Towards a tailor-made modelling language for information flow setups in humanitarian crisis management

Different approaches and tools have been used in emergency response to manage information flows. In part due to the differences in countries, emergencies, and local context, but also personal preferences, capabilities and resources play a role. Being able to compare and contrast various information structures, processes and systems would be beneficial to identify recurring structures and their performance and increase the resilience of information structures between organizations and across emergencies. Modelling languages are used in other contexts to describe, analyze, and compare processes. This research examines the potential of a tailored modelling language to document information flow setups. An initial set of requirements is developed from a literature study and validated with experts. Existing languages are compared to these requirements. The research shows that domain specific language would not only allow documentation of information and coordination setups, but also increase possibilities for evaluation, exchange of best practices and continues development.