on emergency response provision in Queensland, AustraliaResilience peer review .................................22Helen Braithwaite leads us through a journey of discovery into the world of resilience partnership peer reviewNGOsSearch and rescue in Iran .............................24Emily Hough speaks to Behrouz Moghaddasi, Head of Iranian SAR, about how he has helped to establish volunteer teams across the countryVolunteer searchers ......................................26Rachel Good and Andy Marshall take a closer look at the work of the Staffordshire Search and Rescue team in the UKNew team helps after disasters ....................28Alois Hirschmugl describes a new European team formed to help citizens when they are stranded in large-scale emergencies abroad Exercise Angel Thunder ................................30In May 2014, Rescue Global took part in Exercise Angel Thunder, the world’s largest interagency search and rescue exercise, writes David JonesTerrorism securityGender-based violence .................................32Lina Kolesnikova reports on an increasing trend whereby some militant organisations are using gender-based violence as a terrorist tacticMapping out terrorism in Pakistan ................34Pakistan is home to many more terrorist organisations than the Taliban, says Luavut ZahidChemical potential ........................................38The perceived threat from terrorists using chemical weapons had declined in recent years. Dave Sloggett questions whether that is still the caseSmart, resilient cities Propelling us into the future ..........................40Emily Hough speaks to Sir David King to fi nd out more about the Future Cities Catapult initiative in the UKBuilding city resilience ..................................45Applications closed for the next candidate cities in the 100 Resilient Cities Challenge in September 2014, writes Emily Hough. Which cities will make it onto the list? 2

4. DECIDINGInformation aboutthe Task or EventInformation aboutResourcesGATHERING ANDTHINKINGInformation aboutRisk and Benefit INFORMATIONON PROGRESSCOMMUNICATINGCONTROLLINGOBJECTIVESPLANOUTCOMEACTINGEVALUATING62Resources, links, pictures, videos and much more are available for subscribers in our digital and online editions www.crisis-response.comThe Orchid Project, which involves the Universities of Oxford, Nottingham and Southampton, along with Rescue Global, says: “The ways in which we work with computers are changing. Rather than issuing instructions to passive machines, humans and software agents will continually and fl exibly establish a range of collaborative relationships with one another, forming human-agent collectives (HACs). “HACs provoke fundamental questions about how we might live with increasingly autonomous digital systems, what our relationships should be and even larger social and ethical issues of responsibility and accountability.” This is an area of ongoing development by the project, which is developing HACs to enhance the capabilities of human teams using increasingly complex digital systems, without the need for considerable time and expense in training and maintaining t hese augmented abilities. The Orchid team aims to drive the science of HACs to real-world applications in disaster response, the smart grid and citizen science. During the recent Angel Thunder (AT) exercise (p30), researchers from the Orchid Project embedded with Rescue Global to complete an ethnographic study of how its staff plan missions, as well as how they use and interact with technology. Using a common model to illustrate the lifecycle of how Rescue Global operates, taking a critical event (such as a disaster), the Orchid team plotted its observations in terms of actions, needs, events, as shown opposite. This allowed the team to identify key areas where technology helps, hampers or could be useful in augmenting Rescue Global’s operational effectiveness. The challenges that Rescue Global faced in this area were largely the same as those reported by most of the military and civil organisations attending AT. These are common to many response organisations that respond to an event at relative high speed, where severe risk to life is present, few resources available, or involving large distances or limited accessibility. The core needs in the early stages of an operation include information on the task or event; this is important because planning must be centred on the truth of the situation and its context. Information on available resources is required so that once needs and tasks have been identifi ed, they can be prioritised according to urgency, taking current and future resources into account. The plans must also consider risk and benefi t as key factors in the decision-making process. The above needs are well highlighted in the Decision Making Model (DMM) as utilised by the London Fire Brigade, adopted by Rescue Global as good practice (see below). The Orchid team observed that by using the DMM, planners at the Silver Command location could quickly generate plans, give warning orders and facilitate concurrent activities geared towards rapid deployment and effect on the ground, without the need for 100 per cent information at the start. Of course, the planners were not cavalier, neither did they act without enough information. They used well-practised methodology to overlay a command and control structure that they were comfortable with onto a relatively new situation where several ‘unknowns’ still remained, thereby bringing some order to the chaos. The Orchid team noted that work levels at Silver Command (Planning) were low when information was scarce. The team also observed that work and stress levels increased as information came in, coinciding with urgent need for output from the planners, so that the deployed team could receive useful taskings. Rescue Global team used tracking devices, laptops, radio communications, databases and mapping tools. It set up its own 3G mobile network and satellite link, providing live audio and video from the disaster site, an interoperability system enabling communication with all agencies taking part, and also ensuring resilient communications with Gold Command in London, UK. Sometimes this created work as well as helping with it. As anticipated, more could be done to empower the team, in some