Abstract
Road traffic accidents elicit increasing public concerns considering the overwhelming environmental, economic and social impacts. The brutality of these random incidents is specifically disturbing in developing countries. In these countries, the condition is rapidly worsening.
Incident Management Systems (IMSs) are suggested as a strong tool that will facilitate the management and harmonization of salvaging processes when traffic accidents occur. Unfortunately, for the emerging economies, majority of the commercially available IMS solutions are developed for huge metropolitan capitals. Further, they are designed for industrialized countries.
This study investigates the subject of suitability and tailoring of IMS solutions in the context of emerging economies and specifically the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this country, families are independent. Thus, the death of a parent makes the family members to suffer.
This is in consideration that the government has not legislated welfare policies and few families can afford premium insurance policies. Technology has been viewed as a source of negative impact on societies. However, technology is critical in mitigating the impacts of the same on the environment, economic and social circles. The study will explore the role of IMS in diminishing road carnage in the UAE.
Introduction
Traffic accidents create economic, social and environmental effects on any community. Data provided by the World Health Organization show that road accident injuries are a major cause of fatality. The accidents kill more than 1.3 million persons per year. It is estimated that 90 percent of these fatalities take place in the developing countries. In fact, more than ten million persons are left in chronic disability.
The increase in development in these countries means that the numbers will rise. By the year 2025, road carnage will be the eighth top reason for death. This prediction will be true unless imperative actions are taken not only by governments, but also by the public. It is approximated that traffic accidents cost developing and emerging countries more than 100 billion US dollars annually.
This is almost double the amount of aid and lending extended to these countries by international community annually. In the industrialized countries, the number of road incidents is continuously being brought down while it is on the increase in developing economies.
Main Body
The victims and death rates caused by road accidents in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the surrounding states is indicated to be higher than incidents in emerging and industrialized countries. For example, road carnage percentage in the UAE is estimated to be six times higher than incidents that occur in the United States of America and Europe.
Modernly, road carnage is the second leading source of demise after cardiac disease in the UAE. Recent data released by the UAE Ministry of Internal Security indicate that 243,385 road incidents occurred in UAE streets in 2006.
This was an increase of 61 percent compared to 2005. In the year 2007, 1055 traffic-associated fatalities were recorded. This was an increase of 16.79 percent compared to the year 2006 (Ali 17). In every two hours, one individual is wounded in the UAE streets. One death is registered every fifteen hours.
The rise in the number of traffic incidents is creating an increasing public disquiet as a serious source of social, economic and environmental destabilizer in the UAE and other Gulf countries. In order to manage the situation, diverse actions have been taken to address the public concern. The measures include electronic and print media consciousness crusades.
This is aimed at influencing drivers to espouse acceptable road behavior. The government has made considerable steps towards the legislation of strict laws and penalties aimed at cracking down on speeding drivers. The violation of traffic lights has also been addressed in the legislation. The authorities have invested heavily in research that enables deploying new fast transportation structures.
The UAE traffic police and vehicle inspection unit conduct frequent inspection routines to ground un-road worthy vehicles. Drunk driving is not tolerated in the country considering that it is an Islamic state, which hardly condones alcohol consumption. These measures have been effective to a restricted extent. This realization has made the government to explore further into technology as a measure to curb road carnage.
The government has invested in police department in effort to experiment with incident management systems. This is aimed at finding a lasting answer in streamlining and optimizing crisis reaction at the authority and control rooms.
Drawing on the previous research linked to Information Communication Technology transfer to emerging countries, this study explores the impact of the implementation of IMS solution within the UAE context. Technology as a tool will help the country in mitigating drastic effects of road carnage on social setup, economic growth and the environment. Vehicles are as a result of technology generates advantages and disadvantages.
Although the advantages overshadow the disadvantages, the disadvantages are felt by those who are affected through road accidents or via the pollution of environment. When road carnage occurs, the dependents of the breadwinners suffer in many aspects. This may include shortage of the basic human needs provisions.
The structure of the family is also impacted upon the demise of the member (Volti 178). The implementation of IMS in UAE will help the country to develop socially and economically. The economy will flourish and the society will live harmoniously.
The implementation of ICT in the incident management systems found within the UAE road system as a response to road accident is appropriate considering the impact such accidents cause on social, environment and economic structures of the country. The implementation of other measures has had an impact on road accidents rates. However, when the accidents occur, it takes time to respond.
There is a wide variety of IMS software solutions provided by different developers in the current market. Due to the diversity of road infrastructure in different global locations, there is no universal software solution. None of the available IMS package has the capacity to deal with all issues, technology or procedures.
Apparently, in the public domain the emergency management is not a field that has precise rules that simplify the modeling of the field. In fact, emergency management has hardly been reflecting on the wide array of possibilities and real life actuality. IMS is considerably an elaborate process. It involves a number of command and control functions.
These include management of people, incidents, resource, notification, document, report and security. Consequently, the appropriate IMS depends on a variety of factors such as the home context, distinctive requirement of the safety agency, financial resources available and the traffic volume.
