Utilization of Crowdsourced Maps in Catastrophic Disasters

Crowdsourced data, the collective messages from citizens through social media like Twitter® or Facebook®, have been increasingly recognized as a vital information source in a catastrophic disaster. Because there is often insufficient emergency personnel to gather situational information during a big disaster, the crowdsourced data can offer a supplemental means for data collection or dissemination immediately after the disaster. In addition, crowdsourced maps can empower citizens with their involvement. In the Haiti earthquake of 2010, crowdsourced data was first used to create a web map application to aid the humanitarian effort. With some success in Haiti, these crowdsourced maps have since been created for other disasters in many countries. However, although the crowdsourced map showed great potential, it also revealed a major shortcoming: most first responders did not use the crowdsourced map. This thesis addresses the issues associated with using crowdsourced maps in the responder community and seeks a possible solution for increasing utilization by first responders during catastrophic disasters. Citizen messages from the Japan earthquake of 2011 were analyzed and filtered by categories best suited for responders. Then, considering the technological difficulties experienced immediately following the disaster, the best communication means were explored to complete two-way communication between responders and citizens

Evaluating last-mile hazard information dissemination : a research proposal

This is a comprehensive and detailed report regarding implementation of a first-responders ICT strategy for emergency communication and disaster management in Sri Lanka. The project showed that ICTs can be incorporated into communities and form a critical infrastructure. However, from a technical perspective all ICTs used in the hazard information dissemination system (HazInfo Pilot) need upgrading to receive Complete Full-CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) messages before their use in the Last-Mile Communities of Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan society is not used to working according to plans, nor adhering to concepts of deadlines. Disastrous weather events and ongoing civil conflicts are impediments to pilot project planning

Ein innovativer Ansatz für die Induktion und Messung von Akuten Stressreaktionen: Entwicklung, Evaluierung und Anwendungspotential eines Digitalen Stress Tests

Acute stress is linked to a variety of negative outcomes, including increased risk for mental and physical diseases, and reduced quality of life. Effective induction and accurate measurement of acute stress responses are important for both research and clinical purposes. Traditional methods rely on laboratory-based stressors, which can be costly, time-consuming, and impractical for large-scale studies or real-world applications. Measurements in outside-the-lab settings mostly reflect subjective stress levels while objective and feasible measures of biological stress consequences are scarce. This thesis aims to overcome these limitations by linking traditional psycholog-ical stress research with innovative computer science methods. First, covered by a published study, the concept, development and online evaluation of a new Digital Stress Test (DST) for the induction and video-recording of acute stress responses are presented. In this study, the first prototype of the DST was tested in a large and experimenter-independent online study with 284 participants. Results show that the DST could induce significantly higher levels of perceived stress and negative affect compared to the control condition. Going beyond this study, further developments of the DST and a pre-registered follow-up validation study are outlined. In this study, participants perform the DST and the gold standard laboratory stress induction paradigm Trier Social Stress Test while their physiological stress responses are evaluated. Lastly, the potentials of using the DST to contribute to the development of video-based stress detection methods are critically reviewed. Therefore, a follow-up online study for collecting a video dataset is outlined and, based on the results of a further already published study, the applicability of baseline machine learning algorithms for video-based stress detection discussed. The findings in this thesis imply several potentials of the Digital Stress Test: First, the DST is applicable as a tool for inducing acute stress responses in outside-the-lab settings and thus making more ecologically valid and scalable stress studies possible. Secondly, it also allows for gathering videos capturing stress-related behavioral data in real-world scenarios and therefore supporting the development of reliable stress detection algorithms. Finally, this thesis may present the DST as an invitation for promoting open and collaborative research in the interdisciplinary field between psychology and computer science.Akuter Stress ist mit einer Vielzahl negativer Auswirkungen verbunden, einschließlich einem erhöhtem Risiko für psychische und körperliche Erkrankungen sowie reduzierter Lebensqualität. Eine wirksame Induktion und genaue Messung akuter Stressreaktionen ist sowohl für Forschungs- als auch für klinische Zwecke relevant. Traditionelle Methoden setzen auf im Labor durchgeführte Stressoren, die kostenintensiv, zeitaufwendig und unpraktisch für groß angelegte Studien oder Anwendungen im alltäglichen Leben sein können. Messungen außerhalb des Labors spiegeln meist das subjektive Stresslevel wider, während objektive und alltagstaugliche Methoden zur Messung von biologischen Stressfolgen fehlen. Diese Dissertation zielt darauf ab, diese Einschränkungen durch die Verbindung traditioneller psychologischer Stressforschung mit innovativen Methoden der Informatik zu überwinden. Zunächst wird die veröffentlichte Studie über das Konzept, die Entwicklung und die Online-Evaluation eines neuen Digitalen Stress Tests (DST) für die Induktion und Videoaufzeichnung akuter Stressreaktionen vorgestellt. In dieser Studie wurde der erste Prototyp des DST in einer großen und experimentatorunabhängigen Online-Studie mit 284 Teilnehmenden getestet und konnte im Vergleich zur Kontrollbedingung signifikant stärkeren wahrgenommenen Stress und negativen Affekt auslösen. Über die Studie hinausgehend werden Weiterentwicklungen des DST und eine prä-registrierte Validierungsstudie skizziert. In dieser zusätzlichen Studie führen die Teilnehmenden den DST und das Goldstandard-Stressinduktionsparadigma Trier Social Stress Test durch, wobei Daten zu physiologischen Stressreaktionen erhoben werden. Abschließend wird das Potential, den DST für die Entwicklung von videobasierten Stresserkennungsalgorithmen zu nutzen, kritisch überprüft. Dafür werden Pläne einer weiteren Online-Studie zur Erstellung eines Videodatensatzes skizziert und, basierend auf den Ergebnissen einer weiteren bereits veröffentlichen Studie, die Anwendbarkeit von Grundlagenalgorithmen des maschinellen Lernens für die videobasierte Stresserkennung diskutiert. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation zeigen die vielfältigen Einsatzmöglichkeiten des DST auf: Zunächst kann der DST zur Induktion akuter Stressreaktionen außerhalb des Labors angewendet werden und somit ökologisch valide und skalierbare Stressstudien ermöglichen. Darüber hinaus ermöglicht er die Sammlung von Videos, die stressbezogene Verhaltensdaten in realen Szenarien erfassen und unterstützt damit die Entwicklung von zuverlässigeren Stress-Detektionsalgorithmen. Zusammenfassend können diese Dissertation und der DST als Einladung zur Förderung offener und kollaborativer Forschung im interdisziplinären Bereich zwischen Psychologie und Informatik dienen

