A concept development methodology: Disaster relief operations

The 2009 Australian Defence White Paper directs the Australian Defence Force (ADF) to support disaster relief operations undertaken by relevant agencies in Asia and, more specifically, in support of neighbouring Asia-Pacific nations. The urgency of this task is underscored both by projected increases in the frequency of natural disasters, and the likelihood of increasingly severe consequences as a result of population growth and increasing urban density along coastal zones and inland waterways. Asia is one of the world´s most natural disaster-afflicted areas, and it contains some of the world´s most technologically-advanced regions. The role and usage of social media and social network technologies in disaster relief activities are becoming broader and increasingly important in afflicted communities, as evidenced in the 2010 Haiti earthquake and 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami crisis. It is vital for the ADF to understand the utility of social media and social network technologies as a ´tool´ to support disaster relief operations. This paper considers the conjunction of disaster relief and evolving social media and social network technologies in Asia. A conceptual framework is developed where morphological analysis and soft systems techniques are applied using an indicative example to demonstrate how the ADF might enhance its ability to respond to natural disasters in Asia through the use of social media and social network, noting this is not an articulation of official ADF policy or guidance. The framework has the potential to provide strategic direction to the ADF´s force development and operational response processes. It would be beneficial for disaster relief agencies and Defence to learn and leverage from each other´s complementary role.