The
www.EMFORUM.org is hosting a session next Wednesday on Crisis Informatics. A topic that I've blogged on before. See the announcement below, and do note the new "Look" at the
EMFORUM web site. There is a new logo and masthead.
Crisis Informatics: The Evolving Role of Information and Communication Technologies
EMForum.org - October 8, 2008 -- 12:00 Noon Eastern
The EIIP is pleased to host a 'live chat' presentation and interactive Q&A session October 8, 2008, beginning at 12:00 Noon Eastern time (please convert to your local time). Our topic will be the impact of the rapidly evolving social networking technologies in emergencies and disasters. Examples include MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, and collaborative mapping such as GeoCommons. While this technology may present challenges for emergency management, it may also represent opportunities for enhanced situational awareness and outreach.
Colin Whitmore, Emergency Management Analyst for ICF International, co-authored an article, "Crisis Informatics," published in the February 2008 edition of the IAEM Bulletin. Colin was a member of the Virginia Tech Rescue Squad from February 2004 until May 2007. On April 16, 2007 Colin served as the EMS Commander for the tragic shootings on the Virginia Tech campus; coordinating the emergency medical response to Norris Hall. The IAEM article describes how students and their friends collaboratively used social networking to rapidly determine who the victims had been.
The IAEM article also highlighted the research work being conducted at the University of Colorado in Boulder by the connectivIT Lab, under the direction of Dr. Leysia Palen, Assistant Professor of Computer Science. Lab members and affiliates investigate the evolving role of information and communication technologies (ICT) in emergency and disaster situations, with a particular focus on information dissemination and the implications of ICT-supported public participation on informal and formal crisis response.
