Information sharing during multi-agency major incidents

Abstract

Information sharing is vital for the successful completion of a group task. It's significance is emphasized in situations where group members are drawn from different organizations, where members do not know each other and when they are making complex, time dependent decisions within an uncertain environmental context. In this paper we address information sharing in such a context focusing on multi-agency collaboration when responding to a major incident. The research was informed by the use of third generation Activity Theory. The results are reported here using three dimensions; social, technological and temporal. The paper provides recommendations to system designers and policy makers regarding ways to improve information sharing among members of multi-agency teams.