A feasibility assessment framework (FAF) for creating a natural disaster information management open-access repository (NDIM-OAR) in Iran

Due to the increase in natural disasters and its impact on the information production process, designing and development of sustainable information systems to facilitate information flow has become particularly important. Besides, feasibility studies of technological solutions presented in natural disaster information management (NDIM) are quantitatively and qualitatively poor. The present study aims to design a feasibility assessment framework (FAF) for assessing the feasibility of creating an open-access repository, (OAR) as a socio-technical system, in the context of natural disaster information management (NDIM-OAR) in Iran.

A Self-administered questionnaire (SAQ) was validated from the key components of an OAR with the proposed FAF dimensions adopted from TELOS, (Technological, Economic, Legal, Operational, Scheduling,) validated by the experts in the fields of information and technology management and natural disasters. The fuzzy Delphi method employed to analyze the data.

The final FAF including Technological, Economic, Legal, Operational, Scheduling, Cultural and Behavioral (TELOS-CB) crossed with the 44 indicators of creating an NDIM-OAR (including 7 categories as collection provision,, information organization, storage and retrieval, security, application, stakeholder 's participation, and management) was validated and approved by experts of the field.

The first proposed feasibility framework for creating an NDIM-OAR in Iran, through a systematically context-based design and validation. The developed framework, TELOS-CB, has been also proposed to the international research community in the field of information management and technology (NDIM/IT) as one of the dedicated tools for feasibility studies, as a reference framework to be employed, validated and adapted to similar contexts with considering adaptability rules.