The Effect Of Instrument-Specific Rater Training On Interrater Reliability And Counseling Skills Performance Differentiation

The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of instrument-specific rater training on interrater reliability (IRR) and counseling skills performance differentiation. Strong IRR is of primary concern to effective program evaluation (McCullough, Kuhn, Andrews, Valen, Hatch, & Osimo, 2003; Schanche, Nielsen, McCullough, Valen, & Mykletun, 2010) and counselor education (Baker, Daniels, & Greeley, 1990; Jennings, Goh, Skovholt, & Banerje-Steevens, 2003; Lepkowski, Packman, Smaby, & Maddux, 2009). The ability to differentiate between low and high performances of counseling skills is central to informing the classroom instruction of counseling students and the supervision of early clinical experiences (Byrne & Hartley, 2010; Fitch, Gillam, & Baltimore, 2004; Paladino, Barrio-Minton, & Kern, 2011). Participants were randomly assigned to one of four groups defined by whether they received instrument-specific training and the performance level of the counseling skills they assessed. Data was collected using the Universal Counseling Skills Assessment (UCSA) administered traditionally and through the Dynamic Scoring Interface (DSI). The researcher used a 2 X 2 factorial ANOVA, independent samples t-tests, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Fisher’s r to z transformations to analyze the data’s validity across the groups and reliability within the groups. Results that brief instrument-specific training and a structure scoring procedure can significantly strengthen IRR. The results of the analyses are discussed within the context of their implications for counselor education and future research possibilities

Virtual Dynamic Tunnel: A Target-Agnostic Assistive User Interface Algorithm for Head-Operated Input Devices

Today the effective use of computers (e.g. those with Internet browsers and graphical interfaces) involves the use of some sort of cursor control like what a mouse provides. However, a standard mouse is not always the best option for all users. There are currently many devices available to provide alternative computer access. These devices may be divided into categories: brain-computer interfaces (BCI), mouth-based controls, camera-based controls, and head-tilt controls. There is no single solution as each device and application has to be tailored to each user\u27s unique preferences and abilities. Furthermore, each device category has certain strengths and weaknesses that need to be considered when making an effective match between a user and a device. One problem that remains is that these alternative input devices do not perform as well when compared to standard mouse devices. To help with this, assistive user interface techniques can be employed. While research shows that these techniques help, most require that modifications be made to the user interfaces or that a user\u27s intended target be known beforehand by the host computer. In this research, a novel target-agnostic assistive user interface algorithm intended to improve usage performance for both head-operated and standard mouse devices is designed, implemented (as a mouse device driver and in host computer software) and experimentally evaluated. In addition, a new wireless head-operated input device requiring no special host computer hardware, is designed, built and evaluated. It was found that the Virtual Dynamic Tunnel algorithm improved performance for a standard mouse in straight tunnel trials and that nearly 60% of users would be willing to use the head-tilt mouse as a hands-free option for cursor control

Institutional Research-Focused Conversational Artificial Intelligence Agent

A capstone submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education in the Ernst and Sara Lane Volgenau College of Education at Morehead State University by Joshua C. Frisby on March 8, 202

The Kiosk Culture: Reconciling The Performance Support Paradox In The Postmodern Age Of Machines

Do you remember the first time you used an Automatic Teller Machine (ATM)? Or a pay-at-the-pump gas station? Or an airline e-ticket kiosk? How did you know what to do? Although you never received any formal instruction in how to interact with the self-service technology, you were likely able to accomplish your task (e.g., withdrawing or depositing money) as successfully as an experienced user. However, not so long ago, to accomplish that same task, you needed the direct mediation of a service professional who had been trained how to use the required complex technology. What has changed? In short, the technology is now able to compensate for the average consumer\u27s lack of experience with the transactional system. The technology itself bridges the performance gap, allowing a novice to accomplish the same task as an experienced professional. This shift to a self-service paradigm is completely changing the dynamics of the consumer relationship with the capitalist enterprise, resulting in what is rapidly becoming the default consumer interface of the postmodern era. The recognition that the entire performance support apparatus now revolves around the end user/consumer rather than the employee represents a tectonic shift in the workforce training industry. What emerges is a homogenized consumer culture enabled by self-service technologies--a kiosk culture. No longer is the ability to interact with complex technology confined to a privileged workforce minority who has access to expensive and time-consuming training. The growth of the kiosk culture is being driven equally by business financial pressures, consumer demand for more efficient transactions, and the improved sophistication of compensatory technology that allows a novice to perform a task with the same competence as an expert. The Kiosk Culture examines all aspects of self-service technology and its ascendancy. Beyond the milieu of business, the kiosk culture is also infiltrating all corners of society, including medicine, athletics, and the arts, forcing us to re-examine our definitions of knowledge, skills, performance, and even humanity. The current ubiquity of self-service technology has already impacted our society and will continue to do so as we ride the rising tide of the kiosk culture