
	Pacific Rim Visualization and Analytics Center University of Washington Enhancing Distributed Collaborative Decision-Making

Resources

Pacific Rim Visualization and Analytics Center (PARVAC)

Director, Professor Mark Haselkorn

Video Statement on the PARVAC Perspective

Contact: (206) 616-7382

PARVAC began as one of five Regional Visualization and Analytics Centers, operating under the general auspices of the National Visualization and Analytics Center (NVAC) at Battelle PNL. Now as an independent center with continued funding from the Department of Homeland Security and other sources, PARVAC continues wide-ranging research focused on the application and enhancement of visual analytics for enhanced distributed collaborative decision-making in multi-agency common operating environments.

Our Mission

The University of Washington’s Pacific Rim Visualization and Analytics Center (PARVAC) has the mission of advancing visual analytics for the enhancement of distributed, collaborative cognition and decision-making for public safety and security. PARVAC also plays the distinctive role of building partnerships with Pacific Rim international and domestic partners. The central goal of PARVAC’s research agenda is the application of visual analytic systems in support of analysts, responders and incident managers in distributed operational environments, collaboratively engaged in awareness, analysis, decision-making and actions that increase the safety and security of their communities and regions. PARVAC serves as a resource for regional research on communication and collaboration among the relevant public safety and security agencies in Puget Sound. Its educational mission is to establish appropriate educational curricula and resources, and encourage students to pursue educational and research opportunities in the emerging field of safety and security studies.

PARVAC was founded by Professor Tom Furness in 2006. In January 2008, Professor Mark Haselkorn became the PARVAC Director and Gael Tarleton became its manager for partnerships and strategic initiatives. The center continues to expand its research and educational initiatives. PARVAC is now a member of two DS S&T Centers of Excellence, the Center on Visual Analytics for Command, Control and Interoperability Environments (VACCINE) led by Purdue University and the National Center for Border Security and Immigration (NCBSI) led by the University of Texas at El Paso. PARVAC partners in governmental and non-governmental organizations continue to share a commitment to public safety and security cooperation.

PARVAC activities include research and development related to visual analytics, facilitation of cooperation among regional response and preparedness agencies, and education in the emerging field of visual analytics. PARVAC's response coordination activities will assist the Puget Sound disaster response communities with identification of visual analytic needs and technology transfer from the VAC research community. PARVAC’s current projects focus on many different areas and our research agenda continues to expand with newly awarded research grants.

Pacific Rim Challenges: Communities around the Pacific Rim share many common concerns. In addition to trade and transportation relationships across the region, they must be prepared for the many natural threats resulting from their position on the ring of fire surrounding the Pacific plate, including earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes. Many of these events affect a broad international section of the rim simultaneously and one nation's strategic response may rely on preparation and coordination among its many neighbors. Distributed visual analytics will be key to this coordination.

2009-08-20 - SASER 2010 with ISCRAM

SASER, conference on Safety and Security Education and Research 2010 will be held in Seattle May 3 – 5 in collaboration with the 7th Annual International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (ISCRAM). You can find out more about SASER 2010 by clicking here. If you're interested in submitting a paper at this conference which will be published in the conference proceedings, there is a list of tracks you can focus your paper towards. Please click here for the various track descriptions. If you're interested, please contact us for the layout and format instructions for the paper.

2009-07-31 - New ODNI grant

The UW Institute for National Security Education and Research (INSER) at the Information School, together with SASER partners, recently won a subcontractor role to the University of Nebraska at Lincoln as a partner on the "Great Plains - National Security Education Program" 5-year, $3 million grant. Awarded by the ODNI IC Centers for Academic Excellence program, the Nebraska consortium will create and expand national security education and research opportunities across four Nebraska-based colleges and universities. INSER will work with GP-NSEC team members to create a network among the more than 30 U.S. institutions of higher learning that are members in the CAE network. INSER received a similar grant in 2006.

2009-07-30 - SASER 2009 Summary

SASER 2009, conference on safety and security education and research in our region, was successfully completed on May 29th. Many thanks to the contributors and partners. To find out more about the conference, please click here.