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• Research Goals

  • Investigate the ways in which ICT (including social media) can be used for improved disaster situational awareness and for better and more effective  collaborative decision making  during the four phases of disaster management;

  • Contribute to establishing best practices on the use of social media analytics in disaster management.

 

Sample research questions:

• What type of data do emergency responders need during disasters?

• What information do emergency responders want to communicate during emergencies?

• How do emergency responders use social media to provide information to vulnerable people in the under-served communities?

• How can policy better support ICTs use for disaster management?

• Are there emerging best practices for how social media can be used effectively by disaster managers?

• What are the special characteristics of the emergency management community that limit the adoption of new technologies and techniques, and how might such characteristics be addressed?

• What challenges or opportunities will social media present in reaching unique populations such as non-English speakers or individuals with disabilities?

 

• Educational Goals

  • Attract, recruit, and educate undergraduate and graduate students interested in emergency management and crisis informatics and social media analytics.

  • Provide some basic research skills to undergraduate and graduate students.

  • Equip undergraduate and graduate students with the knowledge and a set of innovative skills to enable them to be key players in crisis response. 

 

• Faculty Development Goals

  • Improve on teaching and research skills of the faculty members involved in the project through specific professional development programs.

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