Social network mapping social networks in disaster-affected communities

To address the challenges of climate change-related disasters, new concepts and capabilities are needed for measuring and harnessing the collective resilience of communities. The goal of this project is to develop a way to capture social networks of civic participation quickly and efficiently in disaster-prone communities.

The main objective is to develop a novel survey portal and visualisation tool that allows community members to record, merge, visualise, and analyse their common social connections to local groups and organisations, for example sports clubs, churches and progression groups.

Conducted in real time, this platform will provide a visually engaging experience, and will open immediate use of network data. In this way, network data become a knowledge translation tool, allowing disaster recovery practitioners and community members to better understand key connections within their community, as well as optimised strategies for harnessing those connections.

In this phase of the project, we aim to enhance the user experience of the network mapping website. We likewise aim to develop;

• data visualisation – for example network visualisations with spatial maps
• sampling capabilities – for example network snowball methods
• data analysis (network metrics)
• data physicalisation – to better understand how people view their own networks.

In addition to the knowledge translation benefits brought by these capabilities, the project will provide an important foundation for further scientific research into societal resilience and social network methodology.

This project builds on a prior collaboration with MDAP for the initial development of the data collection software in question, in partnership with Natural Hazards Research Australia. The proposed extension to the project will build on project members longstanding collaborations with government and local partners in disaster recovery. It will also closely support our current and ongoing work with recovery committees in communities affected by recent major disasters such as bushfires and floods.