May 12, 1998 Special Presentation

by Louise Comfort, PhD.

SUMMARY

EIIP Virtual Library Online Presentation

IISIS
"An Interactive, Intelligent, Spatial Information System "

Special Presentation
by
Dr. Louise Comfort

Associate Professor
University Center for Social and Urban Research
University of Pittsburgh

Dr. Louise Comfort, Professor, University Center for Social and Urban Research, University of Pittsburgh presented an overview of the IISIS project in her paper, "An Interactive, Intelligent, Spatial Information System (IISIS): A Community Model". Dr. Comfort is also the Principal Researcher for the IISIS project.

The stated problem according to Dr. Comfort's paper is that disaster costs have increased dramatically over the last few years and this increase reflects growing interdependence of metropolitan regions and a society with an increasing population and advanced technologies. From her studies and research, Dr. Comfort maintains that existing software programs designed for emergency management have not successfully met the needs of practicing managers. The IISIS project was developed to address practical, organizational, and technical issues facing communities by providing timely, accurate information to mobilize effective action. The long-term goal of the IISIS project is to increase the capacity of communities to mitigate and respond effectively to disasters.

The Virtual Library session was an effective mixture of text and slides demonstrating the IISIS program; the slides were viewed by the audience as Dr. Comfort overviewed her paper. To download or read complete edited and original transcripts of the May12, 1998 online Virtual Library presentation, please see above.

LOUISE COMFORT, PhD.

Professor and Principal Researcher, IISIS Project
University Center for Social and Urban Research
University of Pittsburgh

Louise K. Comfort is a Professor of Public and International Affairs at the University of Pittsburgh. Her research focuses on the design and development of sociotechnical systems which use information technology to provide decision support to practicing agencies. She is the Principal Investigator for the IISIS (Interactive, Intelligent, Spatial Information System) Project, an interdisciplinary research project which draws upon findings from her study of rapidly evolving response systems in disaster environments. She has done field research on organizational response and information processes in disaster operations following earthquakes in Mexico City, 1985; San Salvador, 1986; Ecuador, 1987; Whittier Narrows, California, 1987; Armenia, 1988; Loma Prieta, 1989; Costa Rica, 1991; Erzincan, Turkey, 1992, and Killari, Maharashtra State, India, 1993; Northridge, California; Hanshin, Japan, 1995.

Author and editor of two books and more than seventy published papers, book chapters, and professional reports, Ms. Comfort has earned degrees in political science from Macalester College (B.A.); University of California, Berkeley (M.A.), and Yale University (Ph.D.).

See also http://quake.ucsur.pitt.edu:2000/users/comfort/index.html

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