Introduction
The technological progress of the 20th-21st centuries has entailed an increased risk of manmade disasters, whereas the current political landscape has led to a surge of threats related to terrorism. Nevertheless, there is one aspect of emergency management, which has remained relevant throughout the centuries. Since the dawn of life, humanity has been subject to an array of dangerous natural phenomena. According to Chmutina and von Meding (2020), the term “natural disaster” remains widely used across settings and serves to differentiate between human-conditioned and less controllable events caused by environmental processes. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods have become the reason for millions of deaths across history (Alexander, 2018). In spite of considerable progress, natural disasters remain an important risk factor on the scale of the whole planet. Therefore, the oldest element of emergency management has always been one of its crucial aspects. The article presented by Khaliq et al. (2019) is devoted to this particular side of the general area of expertise. It explores the relevant risks while introducing a framework aiming at mitigating the consequences of the impact made by the forces of nature.
The purpose of the introductory section is to present sufficient background information, which would underpin the relevant and topical nature of the research question. Khaliq et al. (2019) state that natural disasters take numerous lives, and the death toll is counted in hundreds of millions. Beaglehole et al. (2018) add that the incidence rate of such events has been on a stable increase, and this information contributes to the overall relevance of the issue. In addition to introducing the lethal impact of natural disasters, the authors of the article under review discuss the significant economic fallout of such catastrophes. Indeed, these phenomena inflict considerable damage to a nation’s infrastructure, entailing direct financial repercussions (Panwar & Sen, 2018). Furthermore, the range of indirect effects is broad as natural disasters disrupt crucial processes and prevent involved people from maintaining their productivity. This situation may be caused by physical damage, as well as the adverse psychological impact of a disaster (Beaglehole et al., 2018). Accordingly, natural catastrophes are highly dangerous for modern communities, and the choice of the focus of the article appears justified.
Humanity has achieved significant technological progress over the past decades, which has translated into the area of emergency management. Modern algorithms and devices enable a higher degree of preparedness for potential threats, making the prevention of natural disasters easier. Nevertheless, the issue persists as even the most advanced methods of early detection are not sufficiently accurate, and the risks remain high (Zhou et al., 2018). Moreover, while scientists may be able to identify such risks in advance, little or no measures can be taken to prevent catastrophic events from occurring. In other words, humanity does not have an effective prevention mechanism aimed against the forces of nature. The cycle of emergency management encompasses four major steps, which are preparedness, response, recovery, and prevention (Emergency management principles, n.d.) At the same time, the article by Khaliq et al. (2019) focuses on an effort coordination network, which can be effectively applied when a disaster occurs. Therefore, while the discussed concept is relevant to the field, in general, it is mostly pertinent to the response stage. However, the work does not end with this step, and the proposal appears relevant to the following mitigation stage, as well.
Whenever a catastrophic event takes place, a broad professional network within the sphere of emergency management becomes engaged in the response. Nevertheless, despite the crucial importance of successful measures, a lack of communication often impedes the process. Canton (2018) refers to effective collaboration between various agencies and departments as the cornerstone of the 21st-century homeland security framework. Khaliq et al. (2019) succinctly develop these ideas, and their proposal consists of a Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET). This concept implies a certain degree of automated emergency information reception while enabling efficient data exchange in the course of a disaster. The structure of the introduction narrows the scope down to this particular issue by introducing global issues while connecting them to the proposal. Accordingly, the study revolves around the potential application of VANET in a practical environment when responding to natural disasters, and the research question consists of its effectiveness in the discussed scenario. The concept can be directly connected to the future dissertation as it provides insight into the communication-related issues in emergency management while proposing a viable, evidence-based solution.
Literature Review
To establish a solid foundation of the proposal, the authors of the article review an array of existing studies. The presented works encompass different aspects of emergency management, discussing the central concept from several perspectives. First, Khaliq et al. (2019) focus on the overall system design utilized in their research. A significant portion of the literary data is devoted to the viability of a multi-hop ad hoc paradigm in terms of effective information exchange. Similar innovative systems are actively introduced in adjacent spheres, contributing to the overall amount of evidence. For example, ur Rehman et al. (2017) describe the application of vehicular ad hoc paradigms in the area of road traffic safety. Therefore, this concept serves as an area of intense interest in innovative contemporary studies. The incorporation of these findings into the article is a good choice due to its fundamental role in the context of the whole study. The proposal of Khaliq et al. (2019) is a multi-hop ad hoc paradigm applied in the sphere of emergency management, and it is indispensable to provide the reader with the idea of the design’s overall viability in the current environment.
Having established the foundation for the proposed design, the authors of the article proceed to concretize the concept. In this regard, Khaliq et al. (2019) previous attempts at creating a communication network in the sphere of disaster response. Several ideas are discussed, such as DistressNet and Radio-Frequency Identification-based Indoor Localization System. These systems pursue the facilitation of the data exchange among emergency responders, and this purpose is similar to the central driving force of the article. Khaliq et al. (2019) logically expand the ideas, discussing the designs from various perspectives. The authors of the article under review explain the flaws of the aforementioned systems, thus introducing convincing arguments in favor of a new paradigm. The majority of previously proposed perform well in simulations, whereas their practical application faces strong limitations. The choice of the structure appears correct, as the presented findings logically follow one another.
