New Methods for Measuring, Monitoring and Evaluating Post-Disaster Recovery

衡量、监测和评估灾后恢复的新方法水牛城大学、ImageCat、不列颠哥伦比亚大学、特拉华大学和孟菲斯大学之间的灾后恢复研究合作--灾害管理周期的一个阶段--是一个复杂的物理、社会、经济、环境和政治过程。它持续多年，需要巨大的财政和其他资源，并可以确定未来几年受影响社区的特征。这些文献包括一些复苏的理论框架，以及许多历史事件的经验案例研究。实证研究往往侧重于复苏的单一层面，如家庭和住房，它们通常依赖于访谈、焦点小组和一次性调查来收集数据。这些文献提供了对给定时间点复苏的丰富的横截面见解，但对随时间变化的看法有限，或对大面积复苏的系统、定量的经验描述。现在有很好的机会利用新获得的高分辨率卫星图像、以前未得到充分利用的统计数据和先进的实地调查技术，通过照片、视频和观察捕捉详细的地理参照复原记录，以解决其中一些限制。鉴于灾后恢复的重要性、以往对灾后恢复研究的局限性和新的技术机遇，本研究将开发系统和定量衡量和监测灾后恢复的创新方法。以卡特里娜飓风为例，拟议的项目将实现以下目标：(1)开发处理和解释遥感数据的方法，以描述灾后恢复的实际和社会经济表现；(2)从遥感、实地勘察调查、二级统计来源、访谈和调查中获取和汇编定量和定性恢复数据；(3)开发分析和综合恢复数据的方法，以全面衡量和监测恢复情况；(4)展示新方法在案例研究领域的应用。改进对恢复的跟踪将是未来努力更好地解释和评估恢复的关键第一步，通过解决以下问题：-对于刚刚发生的灾难，恢复可能在什么时间范围内以什么方式展开？-为什么恢复以一种特定的方式进行？-恢复速度和特征与灾难前后的各种决策和行动有何关联？提高我们解决此类问题的能力将带来许多实际的社会利益。政府、政策制定者和地方组织可以应用调查结果来检查其决策的影响，并最终改进支持未来恢复工作的计划和行动。利用多源数据对恢复情况进行定性和定量的系统检查，可以增强社区的能力，并为他们提供证据，支持他们的恢复进程经验。它可以开启一种新的对话和讨论来源，可对创建有复原力的社区、援助和资源的分配产生实际影响，以及根据灾后初始条件和关键决定确定不同类型恢复的可能性的理论讨论。此外，通过加强现有的经验性衡量恢复的方法，该项目将推进灾后恢复研究的最新水平。它将通过验证或修改现有理论来支持灾后恢复理论的继续发展。

NEW METHODS FOR MEASURING, MONITORING AND EVALUATING POST-DISASTER RECOVERYA Research Collaboration between the University at Buffalo, ImageCat, University of British Columbia, University of Delaware and University of MemphisPost-disaster recovery - one of the phases of the disaster management cycle - is a complex physical, social, economic, environmental, and political process. It lasts years, requires enormous financial and other resources, and can define the character of the affected communities for years to come. The literature includes a number of theoretical frameworks of recovery, and many empirical case studies of historic events. The empirical studies have often focused on a single dimension of recovery, such as households and housing, and they have typically relied on interviews, focus groups, and one-time surveys for data gathering. This literature offers rich cross-sectional insights into recovery at a given point in time, but limited views of changes over time or systematic, quantitative empirical descriptions of recovery over large areas. An excellent opportunity exists now to address some of these limitations using newly available high-resolution satellite imagery; previously underutilized statistical data, and advanced field survey techniques that capture a detailed geographically-referenced record of recovery through photographs, video, and observations. Given the importance of recovery, limitations of previous research on it, and new technological opportunities, this study will develop innovative methods for systematically and quantitatively measuring and monitoring post-disaster recovery. Using Hurricane Katrina as a case study, the proposed project will achieve the following objectives: (1) Develop methods to process and interpret remote-sensing data to describe the physical and socio-economic manifestations of post-disaster recovery; (2) Obtain and compile quantitative and qualitative recovery data from: remote-sensing, field reconnaissance surveys, secondary statistical sources, interviews, and surveys; (3) Develop methods to analyze and synthesize the recovery data to comprehensively measure and monitor recovery; and (4) Demonstrate application of the new methods within the case study area. Improved tracking of recovery will serve as a critical first step for future efforts to better explain and evaluate recovery by addressing questions such as:- For a disaster that has just occurred, over what timeframes and in what ways is recovery likely to unfold?- Why is recovery proceeding in a particular way?- How are recovery speed and character correlated with various pre- and post-disaster decisions and actions?Enhancing our ability to address such questions will bring many practical societal benefits. Governments, policy makers, and local organizations can apply findings to examine the impact of their decisions and ultimately to improve plans for and actions supporting future recovery efforts. The systematic examination of recovery in both a qualitative and quantitative way using multi-source data can empower communities and give them evidence to support their experiences of the recovery process. It can open a new source of dialogue and discourse that could have practical repercussions for the creation of resilient communities, for the distribution of aid and resources, as well as theoretical discussions on the potential identification of different types of recovery, dependent on their initial conditions and key decisions post-disaster. Further, by augmenting existing ways of empirically measuring recovery, the project will advance the state-of-the-art in post-disaster recovery studies. It will support the continuing development of a theory of post-disaster recovery through verifying or modifying existing theories.