An Agent-based Exploration of Information Sharing for Adaptation in Crisis Response

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.59297/h0rgwd57

Keywords:

adaptation , delayed information, information-sharing behavior, agent-based simulation, coordination

Abstract

Humanitarian and military organizations face deeply uncertain, continuously changing environments due to disasters and conflict. Information sharing is vital to adapt to these disruptions effectively and ensure the timely availability of essential equipment and supplies anywhere in the world. However, little is known about the role of
information sharing in adapting to a changing environment. We use an agent-based discrete-event simulation to study information-sharing mechanisms, specifically delayed information-sharing behavior, and analyze how they impact the adaptation of decision-making structures over time. Drawing upon adaptation models from literature, we develop a model in which agents share information and endogenously create these structures. We experiment with various levels of information delays in dynamically changing environments and assess how this affects
adaptation and performance. Our findings unveil that horizontal delays lead to earlier hierarchical expansion and vertical delays slow decision-making in crisis response environments.

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Author Biographies

  • Yvonne Lont, TU Delft

    Yvonne Lont has a background in econometrics, she obtained her Master’s degree at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. She is working as a PhD candidate within the Transport and Logistics section of the department Engineering systems and Services of the Delft University of Technology. Yvonne focuses her research on decision-making for reliable supply chains. Her research is carried out in collaboration with the Dutch ministry of Defense.

  • Jan Kwakkel, Delft University of Technology

    Prof. Dr. Ir. Jan Kwakkel is full professor of Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty,. His research interest is model-based support for decision making under deep uncertainty. His research focuses on the developing and testing innovative model-based techniques for the design of dynamic adaptive policy pathways. Within this, he is particularly interested in how to bring moral considerations into the quantitative analysis. He has applied his research in a range of domains including climate adaptation, flood risk management, transport and logistics, resource economics, and national safety and security. He is the lead developer of an open source workbench for exploratory modeling, scenario discovery, and multi-objective robust optimization. Next to his research on decision making under deep uncertainty, Dr. Ir. Kwakkel also has an interested in text mining with a focus on analyzing scientific publications and patents.

  • Tina Comes, Delft University of Technology

    Dr. Ir. Tina Comes is the Director of the Resilience Lab of the Delft University of Technology and a leading expert in decision-making under uncertainty. With a background in Decision Theory and coordination, her research is driven by a conviction that building resilient societies requires a deep understanding of how individuals and organizations make decisions in the face of risk, crises, and disasters. Dr. Comes’ work bridges analytical and behavioural decision theory to support those navigating complex crisis environments. Her research spans from bottom-up information sharing to the just organization of humanitarian supply chains.

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Published

2025-05-16

Conference Proceedings Volume

2025: 22nd International ISCRAM Conference, Halifax, Canada: Managing and Responding to Coastal Disasters and Climate Change

Section

ISCRAM Proceedings

How to Cite

Lont, Y., Kwakkel, J., & Comes, T. (2025). An Agent-based Exploration of Information Sharing for Adaptation in Crisis Response. Proceedings of the International ISCRAM Conference. https://doi.org/10.59297/h0rgwd57

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