Third Revolution Digital Technology in Disaster Early Warning

Networking societies with electronic based technologies can change social morphology, where key social structures and activities are organized around electronically processed information networks. The application of information and communications technologies (ICT) has been shown to have a positive impact across the emergency or disaster lifecycle. For example, utility of mobile, internet and social network technology, commercial and amateur radio networks, television and video networks and open access technologies for processing data and distributing information can be highlighted. Early warning is the key function during an emergency. Early warning system is an interrelated set of hazard warning, risk assessment, communication and preparedness activities that enable individuals, communities, businesses and others to take timely action to reduce their risks. Third revolution digital technology with semantic features such as standard protocols can facilitate standard data exchange therefore proactive decision making. As a result, people belong to any given hierarchy can access the information simultaneously and make decisions on their own challenging the traditional power relations. Within this context, this paper attempts to explore the use of third revolution digital technology for improving early warning

New Uses for Old Smartphones

Smartphones play an important role in our daily life. It is often the case, however, that they are replaced before they have been used to the full extent of their capacities. We investigate the feasibility of collecting old yet still very powerful smartphones and the potential societal impact of implementing some strategies for utilizing them in the fields of medicine, education and environmental observation. In our conclusions, we describe the expected impact of the many schemes and comment on which ideas we anticipate to be the most effective

Earthquake Early Warning and Beyond: Systems Challenges in Smartphone-based Seismic Network

Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) systems can effectively reduce fatalities, injuries, and damages caused by earthquakes. Current EEW systems are mostly based on traditional seismic and geodetic networks, and exist only in a few countries due to the high cost of installing and maintaining such systems. The MyShake system takes a different approach and turns people's smartphones into portable seismic sensors to detect earthquake-like motions. However, to issue EEW messages with high accuracy and low latency in the real world, we need to address a number of challenges related to mobile computing. In this paper, we first summarize our experience building and deploying the MyShake system, then focus on two key challenges for smartphone-based EEW (sensing heterogeneity and user/system dynamics) and some preliminary exploration. We also discuss other challenges and new research directions associated with smartphone-based seismic network.Comment: 6 pages, conference paper, already accepted at hotmobile 201

Mobile satellite services for public safety, disaster mitigation and disaster medicine

Between 1967 and 1987 nearly three million lives were lost and property damage of $25 to$100 billion resulted form natural disasters that adversely affected more than 829 million people. The social and economic impacts have been staggering and are expected to grow more serious as a result of changing demographic factors. The role that the Mobile Satellite Service can play in the International Decade is discussed. MSS was not available for disaster relief operations during the recent Loma Prieta/San Francisco earthquake. However, the results of a review of the performance of seven other communication services with respect to public sector operations during and shortly after the earthquake are described. The services surveyed were: public and private telephone, mobile radio telephone, noncellular mobile radio, broadcast media, CB radio, ham radio, and government and nongovernment satellite systems. The application of MSS to disaster medicine, particularly with respect to the Armenian earthquake is also discussed

PACMAS state of media and communication report 2013

The PACMAS State of Media and Communication Report 2013 was undertaken through a partnership between RMIT University (Australia), the University of Goroka (Papua New Guinea) and UNITEC (New Zealand). The research for this report was developed and undertaken between June 2012 and April 2013 across 14 Pacific Island nations: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Republic of Nauru, Niue, Republic of Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The report provides a regional overview of the PACMAS key components (Media Policy, Media Systems, Media Capacity Building and Media Content) as they emerged through 212 interviews focused upon the six PACMAS strategic areas. It also provides basic background information, an overview of the media and communications landscape and discusses in detail media and communications technicians; emergency broadcast systems, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVETs), media associations, climate change and non-communicable diseases (NCDs). For this reason, observations on the four PACMAS components should be understood to represent changes in the media and communication environment based upon an investigation focused on the PACMAS strategic activities. Part 1 & Part II of the report make up a Regional Overview of the State of Media and Communication in the Pacific.  The report also includes 14 separate Country Reports which provide additional information on the media and communications landscape specific to each of the Pacific Island countries included in the PACMAS program.  The country reports were written with the objectives of the PACMAS program in mind, however they may have utility for media, communication and development practitioners across the region

