Watch Center changes emergency operations courses at Radford

watch-center-banner
The social media Watch Center located inside the new CHBS building at Radford University.

The College of Humanities and Behavioral Sciences (CHBS) is moving to a new building this academic year and located inside is a social media Watch Center collaborative academic space.

A Watch Center is a space that most police departments use for crime analysis and crime mapping. A Watch Center can also be used for real-time social media analysis. Typically, it is deployed by police agencies.

Professor Steve Owen is using the space to teach security and emergency management courses this semester.

A unique piece of software that will be used is the Nuvi social media analysis tool. The Nuvi software allows for real-time social media visualization. With the software, you can monitor, analyze and report data.

“This space supports a variety of analytics, which are applicable across multiple fields,” said Owen. “Including it in the building will provide space to engage in these types of analytics, including the exploration of big data. Experience with this will add skill sets to students’ professional portfolios.”

Departments and schools across CHBS will be able to utilize and practice responding to emergencies, using the Nuvi software to analyze social media during a crisis.

“The Watch Center can be used in conjunction with exercises in the adjacent Emergency Operations Center,” Owen said. “It has the potential to enrich simulation activities and to provide a dedicated area where various types of analytics can simultaneously be conducted, displayed and analyzed in a comprehensive manner.”

Due to the innovation of the learning space, the fall semester will be a learning and training opportunity for students and professors alike.

Aug 23, 2016
Max Esterhuizen
(540) 831-7749
westerhuizen@radford.edu