My son, Jay, is a sophomore at Loyola University in New Orleans, so the worrywart parent I am signed up for NOLA Ready alerts to track emergencies during hurricane season. The above flash flood alert caught my eye, particularly the reference to parking restrictions on sidewalks and neutral grounds. Flooding in New Orleans streets can … Read more
Article updated on the event’s 50th Anniversary with images from Woodstock then and in 2011 when this piece was first published. August 30, 2011 This past weekend, while Irene was threatening the East Coast, my husband and I were in the Catskills for visiting day at our daughters’ summer camp. We decided to extend our … Read more
Since well before 9/11, GISMO, the NYC region’s oldest GIS interest group, has been working on advocacy initiatives to improve the way New York City collects, stores, shares and manages Geospatial Data and the processes and strategies around the City’s Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and related functions. Beginning in 1996, the City’s first GIS Director, … Read more
The floor plan of the NYC Emergency Operations Center is a great example of pervasive information architecture, where the structure of the physical space mimics the structure/hierarchy of the people and systems in the space. It shows what each watch commander monitors, how reporting agencies and government community services like Department of Homeless Services and … Read more
Oral history as a primary source is being revived through initiatives like Story Corps and World Pulse and through improved storage capacity to archive and exhibit personal stories, making it less expensive for even the smallest and least funded groups. We are moving toward an environment where alternative narratives can be both manipulative (alternative facts, … Read more
On November 1, 2014 I participated in a Semiotics Web and Information Architecture meetup at New York Public Library. Mypresentation, “Semiotics in Mapping and Emergency Response,” discusses symbology in mapping as an aspect of semiotics and presents an example of emergency response map symbology and a discussion of applications for first responders and broader uses. … Read more
My IxDA July 12 presentation on Information Architecture of Emergency Response (for Designers) is now available at: http://www.slideshare.net/nwhysel/information-architecture-of-emergency-response-for-designers. Thanks to IxDA and Pivotal Labs for hosting, Peter March for MCing and Jennifer Kilian at Hot Studio for bringing the pizza. Information Architecture of Emergency Response (for Designers) from Noreen Whysel
On November 16, 2006, the Committee on Public Safety, the Committee on Fire and Criminal Justice Services, and the Committee on Technology in Government, will hold a joint oversight hearing on improvements in communication technology among New York City first responders. This hearing will focus on the progress of radio communications for New York City … Read more