Research reveals that a majority of the commercially available Incident Management Systems solutions are created for huge metropolitan towns in view of industrialized countries. An IMS solution designed for a huge and prosperous emir like Abu Dhabi may not be suitable for lesser-developed emir such as Fujairah.
The tailoring of an IMS solution package is important and is closely linked to the appropriateness of the package. The developers of IMS solutions claim that the packages are designed in such a way that they are flexible enough to be implemented in other contexts. This includes metropolitans in emerging economies.
The argument by these developers is substantiated by the reality that the comparison of occurrence control globally surpasses the typical diversities. Communities, irrespective of the global location are impacted by the measures taken by the relevant authorities when the measures taken do not meet the projected expectations.
In the UAE, the tailoring of IMS would mean that different solution packages have to be developed to meet the requirements of different localities.
In this case, the existing infrastructure requires the designing of an IMS package that meets the needs of each locality. The response by the local police departments means that the infrastructure will be designed in such a way that it will allow the authorities to easily access incident scenes and information.
Contemporarily, when traffic accident happens, one has to call 999 to alert the authorities. The personnel on the receiving end pick the call. Manually, the details are written in an incident occurrence book. In many incidents, the receiver of the call takes the role of the dispatcher. In few cases, the documentation of the accident is manually relayed to a designated dispatcher.
In both situations, the occurrence is relayed through analogue device to the incident team. The team that is nearest to the accident scene is anticipated to respond.
When there is no team nearby, the dispatcher calls the police station nearest to the accident scene and gives the details again. At the station, the call-receiving officer records the details. The patrol team dispatched to the accident scene reports about the completion of the mission. The process suffers diverse hindrances.
The process is long and cumbersome. That is, the process lacks rapid response. This results in deaths given that the victims may have been severely injured. Inherently, accident victims who are not attended to promptly bleed to death. This may be mitigated if the response is rapid. The implementation of IMS solution will ensure that there is seamless collaborative communication between the concerned authorities.
In this case, the IMS suggested here will enable the concerned parties to respond quickly, gather and store relevant information while ensuring that lives are saved where possible. The solution will reduce the budget of the country as patrol teams will not need to be on the move to look for incidents physically (Volti 201).
The computerized cameras that will be installed on the roads will capture images on the roads. In the control room, the dispatcher will only have the task of overseeing that rescue missions are well attended to incase of incidents. The accident response vehicles will be fixed with systems that will enable the collection of data. The data will be transmitted to the command and control room in real-time.
The suggested computer-based system is created to implement real-time information collection. It will also enable shared communication platform between the following stakeholders: caller from the accident scene and the personnel at the control room, the personnel and the person in charge of dispatch, the dispatcher and the patrol team.
The stakeholders require being aware of the system to facilitate the collection of all the relevant information. This is why it was necessary for the developer to critically study the infrastructure of UAE and the level of success of the existing measures.
The IT knowledge of the end user was not a major factor since the personnel will be trained how to handle the system for optimum benefit of the response processes. The major concern was focused on the development of a system that addresses the UAE context where the system will be implemented. Apparently, the solution will act as a supplement to the measures that have been established.
This means that the job security in the current system will not be affected. In fact, the system will generate more job opportunities as it will require a workforce to handle. Additionally, I will present an opportunity for the personnel to undergo career training on handling the system effectively. It has been suggested that the developer will offer free training for the first group of trainees.
The police department will thereafter develop a mechanism for training the staff. This will open opportunities for people to train in operating similar systems not only in the police department but also other industries in the country. It will be an opportunity for the country to establish institutions that will offer courses in handling IMS systems.
This will enhance the education of the population towards knowledge-based workforce and population. The system forms a basis for researchers to develop advanced systems that will enable rapid response to road traffic accidents. When the research is based on the proposed system, it might even be possible to develop other systems that will actually mitigate accidents from occurring.
The data collected by the response team regarding the conditions of the victims will be transmitted to the nearby hospitals. The staff at the hospital will assess the information and prepare adequately to receive the victims. Ambulances will also be fitted with the system. Once the accident occurs, the personnel at the control room will initiate the program. All the parties will be automatically alerted.
Since the system will be satellite-based, real-time images of the accident scene will be transmitted to hospitals, ambulances, control room and police patrol vehicles. This will enable every party to prepare adequately to respond to the emergency. The data gathered upon the years using the system will enable the government to put in place policies that will help improve on the proposed system.
Initially, the UAE government will require allocating sufficient resources to the project. All the parties will require training on how to use the technology effectively. It is imperative to acknowledge that the higher percentage of the UAE community is computer literate considering the high infiltration rate of technology in all global locations.
The investment required for the implementation of the project is less than the costs incurred by the country in dealing with accidents that are not promptly responded to annually. Further, the installed systems will require minimal maintenance services. The systems will take into consideration environmental requirements to ensure sustainability.
Considering that the system will be satellite-based, it will have minimal impact on the environment. The information collected will be stored in a centralized database. The need for manual documentation will be met. There will be no need for papers. In view of the multiplicity of the traffic accidents that occur in the country, the environment will be saved a great deal as trees will not be felled at the current rate.
