Technology has become part of us, and it has a hand in the improvements of every sector in the world. Technology has an important role the emergency management, and its introduction in this area has enhanced the reduction of casualties and property destruction during natural and human-made disasters. One problem which usually results in more injuries and property destruction during an emergency is inadequate information or appropriate information. Communication is critical during disaster management. Inappropriate contact during such a time can lead to massive damage and make the situation even worse ( Takahashi, Chiba, & Tojima, 2014). This is where the use of technology has helped during disaster management. However, technology such as the use of social media during disasters which is usually encouraged has failed on many occasions. The failure has come from the fact that nearly 80% of the information being shared from one person to another during an emergency is usually misleading or harmful to the recipients. The aim of encouraging the use of social media is to pass information to others in vulnerable areas or to the victims on ways in which they can manage their situations or ask for help. It is due to the weaknesses of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter that SimulationDesk was introduced. Its capabilities, vulnerabilities, and how the government or other organizations can make use of makes the subject of this forum. SimulationDesk is a secure Web Portal that is currently replacing social media and online communication with inclusive popular social media platforms such as Twitter handle, Facebook, and others during emergency management. The main aim of the invention of this portal was to have the weaknesses, and the vulnerability of social media use during emergency management solved. Its primary objective is to accuracy of information flow from one person to another in the affected areas. It is so secure that information passing through the portal cannot be distorted or interfered with, and the data reaches the intended recipient as original from the sources. Social media has been vulnerable to distorted information which instead mislead people and sink them deeply in trouble during an emergency because they get mixed information from different people including their enemies for instance during terrorism. This has accounted for nearly 11% of death during such cases. This is the reason why the use of SimulationDesk needs to be enhanced. There are numerous reasons why SimulationDesk is the nest and can help in solving the issue of miscommunication which has been witnessed during emergency issues mostly when social media platforms are used. This portal is created in such a manner that it mimics what happens online when there is an emergency. It has nine websites: It has bleater Twitter, SimulationBook including Facebook pages and other features, a Blogging Platform, Agency news, a web-based newspaper, and YouTube mimicry called the EweTube, SimDesk news, Radio and TV station which is web-based. Through all these features, this secured platform can provide reliable information during emergency management. The tool provides information from the sources directly to the recipients. It can be live streaming from YouTube, live streaming from a reliable radio station, updates on reliable sources on social media, and many others. The nine elements of this secured portal are responsible for the reliability on the accuracy of the information and its speed during emergency management. One notable issue which also enhances the capability of this tool during emergency management is unlike other social media; this portal needs no platform software to work during this time. It means that this machine is capable of operating on any platform or internet-connected devices. It can work on any phone, computer or any other platform even the ones where Facebook, Twitter and other need a special connection to work well. According to Chesnutt, who is the founder, "one person working in the simulation cell during an exercise could act as ten people. For example, he or she could file a newspaper article, then post on the agency's website, and then act at the governor's press secretary and announce a surprise press conference. "He further asserts that Things happen instantly, and any simulation player can generate an enormous number of injects, as fast as they can type and hit enter." SimulationDesk is a young technology in the market. This is a new invention that has not taken long in the market. It has not been used in many areas, however; one notable example which shows its potential in need of passing accurate information is its use during the vibrant response 13. During this exercise, this tool was used, and it was at this time that its importance in emergency management was exhibited. Its capabilities are beyond doubt as it has been proven that it is more reliable when used than the likes of Facebook and other Social Media. One issue with technology use in emergency management is its vulnerability. Technology is critical in disaster management; however, it is very vulnerable to many problems which makes its use limited to some extent in this area. The SimulationDesk is part and parcel of the technology; this is an indication that it is vulnerable to many issues which affect technique when used in the emergency management system. First, this portal is very susceptible to cybersecurity issues. Cybersecurity issues are one thing that has affected many countries which rely on the technology and internet in the entire world. It is an emerging issue, but the rate at which it is changing the security departments is alarming. SimulationDesk is an emerging technology and its use in emergency management has been proven. However, during emergency management such the terrorism, this platform is vulnerable to cyber-attack. It can be hacked by the terrorist or any person with ill will and hence spread information which can lead to confusion and sink people into deep trouble during this time. Moreover, technology is vulnerable to manipulation. This is because it is controlled by a human being who can be held captive to spread information that can mislead the people. Alternatively, this is a new and young technology in the field of emergency management ( Pine, 2017). The fact is that its viability and feasibility, as well as its reliability, are still under question. Based on the evidence given in many cases where it has been used to help in proper communication during disaster management, many people yet do not know that it exists leave alone its usage. It means that it has not won the heart of many people and even questions its usage. It has been proven that SimulationDesk technology can be efficient in replacing other platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and the rest in proper communication with people during emergency management. This is part of technology that currently has dominated emergency management and its usage in this platform come as a relief to the emergency managers who have for long relied on the use of social media to spread information ( Hidy et al., 2014). It comes as an addition to making technology in this sector even better. It, therefore, means that the governments together with others need to support this system to ensure that it's made better to enhance its work during emergency care. The government needs to fund the expansion of this tool to make it include even more features which makes it better to ensure that its vulnerability is cybersecurity and other threats are reduced. Moreover, the government mostly the state and local government can take it upon themselves to fund the training and plot experiments to enhance the usage of this tool. In this manner, they will ensure that the device is known to the mass and its usage is well known to provide that during emergency circumstances, the populace has the knowledge and expertise to operate or use it to reduce the impact of the emergencies ( Webley & Dehn, 2015). Other bodies which are also concerned with the issue of crisis in the country or the entire world can even make this tool more beneficial. First, they can enhance its usage through public promotion and sensitize the population on its usage and how it should be used to stay safe during emergency management. They can also fund it and make other contributions that can be used to make the tool much better.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the weaknesses of social media have been noted in many instances during disaster management, and this is the sole reason why some creative individuals have come up with SimulationDesk to have these weaknesses solved. This device has capacities that have been proven to be very useful in emergency management. Moreover, it has also some flaws which the government and other bodies interested can develop to ensure that it works well.
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References
Hidy, D., Balogh, J., Churkina, G., Haszpra, L., Horváth, F., Ittzés, P., & Barcza, Z. (2014, May). Structural development and web service-based sensitivity analysis of the Biome-BGC MuSo model. In EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts (Vol. 16).
Pine, J. C. (2017). Technology and Emergency Management . John Wiley & Sons.
Takahashi, T., Chiba, K., & Tojima, I. (2014). Disaster Simulation Desktop Training Report. Juntendo Medical Journal , 60 (2), 119-120.
Webley, P. W., & Dehn, J. (2015, December). Use of cloud computing technology in natural hazard assessment and emergency management. In AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts .
