The AlphaACT Decision Support System for Emergency Responders

Abstract

We first present cognitive psychological theories relevant to crisis decision making. Next we describe the AlphaACT™ (Alpha Advanced Crisis Technology) decision support system, a software application designed to support a range of military and civilian emergency responders. The essential components of the system are as follows: (a) a user interface that walks the decision maker through a multi-step decision process inspired by the recognition-primed decision model and case-based reasoning theory; (b) a pattern recognition engine that prompts the user for diagnostic information and retrieves similar cases; and (c) a community-wide shared knowledge base of cases that grows as the system is used. AlphaACT's objective is to train and enable responders in crisis situations to think like experienced decision makers, and to quickly build their store of available experiences. The first AlphaACT application under development will support key decisions made by first responders managing a hazardous materials emergency.

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