Oil Spill Academic Task Force
With sludge from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill projected to hit Florida beaches, the state’s academic community has mobilized to assess and model the spill's coastal impact, evaluate risks and logistics, and coordinate citizen response efforts. The Task Force website has information on all aspects of the disaster, including mapping and tracking the oil and ecological, economic, and legal implications.
StormSmart Connect
For those working to protect communities along U.S. coasts, the ever-growing StormSmart Coasts Network is a great resource that just got a little greater. StormSmart Connect is the latest cool tool in the network’s repertoire: kind of like Facebook for coastal concerns. The easy-to-use interface lets members collaborate, share documents, form groups, and otherwise keep up with the people they need to know.
A Timeline of National Science Foundation History
The National Science Foundation turns 60 this year and the occasion is a great opportunity for a little stroll down memory lane. The NSF has put together a fun and interactive timeline that lets users easily scroll through the organization's milestones in advancing science and engineering.
USGS WaterAlert
Thanks to a little help from the U.S. Geological Survey, the river can now tell you when it’s about the flood. And if you’d like it to send you a handy text or e-mail warning, that’s no problem either. When you sign up for WaterAlert, surface water, ground water, water quality, or precipitation data can be sent from USGS water gages directly to your phone or e-mail. Data is sent in real time via satellite, so when the gages know the water is rising, so will you.
A Vision for Technology-Mediated Support for Public Participation and Assistance in Mass Emergencies and Disasters
Although social media remains a little harnessed—and for many, little understood—resource, its use in recent disasters leaves little doubt that it will play a significant future role. The authors of this report examine how a symbiotic system of computational tools and social media might allow citizens to play a reliable role in crisis communications. Topics for research include the quantity and quality of information, mechanisms for ensuring information trustworthiness and security, and new information extraction techniques, according to the report abstract.