Applications of Social Network Analysis for Building Community Disaster Resilience Workshop Summary (2009) / Chapter Skim
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4 From Theory to Practice
4 From Theory to Practice
Pages 43-54
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From page 43... ...
Workshop discussion was driven by the charge from the sponsor to identify current research and theories in the use of SNA for studying and constructing social networks. The preceding chapters of this document describe several information and technology gaps identified by workshop participants that potentially hinder the common application of SNA by practitioners.
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How social support and social embeddedness influence community resilience, and the importance of public connectivity in facilitating resilience are also topics meriting consideration. SNA can be used to identify and study the characteristics and functions of trusted leaders, organizations, and information sources within networks.
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Study of how SNA or similar analyses are applied in areas such as network-centric warfare,2 counter terrorism, and public health could be applied to SNA for improving community disaster resilience. The vocabulary of network-centric warfare is different 2 Network-centric warfare is a Department of Defense doctrine based on using information technology to the military's advantage (Alberts et al., 1999)
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TRANSLATION FROM RESEARCH TO PRACTICE According to workshop participants, scientific literature on SNA is fairly robust, and literature in disaster and community resilience is emergent. Until fairly recently, these research communities have had little interaction, and there has been even less communication between researchers and emergency management practitioners.
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From page 47... ...
(2008) on community resilience could be rewritten for journals such as the Journal of Emergency Management3 and presented at conferences such as those of the International Association of Emergency Managers4 and the National Emergency Management Association.5 Just as important, researchers could involve practitioners in identifying research gaps and by creating the means to receive practitioner feedback on tentative research results.
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Additionally, workshop participants stated that data collection is underfunded, and that funding mechanisms do not exist solely for collecting and managing the large datasets required for SNA. Baseline data as input to SNA can contribute to the understanding of how parts of a network draw on available resources during normal operations, and how those resources are stressed during a disaster.
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Information may be in the form of baseline data, media reports, and data that move across social networks. Development and transfer to emergency management practitioners of the correct technologies linking SNA to tools for collecting data, monitoring change, and conducting geospatial analyses are essential for reliable communication.
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Understanding Network Dynamics Building resiliency into social networks requires an understanding of the dynamic nature of networks and of how positive changes that prevent network failure during a disaster may be promoted. Because networks are constantly changing, workshop participants suggested that network models be constantly updated and that new methods for studying network dynamics are needed.
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Research on behaviors that emerge as a consequence of a disaster and research on the skill sets and attributes of individual and organizational network members that emerge as trusted opinion leaders could result in better identification of those able to collaborate with emergency management practitioners to build resilience. Exploring Community Resilience in other Contexts Exploring other broader social issues where SNA has been or could be applied may provide useful information related to the application of SNA for building community resilience.
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Local, state, and federal resources could be used to establish the collaboratives to encourage thorough baseline expertise on regional social networks and adaptive capacities. The regions could be consistent with the 10 regions into which the Federal Emergency Management Agency divides the United States..
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Many workshop participants expressed the view that by increasing the capacity for effective communication through social networks, a community may be created that is resilient to a broad range of stressors. Investing in building of community resilience is highly likely to yield rapid returns through the creation of stronger and healthier communities.
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