Developing a Campus Emergency Management Information System (CEMIS)

Abstract

Mobile phone technology is driving not only communication but also increasingly emergency and disaster management. Natural disasters and manmade threats such as terrorism constitute emergencies that are common today. Cellular communication provides a tremendous potential to increase efficiency and effectiveness in this area by propagating information efficiently to all the right parties in the right places. There are opportunities for the use of mobile phone technology in early warning, preparedness and other mitigation activities that can help organizations in Kenya to build resilience in the face of the ever growing threat of such disasters. This study therefore explores, from an institutional context, how students in campus use mobile phones in emergency management, the factors underlying their extensive use, the challenges that are faced and how this use of mobile phones related to social organizations and interactions. Ultimately, an emergency management information system (CEMIS) is developed that utilizes the power of text messaging to build resilience in the face of ever growing threat of emergencies and disasters. The study recommends more proactive developments in text based applications to mitigate the adverse effects of disasters in institutions of learning.