The University of New Mexico (UNM) has announced that Eirini Eleni Tsiropoulou, an associate professor in the UNM Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant will support Tsiropoulou's project, SOTERIA: Satisfaction and Risk-aware Dynamic Resource Orchestration in Public Safety Systems, which aims to improve public safety systems, particularly in disaster scenarios requiring coordination among victims, first responders, and emergency control centers for efficient rescue operations.
The three-year, $300,000 project led by Tsiropoulou focuses on transforming disaster management and resource allocation by introducing innovative behavioral decision-making models and bio-inspired disaster response networks. The project aims to enhance disaster response efficiency by integrating efficient resource management techniques with human behavior considerations.
Tsiropoulou, a researcher specializing in game theory, stated, "SOTERIA's outcomes could transform the field of disaster response." She also highlighted the significance of the project, saying, "By integrating efficient resource management techniques with human behavior considerations, the project aims to enhance victims' satisfaction instead of merely maximizing utility."
The SOTERIA project emphasizes the implementation of a bio-inspired disaster response network (DRN), drawing inspiration from the resilience observed in biological networks. Tsiropoulou's research aims to tackle the challenge of comprehending human decision-making during disasters, particularly in situations with uncertain resource availability.
The project introduces a novel behavioral decision-making model known as Satisfaction Games, which captures the complexities of disaster response. Tsiropoulou explained, "This project introduces a novel behavioral decision-making model that captures these complexities, giving rise to a new field in game theory known as Satisfaction Games."
The proposed reinforcement learning techniques in the project will empower victims to make informed decisions in real-time, even when faced with incomplete information about resource availability. Tsiropoulou believes that the SOTERIA project will reshape disaster response systems and contribute significantly to the advancement of theories such as Prospect Theory, Tragedy of the Commons, and Satisfaction Games.
With the increasing challenges posed by disasters worldwide, the SOTERIA project holds the promise of reshaping disaster response systems and making significant contributions to the field.
