EAGER: Development of a Human Centered Methodology for the Assessment of Wireless Computing Devices Used to Support Communication Flow in High Consequence Emergency Management

在这个项目中，PI将与加勒比的伙伴合作，探讨信息技术在救灾中的应用，以便更好地了解在应急准备、管理和减灾的多个阶段使用的信息技术对人的影响。重点将放在利用无线计算资源在后果严重的应急管理环境中支持通信流动，因为无线技术已被证明是紧急情况下最具弹性的通信形式。项目负责人及其团队将研究灾害管理连续各个阶段的新兴实践，目标是制定以人为本的原则，指导无线手持通信设备的选择、应用和评估，以支持应急管理。PI指出，她对文献的回顾没有显示出以人为中心的手持通信工具评估研究的证据或历史，然而人是该系统中最关键的因素。在这项研究中，PI希望在国际应急管理界建立与效率、安全、准确性和沟通便利等问题有关的基本原则。更广泛的影响：该项目将增进我们对应急管理中的沟通的理解，并将为岛屿国家应急管理中的沟通建模奠定基础。技术是必不可少的，但是如果不应用适当和有效的通信协议，技术就会变得毫无用处。因此，研究应急管理中的沟通模式至关重要。PI与巴哈马学院建立了合作伙伴关系，共同开发一个研究项目，为实现研究目标提供环境、资源和专业知识。此外，该团队还制定了一项计划，将研究转移到课堂上，并转化为本科生的研究经验。

In this project the PI will work with partners in the Caribbean to explore the application of information technology in disaster response, in an effort to better understand the human dimension of IT used in multiple phases of emergency preparation, management and mitigation. The focus will be on the use of wireless computing resources to support communication flow in high consequence emergency management environments, because wireless technology is proving to be the most resilient form of communication during emergency situations. The PI and her team will study emerging practices throughout the phases of the disaster management continuum, with the goal of developing human centered principles to guide the selection, application and assessment of wireless hand-held communication devices to support emergency management. The PI notes that her review of the literature has revealed no evidence or history of research on human centric evaluation of hand-held communication tools, yet the human is the most critical element in the system. In this research the PI hopes to establish basic principles relating to issues such as efficiency, safety, accuracy and ease of communication in the international emergency management community.Broader Impacts: The project will advance our understanding of communication in emergency management and will provide a foundation for modeling communication for island nations in emergency management. Technology is essential, but if an appropriate and valid communication protocol is not applied the technology can be rendered useless. Thus, the study of communications models in emergency management is critical. The PI has established a partnership with the College of the Bahamas to develop a research program that provides the environment, resources and expertise to accomplish the research goals. Additionally, the team has developed a plan to transition the research into the classroom as well as into research experiences for undergraduates.