In an ongoing effort at emCOMP, researchers are working to design and implement a tool that will help distributed teams of digital volunteers collaboratively monitor and process social media during disaster events. In the past few years, groups of remote volunteers have formed with the goal of collectively processing social media data to assist in response efforts. Currently, these groups often rely on ad hoc infrastructures and work practices to coordinate their work. We conduct user studies examining their tools and practices with the goal of designing to support this work and are implementing our designs based on these studies.
A screenshot of an early design by emCOMP researchers that supports collaborative work among digital volunteers during crises.
Cobb, C., McCarthy, T., Perkins, A., Bharadwaj, A., Comis, J., Do, B., & Starbird, K. (2014). Designing for the Deluge: Understanding & Supporting the Distributed, Collaborative Work of Crisis Volunteers. Proceedings of the ACM 2013 Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2014), Baltimore, MD.
Link address: http://faculty.washington.edu/kstarbi/CSCW2014_DesigningForTheDeluge.pdf
