Network centric operations in crisis management

This paper describes the approach to implement network centric operations (NCO) in the Dutch crisis management domain. NCO resolves a number of important shortcomings related to the supply and flow of information experienced in current verbal communication-based crisis management. First, we provide a description of the crisis management organization in the Netherlands and the nature of information supply problems. Second, we explain how a network centric approach would be implemented in this domain. Next, we describe how between 2005 and 2008 several regions in the Netherlands have made efforts to implement a network-approach, and we evaluate their experiences. The NCO approach reduces the need for reliability checks of verbal communication. Consequently procedures can be optimized with NCO. This paper concludes with next steps, such as continuing to explore the effects of NCO on the current way of working and train people to work in a network centric environment.