Risk Assessment and Spatial Decision Support 
Related Projects:
GISystems have, since their initial development,
been used to support information integration, situation awareness
and decision-making for applications in planning, environmental
management, military deployment, emergency management and response,
and related domains in which geospatial information is critical.
In spite of this long history, GISystems specifically and geospatial
information technologies generally are underutilized for risk
management and decision-support, largely because the varied
technologies required are not easily integrated, they do not
support integration of disparate datasets, and the resulting
systems are hard to use. Several converging factors suggest
that the role of geospatial information technology in strategic
assessment, risk management and decision-support is poised to
increase substantially: dramatic increases in availability of
base data and real-time collection of data about changing conditions
from remotely sensed platforms, sensor networks and advanced
field data capture systems; substantial improvements in environmental,
urban, and related modeling; cheaper technology; high-speed
networking; and demand for strategic assessment and crisis management
technologies. Several fundamental research challenges must be
addressed to realize this potential. These include information
technology challenges related to integrating data from diverse
sources and merging GISystems, digital library, decision support,
modeling, and related technologies. They also include challenges
related to making technologies easier to use. Current technologies
are sometimes not employed due to the steep learning curve required
and when used are often abandoned in time-critical situations
(in favor of less functional, but easy to use non-computational
methods). We will draw upon ongoing Center research activities
in analytical methods, geocollaboration, and human interaction
with geoinformation to address these challenges. |
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