May 10, 2012 @ 09:30, Room: 19AB
Chair: Ron Wakkary, Simon Fraser University, Canada
Repairing Infrastructure During Ongoing Crisis: Technology-Mediated Social Arrangements to Support Recovery - ToCHI
Contribution & Benefit: Qualitative study describing how ICTs are used to continuously resolve breakdowns in infrastructure during ongoing disruption caused by violent conflict. Can assist in developing applications that aid in disaster relief.
Abstract » This paper reports on an ethnographic study of the use of information technology by citizens experiencing ongoing disruption in a conflict zone. We conducted 86 interviews with Iraqi citizens who experienced the 2nd Gulf War beginning in March 2003. When societies experience disruption as caused by natural disasters, various official government agencies, relief organizations, and emergent citizen groups aid in the recovery effort—where normal societal function resumes. In war environments however, societal trust can be affected and people may develop distrust of the institutions and associated individuals that provide and repair infrastructure. We show how citizens used ICTs to repair infrastructure during ongoing disruption caused by conflict by creating new, reliable technology-mediated social arrangements that enabled people to maintain daily routines for travel, education and obtaining information. We then discuss new ways to think about infrastructure, as well as implications for the disaster relief effort.
SOCIO-COGNITIVE ASPECTS OF INTEROPERABILITY: UNDERSTANDING COMMUNICATIONS AMONG DIFFERENT AGENCIES - ToCHI
Contribution & Benefit: This research provides greater understanding of socio-cognitive aspects of interoperability in the context of public safety communications. The results directly benefit to elicit design requirements of new communication systems.
Abstract » Emergency Communication Systems (ECS) are a key element in collaborations among different public safety organizations. The need for interoperability in emergency communication systems has hastened the development of interoperable communication technology that is an enabling technology to automatically identify environmental variables including appropriate radio frequencies and to connect different networks used by different organizations. Even though the technology has been researched from many perspectives and has shown the possibility to connect different organizations, there still remain many issues in terms of socio-cognitive aspects. Thus, this study examines the socio-cognitive dimensions of interoperability, which equal the technical dimensions of the problem in importance. The existential-phenomenological study reported here used semi-structured interviews to reconceptualize interoperability in the public safety communication domain. Based on 11 interviews with public safety workers, five important factors were identified that have a major impact on the effectiveness of interoperable groups: information sharedness, operational awareness, communication readiness, adaptiveness, and coupledness. Based on these main concepts, high-level suggestions are provided to guide the design of a new public safety communication system. The results can be directly applied to identify the requirements of communication systems and can be extended to design collaboration systems under stressful environments.
Disaster Symbolism and Social Media - Long Case Study
Contribution & Benefit: This paper addresses that symbols emerged in social media can be a valuable medium for people in crisis to find emotional support and to reconstruct value system and identity.
Abstract » Research on the use of social media during disaster events has gained attention in recent years. Prior research paid attention to warnings, response activities and the dissemination of information through social media during times of crisis. This study focuses on the use of social media during crisis from different perspectives. In this paper, the implications of symbols that emerged in YouTube videos were examined. Social media can be a valuable medium immediately after disaster events for people in crisis and for others who are indirectly affected to seek spiritual and emotional support and to reconstruct their cultural value system and identity. This study also addresses that persistence and replay are crucial attributes in the design of social media tools for users to seek emotional support and to engage with others in larger space and time.
A Study of Reconstruction Watcher in Disaster Area - Short Case Study
Contribution & Benefit: we propose a Reconstruction Watcher which lets people share reconstruction progress visually to gain public understanding and to support the disaster area.
Abstract » Tsunami caused serious damage to the Pacific coast in northeastern Japan. We suggest it is important to share the serious situation in the disaster area to gain public understanding and support. In this paper, we propose a Reconstruction Watcher which lets people share reconstruction progress visually to gain public understanding and to support the disaster area. To find practical issues and confirm the feasibility of the Reconstruction Watcher, we went to the disaster area and tried to show the serious situation to the public. This paper reports our challenges and findings.
Brainstorming for Japan: Rapid Distributed Global Collaboration for Disaster Response - Note
Contribution & Benefit: Describes development in human, intellectual, and social relations during an employee brainstorm to support Japan following 2011 disasters. This case shows new online community genre of remote disaster communities.
Abstract » Tragic events struck northern Japan in March-April 2011. This note presents a case study of rapid distributed brainstorming for disaster response, involving 275 contributors from 23 countries within a three-day period, conducted among the staff in a multinational company. Factors that appear to have contributed to the success of this brainstorming include: Social media that could be easily appropriated; and employee familiarity with large-scale brainstorming. The formation of this �flash-community� joins other CHI reports to point toward a new genre of rapid large-scale responses to disasters through social media.
ACM