Effective use of information systems in emergency management: A representation theory perspective

What is the role of IS in scholarship on Emergency Management (EM)? To respond to this question, this literature review moves through two steps. First, we present an overview of current theories that dominate IS scholarship in EM. We discuss some of their limitations, and why we should consider redirecting current IS scholarship through a theoretical framework that prioritizes the analysis of systems-in-use. Second, we propose to overcome the limitations of the current theoretical frameworks by adopting a Representation Theory (RT) approach (Burton-Jones and Grange 2012). The concept of Effective Use is pivotal for RT, but until now it has not been applied to chaotic environments. Thus, we intermingle RT with dominant Information Systems theories for EM to inform a reconceptualization of Effective Use for EM systems. In particular, we extend the original model of Effective Use by: (1) integrating a new construct, situational awareness, as a successor of faithful representation, and (2) adding a new element of use, dynamic environment, to the current list of users, systems, and tasks.