Why Information Matters: A Foundation for Resilience

Embracing Change: The Critical Role of Information, a research project by the Internews' Center for Innovation & Learning, supported by the Rockefeller Foundation, combines Internews' longstanding effort to highlight the important role ofinformation with Rockefeller's groundbreaking work on resilience. The project focuses on three major aspects:- Building knowledge around the role of information in empowering communities to understand and adapt to different types of change: slow onset, long-term, and rapid onset / disruptive;- Identifying strategies and techniques for strengthening information ecosystems to support behavioral adaptation to disruptive change; and- Disseminating knowledge and principles to individuals, communities, the private sector, policymakers, and other partners so that they can incorporate healthy information ecosystems as a core element of their social resilience strategies

Toward Universal Broadband in Rural Alaska

The TERRA-Southwest project is extending broadband service to 65 communities in the Bristol Bay, Bethel and Yukon-Kuskokwim regions. A stimulus project funded by a combination of grants and loans from the Rural Utilities Service (RUS), TERRA-Southwest has installed a middle-mile network using optical fiber and terrestrial microwave. Last-mile service will be through fixed wireless or interconnection with local telephone networks. The State of Alaska, through its designee Connect Alaska, also received federal stimulus funding from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for tasks that include support for an Alaska Broadband Task Force “to both formalize a strategic broadband plan for the state of Alaska and coordinate broadband activities across relevant agencies and organizations.” Thus, a study of the impact of the TERRA project in southwest Alaska is both relevant and timely. This first phase provides baseline data on current access to and use of ICTs and Internet connectivity in rural Alaska, and some insights about perceived benefits and potential barriers to adoption of broadband. It is also intended to provide guidance to the State Broadband Task Force in determining how the extension of broadband throughout the state could contribute to education, social services, and economic activities that would enhance Alaska’s future. Results of the research could also be used proactively to develop strategies to encourage broadband adoption, and to identify applications and support needed by users with limited ICT skills.Connect Alaska. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration. General Communications Incorporated.Part 1: An Analysis of Internet Use in Southwest Alaska / Introduction / Previous Studies / Current Connectivity / Analytical Framework and Research Methodology / Demographics / Mobile Phones: Access and Use / Access to the Internet / Internet Useage / Considerations about Internet Service / Interest in Broadband / Sources of News / Comparison with National Data / Internet Use by Businesses and Organizations / What Difference may Broadband make in the Region? / Conclusiongs / Part 2 Literature Review / Reference

Cloud-structural health monitoring based on smartphone

Smartphone, integrated with CPU, sensors, network, and storage capability, is developed rapidly in recent years. A cloud-structural health monitoring method based on smartphone was proposed, and a structural health monitoring system Orion-CC, which integrates functions of data acquisition, data analysis and data upload, was developed on smartphone to perform structural health monitoring without any other professional devices. And the feasibility of Orion-CC was proved by the cable force test. A cloud-SHM data sharing website was built to make the data synchronization between smartphone and website, and realize data uploading and sharing, which can improve the efficiency of monitoring and big data integration, make the possibility for big data collection and quick structural safety evaluation

The Acceptance of Using Information Technology for Disaster Risk Management: A Systematic Review

The numbers of natural disaster events are continuously affecting human and the world economics. For coping with disaster, several sectors try to develop the frameworks, systems, technologies and so on. However, there are little researches focusing on the usage behavior of Information Technology (IT) for disaster risk management (DRM). Therefore, this study investigates the affecting factors on the intention to use IT for mitigating disaster’s impacts. This study conducted a systematic review with the academic researches during 2011-2018. Two important factors from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and others are used in describing individual behavior. In order to investigate the potential factors, the technology platforms are divided into nine types. According to the findings, computer software such as GIS applications are frequently used for simulation and spatial data analysis. Social media is preferred among the first choices during disaster events in order to communicate about situations and damages. Finally, we found five major potential factors which are Perceived Usefulness (PU), Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU), information accessibility, social influence, and disaster knowledge. Among them, the most essential one of using IT for disaster management is PU, while PEOU and information accessibility are more important in the web platforms