SCC-IRG Track 1: Enabling Smart Cities in Coastal Regions of Environmental and Industrial Change: Building Adaptive Capacity through Sociotechnical Networks on the Texas Gulf Coast

德克萨斯州的海岸弯曲地区(CBR)容易受到来自自然和工业来源的急性和长期环境压力，包括涨潮、风暴潮事件和船舶交通造成的洪水和侵蚀，以及由于附近工业运营的扩张而导致的更高水平的空气和水污染。尽管该区域面临多种环境危害，但正式的监测系统有限，无法全面了解当地的情况。此外，用于通信和决策的网络通常是局部的和/或支离破碎的。因此，CBR社区缺乏规划、应对和减轻潜在危险影响所需的全面数据和决策结构。该项目将促进对如何将智能和互联技术整合到区域通信网络中的理解，并支持区域通信网络建设适应能力，以应对气候变化和工业扩张的累积影响，以CBR为榜样。研究活动将与居民、社区组织、民选官员和市/县工作人员共同开发和协调，以加强多学科、跨部门的合作伙伴关系，加强公众对科学技术的参与，并扩大代表不足的群体和一线社区对科学进程的参与。该项目将采用混合方法来评估如何利用社会技术网络来提高环境和工业危害的知识和意识，并在CBR的不同居民之间公平地建立社区适应能力。该项目的主要目标是(1)使用扎根理论评估以环境变化和产业扩张为重点的区域通信、信息共享和决策网络的结构和演变；(2)开发和利用实时传感技术、机器学习模型和数据传播工具来监测、预测和交流地方一级的环境状况；(3)通过可用性测试、桌面练习和纵向问卷，整合社会和技术组成部分，以评估如何有效地解释生成的数据并将其呈现给不同的利益相关者，以增加环境危害的知识，加强区域决策过程，并建设适应能力。社区研讨会和座谈会将提供机会来完善研究需求和目标，获得关于传感器网络和数据产品的反馈，分享项目结果，共同制定项目的长期可持续性愿景，并讨论与其他区域努力的整合机会。该项目是对智能互联社区计划的响应。该奖项由推进的非正式STEM学习计划共同资助，该计划旨在推动对非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。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。

The Coastal Bend Region (CBR) of Texas is vulnerable to acute and chronic environmental stressors stemming from natural and industrial sources, including flooding and erosion from high tides, storm surge events, and ship traffic, as well as higher levels of air and water pollution due to expansion of nearby industrial operations. Despite the multitude of environmental hazards facing the region, formal monitoring systems are limited and provide an incomplete view of local-level conditions. In addition, networks for communication and decision-making are often localized and/or fragmented. As a result, CBR communities lack the comprehensive data and decision-making structures needed to plan for, respond to, and mitigate the impacts of potential hazards. This project will advance the understanding of how smart and connected technologies can be integrated into and support regional communication networks to build adaptive capacity in the face of cumulative impacts from climate change and industrial expansion, using the CBR as an exemplar. Research activities will be co-developed and coordinated with residents, community-based organizations, elected officials, and city/county staff to strengthen multidisciplinary, cross-sector partnerships, enhance public engagement with science and technology, and broaden participation by underrepresented groups and frontline communities in the scientific process.This project will apply a mixed-methods approach to assess how sociotechnical networks can be leveraged to increase knowledge and awareness of environmental and industrial hazards and to build community adaptive capacity equitably among diverse residents of the CBR. This project's main objectives are to (1) evaluate the structure and evolution of regional communication, information-sharing, and policy-making networks focused on environmental change and industrial expansion using grounded theory, (2) develop and leverage real-time sensing technologies, machine learning models, and data dissemination tools to monitor, predict, and communicate local-level environmental conditions, and (3) integrate the social and technical components through usability testing, tabletop exercises, and longitudinal questionnaires to assess how the generated data can be effectively interpreted and presented to various stakeholders to increase knowledge of environmental hazards, strengthen regional decision-making processes, and build adaptive capacity. Community workshops and symposia will provide opportunities to refine the study needs and objectives, obtain feedback on the sensor network and data products, share project results, co-develop a vision for long-term sustainability of the project, and discuss opportunities for integration with other regional efforts.This project is in response to the Smart & Connected Communities program. It is co-funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning program which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments.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.