The Information Behaviour of Humanitarian Logisticians during International Disaster Response Operations
Bibliographic record
Abstract
The purpose of this dissertation is to explore the information behaviour of humanitarian logisticians (HLs) in the field during international disaster response operations. This study offers a granular view of information activities in disaster contexts. It highlights how HLs navigate the complex and evolving task environments to address information needs and how HLs engage with their information environments in disaster zones. This research also uncovers field-tested information sharing strategies. This exploratory qualitative study uses an inductive approach, employing a preliminary conceptual framework to orient and inform research design and analysis. Data was collected using Critical Incident Technique (CIT) interviews and analyzed using Applied Thematic Analysis. Forty critical incidents were collected from fifteen participants over an 11-month period. Findings suggest that for HLs in the field, information behaviour is influenced by three major sets of variables: task environment, information environment, and personal values/resources/tools. The task environment exerts influence on the information activities of HLs through the opportunities and/or constraints that the task environment poses. This study also introduces the concept of the Personal Humanitarian Logistics Information Network (PHLIN). This networked constellation of information sources can be divided into five categories: 1) organizational information sources; 2) personal information sources; 3) information sources available to the Network of Practice (NoP); 4) information sources from disaster-specific official channels; and 5) local information sources. The PHLIN evolves, is unique to the HL, and functions as the gatekeeper for information-related innovations. Also shaping information behaviour are the personal values, resources, and tools HLs draw upon during information activities and include: accountability, adaptability, and tacit knowledge related to sensemaking. These findings are synthesized into a new model: An Information Behaviour Model of Humanitarian Logisticians In Situ. This research offers a nuanced analysis of the information activities of HLs working in disaster operations. It develops a new model of their information behaviour in the field and introduces the construct of Personal Humanitarian Logistics Information Networks (PHLIN). These findings may be translated into training and information sharing initiatives that could enhance response efforts in the current pandemic and other future disasters.
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How this classification was reachedexpand
Full frame machine prediction
Teacher imitationNot calibrated prevalence, not ground truth. Human validation pending. The Gemma side is a direct model label for every work in the frame, read from the title-only record. The Codex side is a classifier learned from the 10,348 direct Codex labels and calibrated to design-weighted sample rates; fields without enough sample support carry no Codex call. Candidate is the union of the two sides; consensus is their intersection. These outputs are machine_predicted_unvalidated and are not human labels.
Distilled classifier scores by category (both heads)
| Category | Codex | Gemma |
|---|---|---|
| Metaresearch | 0.004 | 0.028 |
| Meta-epidemiology (narrow) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Meta-epidemiology (broad) | 0.000 | 0.000 |
| Bibliometrics | 0.002 | 0.001 |
| Science and technology studies | 0.003 | 0.003 |
| Scholarly communication | 0.004 | 0.002 |
| Open science | 0.001 | 0.003 |
| Research integrity | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| Insufficient payload (model declined to judge) | 0.002 | 0.001 |
Machine scores (provisional)
The two teacher heads of the student model, read on this work. A score orders the frame for review; it never asserts a category, and the validation status ships verbatim with every row.
Baseline scores from an immature model (maturity gate not passed, 7 training rounds). Scores rank; they never assert a category.
score_only:v0-immature-baseline · verbatim from the scoring run: score_only means the number may rank works, and no category label ships from itClassification
machine, unvalidatedMachine predicted; a candidate call from one source (direct Gemma or distilled Codex), not a consensus.
How this classification was reached, model by model and score by score, is at the end of the page under "How this classification was reached".