The system will ensure that there is rapid response to the traffic accidents. Road accident victims will be attended to given that information will be transmitted to all the parties in real-time. This will help in saving lives. Apparently, a majority of people involved in road carnage are adults who have social responsibilities of providing for their families.
The demise of a person affects the structure of the community irrespective of the position they hold in the society. Economically, the country loose manpower when road or traffic accidents occur. Consequently, the country suffers a blow when the number of deaths through road accidents increases. The implementation of the proposed IMS solution will ensure that death rates are minimized.
The costs associated with burial arrangements will be significantly reduced. Survivors of road traffic accidents will be a living example for others who may be tempted to violate traffic laws. This will influence drivers to be more careful when driving.
Introducing change in the current accident response system in the UAE should not be interpreted to mean that the system is completely incompetent. On the other hand, by investigating the appropriateness of the proposed system, it does not deduce unwillingness to bring revolution to the existing organizational practices.
The over-concentration on user-centric approach may lead to the creation of an incident management system that is entirely lined up to the existing practices. This is despite of the existing practices having extreme deficiencies. This is the reason why the proposed solution has taken into consideration the application of a suitable system that is high in technology but fits the needs of the end user.
However, that does not mean that the solution will be diluted to fit the skills and knowledge the user since the users will only need to respond to the information gathered through the system. The users will undergo some training to ensure they are able to use the information productively. The operators of the system will require extensive training. This is necessary considering the complexity of the system.
This will include the personnel at the control and command room since they will require to capture crucial details regarding the incident. There will be no virtue in customizing the system to ensure that users who are not IT-skilled in emerging economies are comfortable. Such a move will result in putting in place a system that will not deliver the desired results of increasing the rate of responsiveness.
There is need for the traffic police department and the government to initiate training programs to assist less-skilled personnel to adjust their psychological forms to become more at ease with novel interfaces.
The IMS proposed here will impact the personnel handling the equipment at the control room as they will have to be trained. This will help bridge the gap between the current psychological forms and the prospected degree of information technology proficiency.
The proposed IMS solution package will require the stakeholders to initiate organizational change. However, this must be assessed prior to implementation to ensure that they are not far-reaching on the individuals affected. Failure to perform extensive assessment will result in heightening the risk of execution failure. For the system to attain appropriateness, impacting and aligning strategies have been put into consideration.
The system will introduce novel aspects and viewpoints that are not addressed in current practices. Majority of the IMS transferred to emerging economies have been unsuccessful due to the huge gap between ‘existing organizational veracity’ and ‘Information system design formation’. The suggested system is founded on user-centered techniques.
The techniques were borrowed from the ISO standards 13407 that give recognition to the structure for the inclusion of human-focused activities in the development of software (Volti 205). The system will help in the creation of mutual relationships among the handlers. This will improve social ties among the stakeholders, as they will interact from time to time in effort to improve response to accidents.
The system also includes SMS text messaging. The person at the accident scene will be able to contact the control room. The text messaging will be toll-free. It has been observed to be an appropriate method due to portability and high reliability as an exchange method.
The IMS proposed here will not significantly change how roles are executed. For example, currently, dispatching officers depend on direct communication with the patrol team. They have established somewhat special relationships since they pass crisis rescue missions to the patrol teams on daily basis. The implementation of the IMS proposed here would affect personal relationship to some extent.
Computers will be in charge of directing the rescue mission to the nearest perambulation vehicle. The control room will receive real time satellite images. The images will then be transmitted to other stations and hospitals so that the casualty room staff can prepare to receive the victims.
Those involved in the rescue mission will still have the opportunity to interact. In fact, by implementing the system, more individuals will be involved providing the opportunity to meet new people. New contacts can be reached after successful rescue mission to discuss how to improve the response.
The system requires response teams to improve how they interact. The coordination system must also be improved to ensure the success of the system.
Conclusion
Various information systems are always elaborate irrespective of where they will be implemented. They are often designed to meet the requirements of the stakeholders in regard to how they will be utilized. Designers in developed economies develop a majority of the available systems. They are hence customized for the user in the developed countries.
The availability of these packages or lack thereof has far-reaching impacts on the society, the economy and the environment. In the UAE, road traffic incidents continue to elicit diverse reactions from the public but with similar results. The societal structure is affected by the maiming and demise of society members.
The implementation of Incident Management Systems in the context of the country will significantly impact on the economy of the country as road carnage will be managed effectively. It is imperative to note that the proposed system is not targeted at reducing the number of road accidents. The system will enable the concerned parties to respond rapidly to road accidents in order to mitigate loss of lives.
Works Cited
Ali, Gordon. “Traffic Accidents and Road Safety Management: A Comparative Analysis and Evaluation in Industrial, Developing and Rich-Developing Countries”. 29th Annual Southern African Transport Conference, South Africa, August 2010. Print.
Volti, Rudi. Society and Technological Change, London, UK: Worth Publishers, 2013. Print.