obvious, and some less obvious ways, both by integrating existing Orchid technology, and working together to Human-agent collectivesDavid Jones describes a project exploring how we might form symbiotic relationships between human and machines, and how these could help during response to large-scale emergencies and disastersDecision-making modelCRITICALEVENT RECOVERY PREVENTION MITIGATIONRESPONSE PREPARATION AFTER THE EVENT BEFORE THE EVENT Risk Assessment PlanningPre-impactActivitiesEmergencyManagement OperationsRestorationof Infrastructure ServicesReconstruction63 join the CRJ LinkedIn group follow us on twitter @editorialcrj Crisis Response Journal 10:1future technologydevelop new technology based upon mutual expertise and operational requirements. “Effective disaster response requires rescue services to make critical decisions in the face of an uncertain and rapidly changing situation. Orchid Project aims to develop systems that allow fi rst responders and software agents to work effectively together in such situations to collect the best possible information from the environment (through diverse sources such as UAVs and crowd generated content), in order to most effectively manage and co-ordinate the various rescue resources available,” according to the Orchid Project. It continues, listing key technologies as being: “Decentralised co-ordination algorithms that can effectively allocate resources in the absence of centralised control; Methodologies to handle autonomy fl exibly so that the decisions that are made autonomously by software agents can be continuously changed as needs arise; and the ability to track the provenance of information and decisions so that previous decisions can be updated as new information comes to light.” The Figure below illustrates how the Rescue Global and Orchid collaboration affects the life cycle of disaster response operations. Drawing out two of these areas of mutual interest (Provenance, and Flexible Autonomy), we see clear benefi ts. At the strategic level, there is a growing number of crowd-based solutions, virtual support teams offering scale when required, mobile applications encouraging citizen reporting, social media forums and industries offering a service in disaster response (Google, Microsoft and more have dedicated divisions for this). Key challenges to all of these are the trust in, and reliability of that which is not well known, being provided by ‘strangers’, and so potentially accepting risk data from unvetted sources. Provenance is a possible solution. If proven to work, it could open up and add credibility to a wide range of support tools for responders, as well as actual response modalities themselves. Crowdsourcing information on an event, using reports from inside as well as outside of the area, is so much more appealing if proven algorithms and methods of verifi cation can be employed to turn masses of information and noise, into bite size pieces of intelligence, upon which decisions can be made. Primary risk data“This goes to the heart of what Rescue Global is all about. We focus on gathering primary risk data in real time from the heart of a disaster, by sending headquarters and reconnaissance teams in as early as possible, in order to save lives by empowering others with the information they need,” says Anthony Hayward, COO of Rescue Global. Becky Jones, Director of Risk Performance, adds: “Rescue Global is working with our partners at Orchid to develop this area as fully as possible. The use of crowdsourced, dynamic and continuous data, if fi ltered and verifi ed, can add to initial information gathering operations, then to ongoing situational awareness, warn, inform and assessment operations, so long as the data can be collected, collated, verifi ed, analysed, and disseminated in quick time, without information overload or gross error.” At the tactical level, as seen in the observations made earlier (low workload when low levels of information are available and workload increasing when data comes in at speed), it is possible to enhance the human operator’s abilities without ceding complete control to the computer agent. In August 2014, David Sexton, a pilot at Rescue Global, took part in a study where he was linked to a near infrared brain scanner to detect workload, while operating a simulated UAS (quadcopter type) in a SAR context. This process was repeated with the pilot having to control two and then three UAS, while being monitored. Next, using an Orchid application for multi UAS control, he piloted the three UAS all at once. Feedback was positive: “The previous version saw me operating three UAS simultaneously. That was a real stretch. Now, the emphasis has gone from constant control inputs to the units, to being able to ‘select and forget’, leaving the operator free to monitor the feed more closely. I operated three UAS simultaneously and found all (SAR) targets with ease using the new interface. From our ops point of view, to be able to cover a large areas with multiple UAVs on just one battery cycle could have huge benefi ts.” Technology in disaster response can be positive and genuinely useful. Its application must be based upon real needs, and be able to deliver real benefi ts, without operations being reliant upon a technological solution that has no manual fall-back. In this way, enhancements are made, and resilience is not compromised. CRJAuthorDavid Jones is Commanding Offi cer of Rescue Global and a Member of CRJ’s Editorial Advisory Panel(www.rescueglobal.org; www.orchid.ac.uk) Lessons learnedPerformance Review of CommandsPerformance Review of OperationsTrainingDebriefReconnaissanceSearch RescueCommunications CampSet up Silver BronzeCommand SupportDeploymentRisk AssessmentGlobal awarenessPartnershipsDiplomacyTeams Sta Skill DevelopmentSpecialised Roles AdministrationWater RationsPersonal EquipmentTasks OrdersAccess PermissionsOperations cycle and Orchid observationsNatural | Manmade disastersFlexible autonomySituation awarenessDivision of labourMulti-UAV co-ordinationAgile teamingTeaming mobilityResource allocationAtomicOrchidAccountable information infrastructureSituation awarenessFiltering and relevanceTrustworthiness uncertaintyProvenanceIncentive engineeringEngaging the local populationIncentivising volunteersCrowdsourcing platforms Notable Orchid applications