Description
St. Himark is a vibrant community located in the Oceanus Sea. Home to the world-renowned St. Himark Museum, beautiful beaches, and the Wilson Forest Nature Preserve, St. Himark is one of the region’s best cities for raising a family and provides employment across a number of industries including the Always Safe Nuclear Power Plant. Well, all that was true before the disastrous earthquake that hits the area during the course of this year’s challenge. Mayor Jordan, city officials, and emergency services are overwhelmed and are desperate for assistance in understanding the true situation on the ground and how best to deploy the limited resources available to this relatively small community.
Mini-Challenge 1 In a prescient move, the city of St. Himark released a new damage reporting mobile application shortly before the earthquake. This app allows citizens to provide more timely information to the city to help them understand damage and prioritize their response. In this mini-challenge, use app responses in conjunction with shake maps of the earthquake strength to identify areas of concern and advise emergency planners.
Please visit VAST Challenge 2019: Mini-Challenge 1 for more information.
Mini-Challenge 2 While St. Himark is proud of its Always Safe nuclear power plant, it was not quite built to be compliant with the recommended safety standards developed by international organizations. The nuclear plant sustained moderate (but not life-threatening) damage during the earthquake resulting in some contamination being released. The city has installed stationary sensors which could be used to determine effected areas but they don’t cover all parts of the city. Luckily, the Himark Science Society has stepped in with citizen scientists to help crowd source this important task. Utilize these various sensors to understand which parts of the city are most effected.
Please visit VAST Challenge 2019: Mini-Challenge 2 for more information.
Mini-Challenge 3 In disasters, people reach out to friends and family to check in and discuss what they see happening around them. The city and its emergency response teams are hoping to gain an understanding of the issues facing the citizenry they can’t get through seismic readings and survey responses. They are looking to you to help them turn social media posts into an information source helping guide them as to where to focus efforts and what the concerns of the populace are.
Please visit VAST Challenge 2019: Mini-Challenge 3 for more information.
Grand Challenge St. Himark’s limited resources must be brought to bear as efficiently as possible. They are looking to you to provide them with as complete a picture as can be constructed from all the data available. Provide an overall view on the situation in the city by providing a unified visualization of the data.
Please visit VAST Challenge 2019: Grand Challenge for more information.