Civilian security exercises: a qualitative approach to analyse crisis management through map tools

Keywords: Security exercises, map tools, qualitative method, micro-space
Session Type: Virtual Paper Abstract
Day: Sunday
Session Start / End Time: 2/27/2022 08:00 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada)) - 2/27/2022 09:20 AM (Eastern Time (US & Canada))
Room: Virtual 74

Abstract

In our current PhD research, we have a micro-space and micro-social approach to understand and analyse how map tools contribute to organize the crisis management.

We use a qualitative methodology focuses on two highlights: the observation of different crisis management exercises. They are “played” by actors and crisis managers used to organize and coordinate resources on a crisis situation. Also, drills are “played” in two micro-places : the crisis unit, to make decisions and to coordinate resources, and on the “fictive” field where the crisis occurred, that is the tactical place. On this scale, we are capable to observe how the different agents from plural services have interactions between them, how map tools are used, with which material support, in which goals.

The second part of our method is the interview with “players” involved in exercise a few days after. We are also interested by interviewing first responders, that we consider as different micro-social groups. They are the people who are confronted to manage crisis or extreme events and so they have their own experience, expertise and way to communicate or exchange information.

By now, the first results we have refer to a micro-scale geography which allows us to have answers on organizational details, on the way actors have interactions each other, on their professional culture and their professional knowledges. This research case is interesting as an example of a micro-geography. It shows that is a framework for methodology and also it gives some types of answers.