Department of Security & Crime Science
1
Lucy Burton
2/26
Searching for Patterns
There are parallels between the dynamics
of certain man-made complex systems
and those that occur naturally
One characteristic of complex systems is that
the frequency and magnitude of outcomes
can be described by a mathematical
relationship called a “power law”
Albatross Flight
Internet Connections
US Flight Paths
Earthquakes
3/26
Searching for Patterns
Wave run up heights
4/26
Research Interests
Multidisciplinary research in the fields of economics,
ecology and mathematics:
•Investigating how patterns found in animal foraging may be
linked to patterns in the location of offences and the journey of
criminals
•Developing novel quantitative approaches for the study of
conflict and rebellion groups
•Looking at how complexity science and network approaches
may be utilised in the analysis of war
5/26
Amin Amiri
6/26
Search and Rescue Missions
Earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones -- disasters like these make a
normally natural environment hard to navigate and dangerous
for human search and rescue teams.
Emerging technologies :
•Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (e.g. Rotary UAVs)
•Mobile Remote Sensing Systems
Advantages:
•Time and Resource efficient
•High Accuracy
•Cost-effective
7/26
Search and Rescue Missions
SkyEye Quadrocopter UAV
UCL - Department of Electronic and
Electrical Engineering
8/26
Challenges and Research Interests
Challenges:
•Compact (Light weight)
•Utilising the technology (Multi-sensor integration)
•Are we ready to operate UAVs in our cities ? (Ethics)
Research interests:
•Design of novel radar systems on UAVs (e.g. smart antennas)
•3D Scanning and Mapping (Detecting, Locating, Imaging)
• Investigating the use of these systems in security and defence
(e.g. Landmine detection, border control)
9/26
Changwang Zhang
10/26
Communication Network Support
Communication is essential to report the disaster and carry out
the rescue plan. We aim to make efforts to reinforce the
communication network before and after the disaster.
Before the disaster
The security, robustness and resilience of the network system
After the disaster
Find critical points to re-connect the network
Prioritise the emergency communication.
11/26
Communication Network Support
How to achieve the following objectives?
• Security, robustness and resilience of the network
• Find critical failure points swiftly and prioritise the
emergency communication
Self-healing System
By proposing intelligence network protocols
• Network protocols – the software infrastructure of
Immunisation
System
communications
system
• Anti-attack and self-healing network protocols
Existing work
RRED protocol – performs 3 times better than existing
protocols for networks under attack.
12/26
Research Interests
•
•
Network Security and its related fields
Anti-attack and resilient network protocols
Multidisciplinary Research
•
•
•
Law
Psychology
Global Health
13/26
Stavros-Ioannis Tsompanidis
14/26
The epidemiology of PTSD after natural disasters
Part 1: Survivors
• The definition of Post Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD) and its
impact in psychological well being
• Natural disasters as opposed to other
human-made and technological
disasters
• Understanding personal resilience
and cultural factors
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder can be classified as the most frequent disorder after
traumatic events and disasters (Norris, Friedman, Watson et al., 2002)
15/26
The epidemiology of PTSD after natural disasters
Part 2: Rescue Groups
• What is vicarious trauma?
• Development of PTSD in rescue
groups’ members and the burn out
phase
• Idiosyncratic factors, group
membership and resilience
• Expanding research to other critical
occupations
Empirical evidence suggests that the prevalence of PTSD among
direct victims of disasters is 30-40%, among rescue group workers is
approximately 10-20% and the prevalence in the general population is
5-10% (Galea, Nandi and Vlahov, 2005)
16/26
Research Interests
•Strategies for conflict resolution
•Identity formation
•Eyewitnesses and the fallibility of memory
•Currently looking at juries’ decision making processes
regarding forensic evidence presented in the court
17/26
Hugo Soto Ojeda
18/26
Consequences of natural disasters on crime
The sudden disruption of the normal human activities in form of the
disaster gives rise to both pro-social and anti-social behaviour:
•
Social order often breaks down and people resort to crime in
desperation
•
For some, disaster is an opportunity to take advantage of others
misfortune and increased vulnerability
•
Displacement of crime: rapid immigration caused by displacement from
natural disaster could destabilise established social controls in adjoining
areas
19/26
Consequences… Practical questions
20/26
Challenges and Research Interests
To answer those questions we need to know:
•Patterns of typical crimes in areas affected by tsunami
•What are the “normal” situational conditions that facilitate the commission
of these crimes after tsunami
•International experience on successful measures of blocking opportunities
for these particular crimes
Research Interests
•Evaluation and design of crime prevention policies
•New crime patterns in Latin-America
•Modernisation, social changes and crime involvement in Chile and LatinAmerica
21/26
Janina Beiser
22/26
Consequences on political stability
Increase in the likelihood of conflict?
23/26
Consequences on political stability
Statistical tests give insights about:
Whether the likelihood of conflict has
increased
accounts
Which (combination of) explanation(s)
for it
Which factors help prevent the outbreak and
diffusion of conflict
24/26
Research Interests
Geographical, social and economic interdependence
between countries and regions:
Outcomes for countries (in particular conflict and
other forms of political violence but also state
characteristics in general)
Diffusion of such outcomes
25/26
Conclusion
• A tsunami has short as well as long term
negative consequences on different levels - on
individuals - physical as well as psychological, on
technology and infrastructure, on societies as a
whole and on entire regions
• In order to prevent and reverse those negative
consequences, a multidisciplinary effort is
necessary
26/26