| LEAD - Linked Environments for
Atmospheric Discovery Dennis Gannon and Beth Plale The Linked Environments Atmospheric Discovery project seeks to create a high-speed computing and network infrastructure that would help meteorologists make more timely and accurate forecasts of hurricanes, tornadoes and other dangerous weather conditions. The national effort seeks to build a “faster-than-real time” system that could save lives and help the public take cover and safety officials better prepare for looming natural disasters. |
| Crisis
Grid - Real Time Geospatial Disaster Prediction Geoffrey Fox This project employs grids and service-oriented architectures to allow the real-time integrated geospatial monitoring of sensors (earthquake, etc) and simulations. More information is at crisisgrid.org. |
| Community
Disaster Information through Blogging and Mapping David Wild Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the usefulness of private citizen blogging as a tool for emergency information collation and dissemination. We are develping web-based applications that allow the integration of alerts and blog entries from official, trusted and unrestricted public sources in a combined map-enabled tool for assessing emerging situations and for the public to find local, relevant information. We are currently prototyping this system in the Bloomington community, with an emphasis on weather-related emergencies. We then hope to develop a completely independent, mobile kit that can be deployed in disaster areas, to allow logging of alerts and reports even when critical infrastructure is down. |
| Science,
Technology and "Amateur Expertise" Kalpana Shankar Although there is a long history of "citizen scientists" and the professionalization of science is a modern phenomenon, network technologies are making it increasingly possible for amateur scientists are to contribute to fundamental knowledge in the basic sciences. Moreover, these technologies are blurring the distinction between amateur and professional in many fields. How is trustworthy data generated when traditional processes of peer review and the replicability of research are circumvented? What can we learn about trust in information technology, and "social computing" (Wikis, blogs, etc)? |
| Wireless
ISPs and Hurricane Katrina: Documenting Grassroots Efforts and
Information Flows Kalpana Shankar What can disaster relief teach us about harnessing amateur expertise? We are currently working with Harold Feld of the Media Access Project to look at one successful post-Katrina grassroots initiative and the lessons it can teach us: the deployment of wireless Internet service in the regions affected by the hurricane, and their role in facilitating relief and rescue work. We want to understand these complex information flows and the role of computer-mediated communication, the "recruitment" of individuals and their role in this initiative, the nature of technical and other expertise needed to make this happen, and evaluate the deployment of these ISPs and their impact on rescuers and evacuees. We feel that this successful case study can teach us much about disaster preparedness, but also about the social networks, the role of grassroots volunteerism in telecommunications work, and the integration of academic and activist interests. |