Abygail McMillan of Brooks recently presented her groundbreaking research at the 2015 Summer Institute on Flooding hosted by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station’s Center for Emergency Informatics.
McMillan’s research uses robots and computers to gather and process information about disaster scenarios. This technology saves time for responders. The real-time information gathering and data analysis allows leaders to make informed decisions about disaster response. In a disaster situation, McMillan’s research has the potential to save money, time, and countless lives.
“Emergency informatics is a relatively new field,” McMillan said. “By focusing on how geographic ata is collected and processed I cut down the time in searching to support faster response and recovery time.”
McMillan, a student at University of North Georgia, participated in a collaborative Research Experience for Undergraduates program hosted by the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M. The program is funded by the National Science Foundation through a Computing for Disasters grant. McMillan was one of 10 students selected from more than 300 applicants. Students came from across the country to explore research and graduate school with Texas A&M faculty.
McMillan worked with Robin Murphy, Ph.D., and the Center for Emergency Informatics. As the director of the center, Murphy works to make information more manageable for responders.
“They are already comfortable with social media, smart phones, and robots,” Murphy said. “The problem is, they are drowning in data. That’s where the Center for Emergency Informatics can help.”
The Summer Institute on Flooding brought together researchers and professionals from 12 government agencies, 15 universities and five companies to discuss flooding disaster response. The three-day institute was held at Texas A&M’s Riverside Campus.
At the institute, McMillan learned from experts and presented her research to assist with future disasters. While the students in attendance were there to learn, everyone had something to gain.
“The take home message for researchers and students was that the emergency response community needs advances in organizing and visualizing data,” Murphy said.
For more information about emergency informatics or the institute, visit c-emergencyinformatics.tamu.edu.
