Exploring the Use of Texting within San Antonio Texas Police Emergency Reporting

The introduction of wireless device text messaging, as an alternative to a citizen placing a telephone call for police help, generates the need for new polices and processes relevant to police call-taker, police dispatcher, and police officer response to reported emergencies. Little scholarly research explores the policy issues around the use of text 9-1-1 within public safety answering point operations. Using systems theory as the foundation, the purpose of this qualitative case study was to explore the potential use of written communication via a wireless device text message for reporting a police emergency. Research questions focused on the reciprocal relationships in communication used to initiate an emergency call for service and police response. A maximum variation purposeful sampling technique was used to recruit 16 individuals with knowledge of placing, receiving, or responding to a police emergency request, for this study. Data collection methods also included police call-taker observations of four active 9-1-1 calls, 9-1-1 and police radio recordings of the calls, physical artifacts, and documentation. All data were inductively coded and then subjected to a thematic analysis procedure. Findings indicate that text messages may be a preferred option in certain types of situations, such as home invasions, where the victim may not be able to speak to call-takers as a matter of protecting personal safety. However, the use of text messages is also perceived as creating a potential for delayed police response due to the asynchronous nature of the process. Recommendations to police executives and policy makers include enhancing call-taker training and citizen instruction prior to the text messaging integration, thereby promoting positive social change through enhancing public safety by providing another mechanism for direct citizen-police communication

Proposta para avaliação in situ de mapas acessados por dispositivos móveis

Orientador: Prof. Dr. Marcio Augusto Reolon SchmidtTese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências da Terra, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências Geodésicas. Defesa : Curitiba, 24/11/2023Inclui referênciasÁrea de concentração: Cartografia e Sistemas de Informação GeográficaResumo: Os mapas digitais móveis são amplamente utilizados em diversas atividades cotidianas e acessados principalmente através de dispositivos móveis, tais como os smartphones. Esses serviços oferecem uma variedade de recursos aos usuários, incluindo navegação em tempo real e informações sobre pontos de interesse espaciais diversos. No entanto, a avaliação desses mapas é predominantemente realizada em laboratório, frequentemente sem considerar as variações ambientais e contextuais que podem impactar a navegação dos usuários em situações reais de uso. Essa abordagem pode, em última instância, restringir a eficácia da avaliação, uma vez que os usuários têm distintas necessidades e expectativas ao navegar em ambientes e contextos diversos de utilização de mapas. Portanto, foi identificado a necessidade de explorar e estudar metodologias para coleta de dados que considerem essas variações e possibilitem uma avaliação mais eficaz e precisa. Esta pesquisa propõe a identificação de uma metodologia adaptada para avaliar o planejamento de uma rota em laboratório e a navegação em campo, levando em consideração os aspectos ambientais e do contexto de uso. Esta pesquisa fundamenta-se na hipótese de que existe uma correlação entre as características dos métodos de teste empregados na avaliação de mapas digitais móveis e as fases de execução da tarefa de navegação pessoal, no âmbito do uso de mapas. O objetivo foi identificar e comparar esses métodos de avaliação, levando em consideração o contexto específico do ambiente em que o mapa é utilizado. Para testar essa hipótese e atingir o objetivo da pesquisa, foram analisados e comparados os principais métodos de avaliação citados na literatura científica da última década, levando em conta os métodos mais empregados em pesquisas que avaliam mapas digitais móveis, a similaridade dos métodos e a frequência de menções em publicações científicas. Após a identificação dos métodos mais empregados, foram conduzidos experimentos com usuários em diferentes contextos de uso, tanto em laboratório com em in situ, levando em consideração ambientes indoor e outdoor. Avaliou-se a influência de diversas variáveis contextuais no planejamento e definição de rotas, bem como na navegação in situ. As abordagens mais comuns envolvem a aplicação de Questionários, muitas vezes complementados por Entrevistas e/ou o Protocolo Think Aloud, possibilitando a coleta de dados qualitativos e quantitativos. Essas avaliações são geralmente realizadas em experimentos controlados, conduzidos de maneira moderada. Observou-se que, em experimentos realizados em ambientes de laboratório, a Entrevista se mostrou eficaz para a captura de nuances relacionadas à utilização do mapa. O Protocolo Think Aloud provou ser eficaz para coleta de dados in situ, fornecendo insights detalhados sobre os processos cognitivos dos usuários de mapas em um contexto multitarefa. O estudo também contribuiu para uma compreensão mais profunda do processo de planejamento de rotas e sua execução em campo. A contribuição desta pesquisa reside na definição e no auxílio a outros pesquisadores na justificativa da escolha metodológica com base em critérios objetivos para a realização de avaliações de mapas digitais móveis. Portanto, esta pesquisa contribui para a definição e o refinamento das técnicas de avaliação de mapas digitais móveis, adaptando-as para se adequar a diversos contextos de uso. Esta adaptação, por sua vez, auxilia no desenvolvimento de mapas digitais mais eficientes, com interfaces intuitivas e amigáveis para uma ampla gama de usuários.Abstract: Mobile digital maps are widely utilized in various everyday activities and primarily accessed through mobile devices, such as smartphones. These services offer a variety of features to users, including real-time navigation and information about diverse spatial points of interest. However, the evaluation of these maps is predominantly conducted in a laboratory setting, often without considering environmental and contextual variations that may impact users' navigation in real-world usage scenarios. This approach can ultimately restrict the effectiveness of the evaluation, as users have distinct needs and expectations when navigating in diverse map usage environments and contexts. Therefore, there is a recognized need to explore and study methodologies for data collection that take these variations into account, enabling a more effective and accurate assessment. This research proposes the identification of an adapted methodology to evaluate route planning in a laboratory and field navigation, considering environmental and usage context aspects. The research is based on the hypothesis that there is a correlation between the characteristics of the testing methods employed in the evaluation of mobile digital maps and the phases of personal navigation task execution within the realm of map usage. The goal was to identify and compare these evaluation methods, taking into account the specific context of the map's usage environment. To test this hypothesis and achieve the research objective, the main evaluation methods mentioned in scientific literature over the last decade were analyzed and compared. This analysis considered the most commonly used methods in research evaluating mobile digital maps, the similarity of methods, and the frequency of mentions in scientific publications. After identifying the most commonly used methods, experiments were conducted with users in different usage contexts, both in the laboratory and in situ, considering indoor and outdoor environments. The influence of various contextual variables on route planning and definition, as well as in situ navigation, was assessed. The most common approaches involve the application of questionnaires, often complemented by interviews and/or the Think Aloud protocol, enabling the collection of qualitative and quantitative data. These evaluations are generally conducted in controlled experiments, carried out moderately. It was observed that in experiments conducted in laboratory environments, interviews proved effective in capturing nuances related to map usage. The Think Aloud protocol was found to be effective for in situ data collection, providing detailed insights into the cognitive processes of map users in a multitasking context. The study also contributed to a deeper understanding of the route planning process and its execution in the field. The contribution of this research lies in defining and assisting other researchers in justifying methodological choices based on objective criteria for the evaluation of mobile digital maps. Therefore, this research contributes to the definition and refinement of mobile digital map evaluation techniques, adapting them to fit various usage contexts. This adaptation, in turn, aids in the development of more efficient digital maps with intuitive and user-friendly interfaces for a wide range of users

