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The Communication Working Group is focused on communication improving health and human security status in the U.S.

The mission of the Communication working group is to optimize the health, human security, resilience, and sustainability of Americans and their communities of interest globally. 

Members

bevcorwin Kathy Gilbeaux Maeryn Obley mdmcdonald

Email address for group

communication@m.resiliencesystem.org

Saratoga Hospitals Deploy Biometrics to Increase Security and Improve Efficiency

submitted by Luis Kun

Homeland Security News Wire - March 13, 2012

To improve privacy and security measures, Saratoga Hospital in New York recently announced that it would be partnering with DigitalPersona Inc. to install biometric access controls to verify medical personnel’s identities and increase efficiency.

Saratoga Hospitals operates five remote care facilities in New York where it employs more than 1,700 doctors, nurses, and staff members. Due to the awkward username and password authentication process, hospital officials say they had difficulty accurately tracking access to its sensitive data networks.

We needed a solution that would encourage our staff to comply with our access control policies without limiting their ability to treat patients and be productive,” explained Gary Moon, Saratoga Hospital’s information systems security analyst, in an interview with InformationWeek Healthcare. “Passwords can be cumbersome, and oftentimes the staff would stay logged in to avoid having to manually type a password each time they needed to access patient information. Thus, we could not track who had accessed information.”

New Facebook Feature Lets You Mark Yourself as ‘Safe’ After Major Disaster

submitted by Samual Bendett

techland.time.com - by Keith Wagstaff - February 29, 2012

In the wake of a disaster, one of the most terrifying things is not knowing if your loved ones are safe. Contact can be difficult: Landlines can go down and cellphones can lose their charge. Even if you call your mother and tell her you’re safe, you still have a large network of friends and family that might still be worried about you.

That’s why Facebook’s new Disaster Message Board makes sense. Right now it’s only being tested in Japan, which is still dealing with the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Tornado Victims Flock to Facebook for Helping Hand

      

Student Madeline Evans walks past a destroyed school bus after a tornado devastated the town of Henryville, Indiana, March 3, 2012.  Credit: Reuters/Indiana National Guard/Sgt. John Crosby

by Mary Slosson - March 5, 2012

(Reuters) - Residents of the storm-ravaged communities in the Midwest are reaching out to each other, neighbor to neighbor, through social media sites to coordinate disaster relief and share information.

A chain of fast-moving tornadoes spawned by massive thunderstorms cut a swath of destruction from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico on Friday, killing at least 39 people and leaving many residents homeless and seeking food, clothing, and shelter.

With phone connections spotty as emergency workers tried to repair downed power lines and clear debris, Facebook pages -- accessible by cell phone, mobile device, or computer -- have proven a go-to source for communities to assist one another.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

The Coming Entanglement: Bill Joy and Danny Hillis

scientificamerican.com - February 15, 2012

Digital innovators Bill Joy, co-founder of Sun Microsystems, and Danny Hillis, co-founder of the Long Now Foundation, talk with Scientific American Executive Editor Fred Guterl about the technological "Entanglement" and the attempts to build the other, hardier Internet. Web sites related to this episode include http://compass-summit.com and The Shadow Web

(LISTEN TO THE PODCAST IN THE LINK BELOW)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=the-coming-entanglement-bill-joy-an-12-02-15

Emergency Management without Social Media…fail

      

tacmedia.wordpress.com - February 26, 2012

In the world of Twitter, Facebook , YouTube and everything else that demands instantaneous information sharing it is horrible to see an event occur and the only information that comes out is rumour, guesses and innuendo.

Today, I watched virtually as a passenger train derailment occurred in the region that I live in.  In fact, I was out with my family today and we weren’t to far from the location where the event occurred.

Like so many others, I learned about the event on Twitter and I stayed with the information all afternoon and into the evening.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Civil Society Initiative Relevant to HADR Communication

submitted by Samuel Bendett

This initiative related to HADR illustrates how NGOs are working to fill the gaps in government planning and response.

internews.org

During humanitarian disasters people affected by the unfolding tragedy need more than physical necessities. They also have an urgent need for information. In the aftermath of a crisis, from earthquakes, to armed conflicts, survival can depend on knowing the answers to essential questions.

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Rapid Appraisal Methods

usaid.gov

WHAT IS RAPID APPRAISAL?

Rapid Appraisal (RA) is an approach that draws on multiple evaluation methods and techniques to quickly, yet systematically, collect data when time in the field is limited. RA practices are also useful when there are budget constraints or limited availability of reliable secondary data. For example, time and budget limitations may preclude the option of using representative sample surveys.

BENEFITS – WHEN TO USE RAPID APPRAISAL METHODS

Rapid appraisals are quick and can be done at relatively low cost. Rapid appraisal methods can help gather, analyze, and report relevant information for decision-makers within days or weeks. This is not possible with sample surveys. RAs can be used in the following cases:

  • for formative evaluations, to make mid-course corrections in project design or implementation when customer or partner feedback indicates a problem (See ADS 203.3.6.1);

  • when a key management decision is required and there is inadequate information;

  • for performance monitoring, when data are collected and the techniques are repeated over time for measurement purposes;

  • to better understand the issues behind performance monitoring data; and

  • for project pre-design assessment.

The Age of Big Data

Image/Chad Hagen - The New York Times Company

submitted by Samuel Bendett

by Steve Lohr - The New York Times -February 11, 2012

GOOD with numbers? Fascinated by data? The sound you hear is opportunity knocking.

Mo Zhou was snapped up by I.B.M. last summer, as a freshly minted Yale M.B.A., to join the technology company’s fast-growing ranks of data consultants. They help businesses make sense of an explosion of data — Web traffic and social network comments, as well as software and sensors that monitor shipments, suppliers and customers — to guide decisions, trim costs and lift sales. “I’ve always had a love of numbers,” says Ms. Zhou, whose job as a data analyst suits her skills.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

X24 - Mexico - Exercise 24

VizCenter - San Diego State University

February 8, 2012 - 8:00am

Purpose of X24 México

Exercise 24 (X24) México is the third iteration of a primarily virtual, open-invitation, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) exercise with real-world functional components that is hosted by San Diego State University’s “Immersive Visualization Center” (VizCenter).

Participants include DHS/Office of Health Affairs, NORAD-NORTHCOM, US Customs and Border Protection/Global Borders College, Mexican Army and Navy, Mexico Federal Police, Ministry of Defense from Vietnam, India National Disaster Management Agency, World Shipping Council, Red Cross, Pacific Disaster Center, NYK Logistics, National defense University, and growing.

X24 México Goals

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