Strategic framework for advancing the utility of GeoICT in Emergency Preparedness

Abstract

This paper presents a framework for maximizing the utilization of GeoICT in Emergency Management for the City of Jeddah, one of the major metropolitan centers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The paper starts by providing an overview of the current state-of-the-art for The GeoICT application in the City of Jeddah, then reviewing the role of ICTs in emergency management decision-making for the city and comparing the decision-making process with the mechanisms used in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) in Canada. This research provides a framework for the effective advancement of GeoICT in Emergency Preparedness for the City of Jeddah. Additional efforts are required in terms of mechanisms and policies related to decision-making and coordination from both operational and planning scope. This research is unique in a way that it provides a benchmarking evaluation for the current state of the art of the use of GeoICT in emergency management; as well it provides relative comparison with mechanisms used in Canada.