Videogames, persuasion & deceit

Tese de doutoramento, Informática (Engenharia Informática), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, 2014Videogames have grown to be one of the most important forms of entertainment. Designers and developers constantly strive to innovate and include mechanics which provide the best experiences to consumers. Games typically integrate a diversity of instruments and mechanisms (among these, persuasive technology) which attempt to offer players the best experience possible, leading them to a state of optimal experience. The relation between these instruments and their effects on player experience suffer from scarce documentation and empirical sustainment, resulting in a lack of insight regarding how players are affected by them. This thesis documents how we addressed these research opportunities, tied videogames, persuasive technology and players as well as driven existing knowledge about persuasion forward. This research’s goal concerns the gathering of empirical evidence showing that different types of persuasive instruments can be employed in videogames to steer players towards a state of optimal experience. Our analysis focuses exclusively on how these mechanisms impact on the player’s performance and emotional state. In addition to this goal, we explored alternative persuasion strategies which are often disregarded due to existing and preconceived negative coverage – deceit. This effort lead us to cover how deceitful persuasive interventions are designed, in what circumstances they are employed and the relation between them and the videogames domain. Treading throughout these research goals resulted in a set of theoretical and empirical contributions tying both persuasive technology and videogames. We present player experience data supporting the role of persuasive technology in attaining an optimal experience state, addressing both performance and physiological evidence. We also a model, created with the intent of supporting designers and developers in establishing deceitful persuasive interventions. This model is put into practice, allowing us to test and show that deceitful and real persuasive instruments can have equivalent effects on player experience.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT