Ensayo: A Virtual Emergency Operations Center Training Application
Student: Amy Flanagan, 2014-2015
Sponsor: Dr. Timothy Wright, Notre Dame, IN
Disaster management, the focus of Ensayo, is becoming an increasingly important topic of research as evidenced by natural events (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes, severe winter storms), civil disturbances, infrastructure failures (e.g., power failures, aircraft disasters, industrial accidents), and terrorism events. Disaster management, before, during, and after an event, is dynamic, complex, and ill-defined. Furthermore, disaster management often requires coordination by individuals and institutions that do not normally interact. Ensayo (Spanish for rehearsal or test) is a prototype, Web-based system for training those who work in emergency operations centers (EOCs)—organizations that activate during a disaster—and modeling activities that take place there.