Identifying a dynamic information trading zone framework via insights from full-scale emergency exercises

The article examines how the co-creation of a Common Operational Picture (COP) in multi-actor crisis response operations can be understood through the concept of Information Trading Zones (ITZ). The analysis is grounded in the theory of Situation Awareness (SA), including Endsley’s conceptualisation of individual, Team SA and Shared SA, and draws on Galison’s notion of trading zones as intercalation, the insertion of an intermediate concept or mechanism to bridge existing explanatory levels. In this study, ITZ is introduced as an intercalating construct linking information exchange, sensemaking, and coordinated action. Drawing on extensive qualitative analyses of five full-scale crisis exercises, the study traces the evolution of an operational framework that conceptualises ITZ as both a precondition for and an integral component of the co-creation of a COP. Within this framework, ITZ are positioned as socio-technical spaces where information is negotiated, interpreted, and stabilised across organisational boundaries, enabling the development of Shared and Team SA in the face of uncertainty. The article offers concrete recommendations for both researchers and practice, outlining how the interplay among ITZ, COP, and SA can inform the design of information systems that more effectively support coordination, sense-making, and decision-making in Emergency Management contexts.