In spite of the significant amount of presented data, the sources have been selected accurately. Apparently, the authors of the article in question aimed at laying an emphasis on the contrast between theoretical research and empirical findings, as well. The research funnel begins with the broad discussion of the multi-hop ad hoc paradigm design as a potential solution to the topical issues related to security. At first, the review extends beyond the area of expertise of emergency management professionals, and this approach serves to introduce the global perspective on the system, in general. Next, the following resources present various emergency data exchange models, which implement related yet different technological principles. Therefore, the information becomes more concentrated on the research question, and this connection grows stronger as the discussion progresses.
A testBed is considered one of the central instruments within the framework of the research. This mechanism allows scholars and experts to conduct rigorous studies in order to evaluate the potential application of their projects (Poudel et al., 2017). The subsequent studies discussed by the literature review utilize similar mechanisms, but Khaliq et al. (2019) underline the disadvantages of their designs. This structure allows the authors of the article to convince the reader that additional empirical studies in this direction will improve the situation dramatically. The combination of the findings paints a global picture, which, by the end of the literature review, is expected to establish a solid secondary evidence base.
The research funnel is, therefore, built on logical ideas, as it observes the current situation from the generalized concept of the multi-hop ad hoc paradigms to the concrete examples of emergency response communication proposals. The connection between the presented ideas and the research question grows stronger as the discussion progresses, gradually preparing the reader for the key section, in which the new paradigm is proposed. Having followed this research trail, the authors of the article manage to discern the concrete concept, which consists of the TestBed-based multi-hop ad hoc paradigm assessment. This central idea is operationalized in the following sections of the article by developing a specific application, which is based on the described theoretical principles and corresponds to the matter at hand. This way, the reader will likely be prepared for the practical discussion, having familiarized themselves with the key concepts and previous data.
Methodology
The article under review relies heavily on the empirical data obtained by the researchers throughout a rigorous empirical study. The previous sections introduce the issue and its background while outlining the existing data and describing previous attempts at resolving the problem. Following the primary evaluation of secondary sources, Khaliq et al. (2019) developed and tested a prototype of their VANET application as a TestBed. Prior to describing the technical details and empirical findings, the authors introduce several ways in which their design can be implemented in the practical environment. According to one of the provided examples, an ad hoc network will be more efficient in the case of a wildfire as compared to building an entire infrastructure to coordinate the efforts of fire department units. It is also a good choice to acknowledge the perceived limitations of such a design prior to discussing the details. This way, the readers, who are familiar with the concept, will be less likely to discard the idea based on their prejudices.
Once the conceptual context is introduced and established, the authors continue with the technical information regarding their proposal. This aspect receives considerable attention in this study, thus increasing its credibility. The principles and protocols upon which VANET is based are explained at length, allowing experts to evaluate the general concept of the proposal critically. Next, the functioning of the application is described for all potential users, and this part is done in a concise yet sufficiently detailed way. Having discussed the paradigm from a theoretical perspective, Khaliq et al. (2019) proceed to present a report comprising the empirical findings obtained by the research team. The choice of methodology corresponds to the requirements of the project, in general, as well as the article, in particular. It is important to familiarize the audience with all pertinent details before the practical application is described because this model can enable a better understanding and a higher level of engagement among readers. In addition, multiple hardware options are presented and discussed, which extends the scope of the study and positively influences the credibility of the findings.
In a way, the article can be deemed an educational piece, as it serves to enlighten the professional community and explain the idea behind the project. Therefore, it is possible to evaluate whether the study has attained its objective using Bloom’s Taxonomy, which is presented in Figure 1. The model aims at describing a roadmap to critical thinking, and this purpose corresponds to the article’s goal. An examination of the research reveals that its structure follows the pattern of Bloom’s Taxonomy in several ways. First, Khaliq et al. (2019) provide the relevant background information and introduce the problem, which corresponds to the Remember section. As the study is highly specialized, its target audience mostly comprises specialists in the field of emergency management. Next, the review of secondary sources is used to explain the key concepts of the projects. While the reader is expected to have some knowledge of emergency management, some of the notions may be new to them due to the innovative nature of the proposal.
The Taxonomy’s sections title Remember and Understand correspond to the first parts of the article, and they serve their purpose of establishing the foundation of the primary, empirical study. As dictated by the definition of the Apply stage, the literary findings are synthesized and operationalized in order to be tested in a new environment. In this case, this idea implies the development and implementation of VANET. The depth and complexity of the study allow the authors to present a sufficient analysis of their empirical findings, which, in turn, leads to an accurate interpretation of the data. Therefore, the structure of the article is optimal for the task, and it gradually developed across all major stages of Bloom’s Taxonomy paradigm, eventually reaching the summit, which is Create. Ultimately, the cognitive approach to the study design enabled a viable proposal of a multi-hop ad hoc network of emergency response communication.
At the same time, the readers are invited on a similar journey, which is facilitated by the logical, coherent structure of the paper. Based on the common knowledge within the professional community, the article gradually introduced specific concepts, which add a practical dimension to the discussion. The transition from the first stages of Bloom’s Taxonomy to more in-depth ideas is facilitated by the structural arrangement of ideas. Accordingly, the cognitive domain becomes engaged, which improves the understanding of the ideas and increases the credibility of the research. From a personal standpoint, the choice of methodology appears to be fitting to the objective, and the data collected from both secondary sources and practical tests fully corresponds to the research question.
References
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Armstrong, P. (n.d.). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Web.
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Emergency management principles. (n.d.). BU Emergency Management. Web.
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