“Solving the ‘Wicked’ Problem”
donaldlloyd
in Business Continuity, Climate Change, COVID-19, Crisis and Emergency Management, Emergency Management, Events, Government, Indigenous, Industry News, NGO, Search and Rescue
The frequency and severity of emergencies we are now experiencing require multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional responses involving not just emergency management and public safety agencies, but military, non-profit, and volunteer search and rescue organizations as well.
In the 1970s, to enable multiple organizations to cooperate operationally on major emergencies, the civilian Incident Command System (ICS) concept of operations (CONOPS) was created. Depending on the type, location, and magnitude of an incident, ICS enables a command structure to be implemented with clear lines of authority as well as defined roles and responsibilities among multiple coordination and response organizations.
Notionally, ICS works well on paper – until it doesn’t, which is often particularly when it comes to sharing critical information in a timely manner.
Solving this interoperability problem in the digital age is sometimes referred to as the ‘wicked’ problem (i.e., a problem that can’t be solved).
From a technology perspective, the interoperability problem is comprised primarily of a) being able to digitally support the ICS CONOPS for any incident type, b) administratively enabling multiple organizations to share information based upon roles and responsibilities, and c) integrating multiple applications to allow critical decision-making information to be exchanged or shared for organizational collaboration and cooperation purposes.
In the past, technology interoperability was truly a wicked problem. With data being managed in isolated silos, incident commanders and other key decision makers were hindered from doing their jobs optimally with catastrophic results. Fortunately, over time, technology has become much more standardized and flexible making it easier to achieve interoperability, especially in the cloud.
This, however, cannot be accomplished as an afterthought or in an ad hoc way. The wicked problem needs to be solved by design with the specific requirements of the user community it serves at forefront of the solution approach.
Today, this is achievable to the benefit of all those who work to alleviate the negative impacts of critical incidents and major emergencies on lives, property, and businesses as well as on our environment and social fabric.
