Ph.D. Dissertation Defense
Computer Science and Electrical Engineering
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Human Sensor Networks for Disasters

Oleg Aulov

11:00am Thursday, 29 May 2014, ITE325b, UMBC

This dissertation, presents a novel approach that utilizes quantifiable social media data as a human aware near real-time observing system coupled with geophysical predictive models for improved response to disasters and extreme events. It shows that social media data has the potential to significantly improve disaster management beyond informing the public and emphasizes the importance of different roles that social media can play in management, monitoring, modeling and mitigation of natural and human-caused disasters.

In the proposed approach, social media sources are viewed as a Human Sensor Network, and Social Media users are viewed as “human sensors” that are “deployed” in the field, and their posts are considered to be “sensor observations”. I have utilized the “human sensor observations”, i.e. data acquired from social media, as boundary value forcings to show improved geophysical model forecasts of extreme disaster events when combined with other scientific data such as satellite observations and sensor measurements. In addition, I have developed a system called ASON maps that dynamically combines model forecast outputs with specified social media observations and physical measurements to define the regions of event impacts such as flood distributions and levels, beached tarballs, power outages etc. Real time large datasets were collected, archived and are available for following recent extreme disasters events as use case scenarios.

In the case of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster of 2010 that devastated the Gulf of Mexico, the research demonstrates how social media data can be used as a boundary forcing condition of the oil spill plume forecast model, and results in an order of magnitude forecast improvement. In the case of Hurricane Sandy NY/NJ landfall impact of 2012, owing to inherent uncertainties in the weather forecasts, the NOAA operational surge model only forecasts the worst-case scenario for flooding from any given hurricane. This dissertation demonstrates how the model forecasts, when combined with social media data in a single framework, can be used for near-real time forecast validation, damage assessment and disaster management. Geolocated and time-stamped photos allow near real-time assessment of the surge levels at different locations, which can validate model forecasts give timely views of the actual levels of surge, as well as provide an upper bound regional street level maps beyond which the surge did not spread. In the case of the Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami of 2011, social media aspects of handheld devices such as Geiger counters that can potentially detect radioactive debris are discussed as well.

Committee: Dr. Milton Halem (chair), Tim Finin, Anupam Joshi, James Smith, Yelena Yesha

Concurrent Technologies Corporation (http://www.ctc.com/) is trying to fill a internship with an undergrad with good software skills to start as soon as possible in their Annapolis Junction, MD facility. If you meet the qualifications and are interested, please follow the directions at the end of this announcement.

—

Are you ready to start your career at a corporation with a respected national reputation for solving complex technical challenges? Become a part of our team. Concurrent Technologies Corporation (CTC) has an opportunity for qualified Software Development Intern.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT INTERN

Primary Responsibilities: CTC is offering a Participative Internship Program (PIP), which is a twelve week, technically focused group internship experience. The PIP is a mix of direct project work coupled with a relevant research project and end of internship presentation. It is a structured internship program providing student mentorship, leadership, technical subject matter expertise, and competency development opportunities.

The research project will include an evaluation of leading edge cloud, mobile, and virtual application based solutions enabling the integration and/or mobility of CTC’s highly scalable Cross Domain Solutions.

Basic Qualifications:

• Qualifying applicants should have course expertise in software development and best practices.

• Should be capable of handling multiple roles (development of software, writing test plans and test cases, requirements traceability, leading test teams) in a team-based environment.

• Currently pursuing a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science or related discipline.

• Must have course familiarity with object-oriented software design and development using languages such as VBA, Java, C and/or C++ and basic computer networking knowledge and Familiarity with iOS and Android development.

• Hadoop, Groovy, Graph Database, iOS, Android and MongoDB experience are considered a plus.

Clearance: U.S. Citizenship.
Join us! Qualified candidates should submit their resumes online at:

http://careers.ctc.com

Email: Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address. or Sorry, you need javascript to view this email address.
Reference Code: SR # 2014-0064
EOE, M/F/D/V

Today, UMBC and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced the Meyerhoff Adaptation Project, a five-year partnership between the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), Penn State, UNC Chapel Hill and UMBC.

This project will expand UMBC’s innovative Meyerhoff Scholars Program — which has seen dramatic results in successfully preparing minority students for STEM careers — to Penn State and UNC Chapel Hill. Since 1993, the Meyerhoff program has graduated more than 900 students in STEM disciplines; alumni have earned 144 PhD degrees, 39 MD/PhD degrees, 1 DVM/PhD degree, 239 Masters degrees, and 107 MD degrees.

The program is built on a complex set of “interventions,” including summer bridge programs, intensive mentoring, collaborative learning and multiple research experiences. Social scientists at all three universities will gather data to understand how each component of the Meyerhoff model contributes to its overall success.

[brightcove vid=3431607012001&exp3=748768175001&surl=http://c.brightcove.com/services&pubid=745466298001&pk=AQ~~,AAAArZFA_pE~,D1__qX58jepyn9zojJ2LYUEMlOHX-HLh&lbu=http://www.hhmi.org/news/three-universities-unite-replicate-and-spread-successful-stem-program&w=480&h=360]

Jeff Mervis wrote about the program on Science’s web site.

Mervis noted that HHMI will “spend $7.75 million over the next 5 years to support a partnership between UMBC and two major state institutions—the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and the Pennsylvania State University in State College. The HHMI funding will help faculty members and administrators at all three schools document what is essential for success and also create a roadmap for other universities to follow. Last year both schools launched their own versions of the Meyerhoff program, which seeks out high-performing students who intend to pursue a Ph.D. in science or engineering.”

HHMI News quoted UMBC President Dr. Freeman Hrabowski, “The primary purpose of the Meyerhoff Program is to produce scientists and engineers, with an emphasis on people from underrepresented groups—but also people of all races—who are interested in helping others.”

And it is with that purpose that HHMI hopes to expand Meyerhoff Scholarship Program beyond UMBC.

 Inside Higher Ed: UNC, Penn State Seek to Replicate STEM Diversity Program

by Kate Drabinski