Design of a resilient information system for disaster response

The devastating 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake made people aware of the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) for sustaining life during and soon after a disaster. The difficulty in recovering information systems, because of the failure of ICT, hindered all recovery processes. The paper explores ways to make information systems resilient in disaster situations. Resilience is defined as quickly regaining essential capabilities to perform critical post disaster missions and to smoothly return to fully stable operations thereafter. From case studies and the literature, we propose that a frugal IS design that allows creative responses will make information systems resilient in disaster situations. A three-stage model based on a chronological sequence was employed in structuring the proposed design principles.