Dr. Linlang He
The North Texas Research Coalition (NTRC) Speaker Series provides a forum for researchers across North Texas to present their work on social science topics. More information is available at northtexasresearch.com.
Dr. He will present her work on "Communications Interoperability and Coordination in Emergency Management."
Communications interoperability refers to the ability of emergency response agencies to communicate and exchange voice and data seamlessly in real-time, when needed, and as authorized. In this study, researchers first propose a novel way of evaluating local municipalities' communications interoperability level by accounting for not only their physical equipment's integration into diverse channels but also city- and county-level agencies' various levels of engagement in the Statewide Interoperability Plan. They then use empirical data from the State of Texas to examine whether local jurisdictions that are more involved in the Statewide Interoperability Plan coordinate more in emergency management. By doing this, the study contributes to the thin literature on the governance aspects of communications interoperability, offering insights for collaborative emergency management.
Dr. He's primary research interests are the coupling of rural-urban systems and environmental governance, conflicts and collaborations in policy processes and the role of advocacy coalitions, and climate politics and environmental justice.