Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Emerging Disaster Engineering Encompassing Human Directed Expert Systems (ERC-DEES)

标题：规划拨款：包含人类导向专家系统(ERC-DES)的新兴灾害工程的工程研究中心PI：密歇根理工大学的Jeffrey D.Naber，电子邮件：jnaber@mtu.edu1：项目的非技术描述：灾害造成巨大的经济和人类损失。联合国报告称，从1998年到2017年，全球经历了2.908万亿美元的金融损失，其中美国的损失最大，达到9450亿美元。此外，这些灾害造成130万人死亡，44亿人需要援助。社区中受影响最大的是老年人、残疾人和那些资源有限、行动能力有限的经济弱势群体。与此同时，人为基础设施因老化和退化而变得更加脆弱，而极端天气和恐怖主义威胁正在增加灾害的发生和影响。因此，迫切需要迅速掌握情报，并有能力在灾害的最早阶段部署有限的资源，产生最大的影响。当务之急是在灾害出现时与第一反应人员和社区利益攸关方合作，提高对情况的认识。ERC规划拨款是为了开发NSF ERC的范围、组织和管理，该ERC用于新兴灾难工程，包括人类导向的专家系统(ERC-DES)。拟议的愿景是开发具有快速反应能力的由人类指导的专家系统，并与急救员、社区及其公民、地方和联邦机构合作并提供支持。第2部分：项目的技术描述：ERC的拟议愿景是开发具有弹性和连接的自主代理的专家系统，由具有快速反应能力的人类指导，与急救员、社区及其公民、地方和联邦机构合作并提供支持。拟议的研究包括七个领域：1)能够在非结构化和极端环境中长时间工作的弹性自治系统；2)先进的传感和感知；3)遥感、多模式通信；4)为专家系统提供支持的社交媒体；5)紧急情况下人类和社会行为的研究和建模；6)数据驱动的传感、数据挖掘和远程信息处理方法；7)集成快速环境变化、人类社会系统动力学和相应的相互依赖的系统预测模型和建模方法体系。这些技术将使人们能够通过将预测与基于模型的方法相结合，开发新的工具来预测和预测这类系统动态的临界点。在规划资助活动中，我们将探索新的融合研究领域和教育项目，将工程、科学、伦理、政策和社会因素联系起来。讲习班和讨论的成果将围绕融合以及实现包容和多样性的途径展开。这些成果将作为最佳做法和指导方针与四家合作机构分享，这些机构可能会将其纳入其方案。规划拨款将把一个庞大的研究人员和利益相关者小组聚集在一起，讨论我们国家和世界面临的关键问题。它将把地方、州和联邦机构与行业聚集在一起，讨论使用包括自主代理和专家系统在内的先进技术。规划拨款还将汇集教育专家、多样性和包容性领域的领导者以及STEM教育工作者和研究人员，以探索消除障碍的方法，并增加劳动力发展、多样性和包容性的途径。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Title: Planning Grant: Engineering Research Center for Emerging Disaster Engineering Encompassing Human Directed Expert Systems (ERC-DEES)PI: Jeffrey D. Naber, Michigan Technological University, jnaber@mtu.eduPart 1: Nontechnical description of the project:Disasters cause immense economic and human losses. The UN reported between 1998 to 2017 that the world experienced financial losses of $2,908 billion (US$) with the US recording the largest losses of $945 billon. In addition, these disasters were responsible for killing 1.3 million people and left 4.4 billion in need of assistance. Those persons in the communities most significantly impacted are the elderly, disabled, and those economically disadvantaged with limited resources and limited mobility. Concurrently, man-made infrastructure is becoming more vulnerable due to aging and degradation, while weather extremes and terrorism threats are increasing the occurrence and impact of disasters. Thus, there is a critical need to have rapid intelligence and an ability to deploy limited resources with maximum impact at the earliest stage of the disasters. Vitally needed is improved situational awareness in partnership with first responders and community stakeholders at the emergence of disasters. The ERC planning grant is to develop the scoping, organization, and management of an NSF ERC for Emerging Disaster Engineering Encompassing Human Directed Expert Systems (ERC-DEES). The proposed vision is to develop expert systems with autonomous agents directed by humans with rapid response capabilities in partnership with, and in support of, first responders, communities and their citizens, and local and federal agencies.Part 2: Technical description of the project:The proposed vision of the ERC is to develop expert systems with resilient and connected autonomous agents directed by humans with rapid response in partnership with, and in support of, first responders, communities and their citizens, and local and federal agencies. The proposed research includes seven areas integrating 1) resilient autonomous systems able to operate for extended durations in unstructured and extreme environments, 2) advanced sensing and perception, 3) remote sensing, multi-mode communications, 4) social media that feeds expert systems, 5) research and modeling of human and social behavior in emergency situations, 6) data-driven methods for sensing, data mining, and telematics, 7) system of systems predictive models and modeling methodology that integrate rapid environmental change, human social system dynamics, and the corresponding interdependencies. These technologies will enable the development of novel tools to forecast and to anticipate tipping points in the dynamics of such systems by combining forecasting with model-based approaches. Within the planning grant activities we will explore new convergent research areas and educational programs that link engineering, science, ethics, policy, and societal factors. Outcomes of the workshops and discussions will focus around convergence and pathways to inclusion and diversity. These outcomes will be shared with the four partnering institutions as best practices and guidelines that the institutions may incorporate into their programs. The planning grant will bring together an expansive group of researchers and stakeholders to discuss critical issues facing our nation and world. It will bring together local, state and federal agencies with industries for discussions on the use of advanced technologies including autonomous agents and expert systems. The planning grant will additionally bring together experts in education, leaders in diversity and inclusion, and STEM educators and researchers to explore methods to remove barriers and increase pathways to workforce development, diversity and inclusion.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.