VIsual Analytics for Public Safety
This project is funded by the US Department of Homeland Security Center of Excellence in Command, Control, and Interoperability Visual Analytics for Command, Control, and INteroperability Environments (VACCINE)
Dr. Fisher is a member of the VACCINE Leadership Board and PI of the SFU/UBC projects. These include:
Research Pillar 1: Interactive Visual Analytics Foundations
- Interaction science SFU, UBC, GaTech.
- Evaluation SFU, UBC, GaTech, Penn St.
Mission Driven Research Projects(MDRPs):
- Enterprise Resiliency Environments
Seed Research Projects
Visual analytics, "the science of analytical reasoning facilitated by the interactive visual interface", seeks to develop an evidenced-based approach to the design and evaluation of cognitive systems comprising one or more human decision-makers supported by advanced information and communication technology. We apply the VA approach to emergency management and preparedness. For emergency preparedness we support analysis and evaluation of risk and vulnerability, including novel threats (e.g. terrorism, humanitarian relief) and innovative approaches to preventing and countering them. For emergency response we implement technology to support a robust "system-of-systems" approach to interoperability, scaling from lightweight mobile interaction to data fusion and command centres. We examine the impact of changes in information technology (e.g. social software, sensor technologies) and how they might be utilized to support (or if not controlled, may impair) emergency preparedness and response. We will address four aspects: 1) A diversity of platforms ranging from consumer mobile to data and command centres. 2) Graphical visualizations that combine raw data about emergency situations and management activities with computational, statistical and mathematical models of events. 3) Interaction methods for these mixed-initiative visualization systems that enable co-located and distributed multifunctional teams to analyze situations and coordinate their activities in real time. 4) Scientific investigation of how VA technologies effect human cognitive and communicative processes, for system design and customization for individual users, organizations, roles and tasks. 5) Technology integration studies that insure that our scientific findings, technologies and analytical methods are relevant and effective for their target users, organizations, and conditions of use in real-world emergency management situations.
Current work focuses on cross-border Canada-US emergency management, but can be applied in a variety of settings and situations:
Project Description
The Command, Control and Interoperability (CCI) Division of DHS has started planning for what is designed to be the first in an annual series of regionally based experiments to guide future research and development activities within the USA and beyond.
Using an earthquake scenario, this Enterprise Resiliency Experiment (ERE) will demonstrate the integration of numerous tools developed by CCI through national laboratories, universities, research organizations and industry partners.
The first experiment will involve planning, integration, experiment, after‐action analysis, and outreach activities. The ERE will include U.S. States and Canadian Provinces in the Northwest region of the continent, and will involve collaboration with Canadian first responders and emergency managers; thereby demonstrating multi‐jurisdictional and cross‐border collaboration in response to a natural disaster.
The ERE team will utilize VACCINE’s expertise in spatiotemporal visual analytics, predictive analytics, multivariate visual analytics, integrated simulation and visual analytics, and critical infrastructure visual analytics to create new capabilities and partnerships with our regional collaborators in the United States and Canada to help address critical gaps that are identified during the course of this project.