INFORMATION SCHOOL RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM
University of Washington: Monday, June 3, 12:30 p.m. in Bloedel 070
by Hans Jochen Scholl
Accurate, timely, vetted information is the most important, yet most scarce, resource in disaster responses — as first responders are always fond of pointing out. For information scientists, the challenge is to understand why the information situation is as challenging as it is, and what remedies might help provide better, more timely information to first responders.
Two recent studies provide insights on the current response capabilities and the major informational and managerial challenges that disaster responders face in the Pacific Northwest. One was a real disaster — the devastating 2014 Oso/SR530 landslide, which cost 43 people their lives; and one was the simulated response to “the big one,” a magnitude 9+ earthquake from a rupture of the Cascadia Subduction Zone. In this talk, Dr. Scholl summarizes and discusses the major findings from five peer-reviewed papers resulting from these studies.