Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The two case studies of ambulance centres will be described, including an over-
view of each centre, the displays used and an account of the original experiments
performed with the displays. Then there will be an examination from a carto-
graphic perspective before the conclusion highlights the main findings of the
chapter.
2 Research Context: The Ambulance Dispatch Process
In a domain such as emergency medical dispatch, the successful operation of the
system is dependent on an interrelated network of people, medical resources and
technology. At the centre of this network are the call takers who collect the
information about an incident, and the dispatchers who, based on information
regarding incidents and resources, decide and manage the response for each
incident. These specialists operate in one of the key aspects of emergency dispatch
command and control, which is formally defined as the ''reception and manage-
ment of requests for emergency medical assistance in an emergency medical
services (EMS) system'' (Clawson and Dernocoeur
1998
, p 662).
The dispatchers have an integral role within the command and control system,
where they need to make accurate decisions for the system to function correctly.
Therefore, it makes sense that the interfaces, through which the dispatchers obtain
and monitor a significant amount of information, be designed in a manner that
supports their decision making process. In other words, the interface has to fit the
context of use (Haklay et al.
2010
). In doing so, the cognitive resources required
when undertaking vital stages of the decision making process, such as developing
situation awareness, and the level of complexity that an operator experiences, are
likely to decrease.
There has been scant research that has specifically examined dispatch interfaces
from a cartographic or even a broader GIScience viewpoint. An exception is
Wachnian (
1992
), who outlined an early computer-aided fire and ambulance dis-
patch system for Winnipeg, Canada (map displays comprised street networks,
incident locations, fire halls and hospital/ambulance locations). Though dispatch
interfaces per se have not yet been investigated from a geospatial science view-
point, there is growing activity examining the usability of technologies that sup-
port the emergency services, such as GIS (Haklay and Zafiri
2008
) and in-vehicle
navigation systems (Lavie et al.
2011
). Marcus and Gasparini (
2006
) present a case
study based on the San Jose Police Department, though not related to the dispatch
task. This case study illustrates what happens when the interface does not match
the operational context. The more serious issues related to excessive in-car
interface complexity and a confusing mapping and routing display. Both themes
are covered in an in-office ambulance dispatch context in this chapter. Firstly,
a short background on the HCI and cognitive science research pertinent to this
chapter is provided.
