Abstract—The paper discusses an innovative approach for designing an emergency risk management system for natural disasters. Different methods and tools for risk analysis and evaluation are given. The system’s ability to serve as an unified platform for interdisciplinary research is considered with regard to consolidating researchers with different specialists and individual users that will be able freely to offer information and knowledge exchange. The system is regarded as a Web-based integrated information system that includes a social network site (SNS). The components of the proposed system are defined. Special attention is given to the principles and peculiarities of SNS application to emergency management. General recommendations and the steps for establishing SNS for emergency management are proposed. Index Terms—Emergency Management, Information System, Natural Disasters, Risk, Social Network Site. I. INTRODUCTION In recent years a worldwide tendency of increasing negative impact due to different types of natural disasters on the living environment and quality of live is being observed. For instance, Europe and its immediate neighbours experienced a series of particularly severe disasters, ranging from flash floods and severe storms in Western Europe, large-scale floods in Central Europe, volcanic ash clouds after the eruption in Iceland, to unprecedented forest fires in Russia. The world also witnessed two of the worst natural disasters in recent decades - the Haiti earthquake and the Pakistan floods, both of which resulted in considerable loss of life and widespread destruction. The March 2011 earthquake in Japan has lead to severe natural and technological damages directly affecting not only the country itself, but the consequences of its negative effect have spread all over type rest of the world [1]. Effective emergency management can be achieved by reducing the uncertainty in the information about possible states of affected objects, external influences, as well as the interdependence within the system. Therefore enhanced R&D efforts are necessary, as well as analysis and evaluation of possible risks in order to avoid or reduce the consequences due to the negative impact of numerous natural hazards [2], [3]. It is important to note the results of that scientific and Manuscript received September 30, 2011; revised October 12, 2011. This work was supported in part by the University of National and World Economy, Sofia, Bulgaria under Grant NI 1-8/2011. D. Velev, University of National and World Economy, Sofia 1700, Bulgaria (e-mail:dvelev@unwe.acad.bg) P. Zlateva is with the Institute of System Engineering and Robotics, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia 1113, Bl. 2, Bulgaria (e-mail:plamzlateva@abv.bg). applied scientific research mostly concern particular natural disasters. Most often the interdependence of natural disasters and their joint impact on society and infrastructure are not sufficiently taken into account. Major results are related to the study of mutual influence between the various elements of the critical infrastructure in emergency situations [4], [5]. Different research groups use different tools (methods, databases, programming languages, software environments, etc.). Due to this reason it is difficult to compare, reconcile and mutual use the results, risk assessment, analysis and forecasts for the overall consequences due to a certain disaster emergency. Therefore, the research, risk analysis and estimation of disaster emergency are a complex, multidisciplinary process, which demands for the unification of the efforts of specialist from different scientific areas [6]. In the conditions of global climatic changes the role of information and communications technologies (ICT) increases as a building component in the systems safeguarding the people’s health and life, securing the environment, the infrastructure and property in case of natural disasters [7]-[9]. In the course of last years research interdisciplinary teams from different countries work on the development of Web-based information systems for emergency situation control, including modules for research, risk analysis and estimation of occurring disasters [3]-[5], [10]. Hence the development of an Integrated Information System which should include different methods and tools for risk analysis and estimation when different types of disasters occur is required and it will serve as an unified platform for interdisciplinary research. The system should be a Web-based one in order to consolidate researchers with different specialists and individual users that will be able freely to offer data and exchange information. The system will help making efficient managerial decisions for risk prevention and reduction in emergency situations due to different disasters. According to new research from the American Red Cross, the Congressional Management Foundation and other organizations, social media could stand to play a larger and more formal role in emergency response. In fact, almost half the respondents in a recent survey said they would use social media in the event of a disaster to let relatives and friends know they were safe [9], [11]. It is necessary to point that design and implementation of social network site can help the control of emergency situations. The Social Network Sites (SNS) for emergency management usually includes not only governmental, non-governmental, research and other related to accident prevention organizations, but also individual users. An Innovative Approach for Designing an Emergency Risk Management System for Natural Disasters Dimiter Velev and Plamena Zlateva International Journal of Innovation Management and Technology, Vol. 2, No. 5, October 2011 407