Workshop on Information Systems for Disaster Response Management (WIS-DRM); San Antonio, Texas; Part 1 Virtual, and Part 2 19-20 June 2023

University Of Texas At San Antonio, San Antonio TX

Investigators

Abstract

In the digital era, the success of disaster management hinges on the proper use of cutting-edge information technology (IT) by stakeholders in and beyond the affected communities. However, the growth of Information Systems (IS) research on disaster-related problems is slow and accumulated knowledge is scarce. Acquisition of domain knowledge in disaster management enables IS scholars to identify opportunities, challenges, and resources in conducting interdisciplinary research projects. Drawing on their experience, the PIs propose a new workshop to serve as an emerging forum to connect IS scholars with disaster management experts. For IS scholars, this workshop will allow them to collaborate more effectively with cross-disciplinary teams on high-risk, high-reward ideas and build a critical mass. This workshop will also help disaster management researchers understand and capture new possibilities and pathways that the IS discipline can reveal. Finally, this workshop will fuel the integration of related lines of inquiry. This workshop aims to generate collaborative efforts between IS and disaster management fields and to eventually lead to transformative discoveries that answer the key research questions articulated in the NSF’s 10 Big Ideas, NHERI’s Science Plan, and NWIRP Strategic Plan. It will focus on topics such as but not limited to, the discovery of knowledge gaps and misalignment between IS and disaster management scholarship; consideration of equity, vulnerability, and justice in IT tool access, use, and management; and designing cyberinfrastructure to improve hazard data collection and analysis. The workshop will welcome different methods, such as qualitative, quantitative, and design science, as they yield different insights that inform disaster management strategies and practices. The workshop has two parts. In the Part 1 event (to be conducted virtually), IS scholars will learn from disaster management practitioners and researchers, whereas in the Part 2 event (to be hosted in collaboration with the 2023 NHERI Summer Institute, IS scholars with an interest in disaster-relevant research will interact with disaster management scholars to further build joint research projects and/or grant proposals. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.