Using changes in consumption as a proxy for ‘vulnerability’ we identify the characteristics associated with vulnerability around the time of the 1998 Russian financial crisis. In addition, we examine the role of formal and informal safety nets in preserving individual well being. We apply quantile regression techniques in order to identify the characteristics associated with vulnerability acros...

Nayreen Daruwalla and colleagues describe the Centre for Vulnerable Women and Children, which serves clients coping with crisis and violence in the urban setting of Dharavi, Mumbai.

There were four horsemen of the Apocalypse: War, Famine, Disease and Death, a historic association which has continued into modern times. For most of history, the disease most commonly linked with this awful partnership has been typhus, and typhus has become known as the archetypal famine fever. The aetiology of the disease has, however, rarely been examined in its historical context; as a resu...

We present a concept for combing 3D models and multiple heterogeneous sensors into a surveillance system enabling superior situation awareness. The concept has many military as well as civilian applications. A key issue is the use of a 3D environment model of the area to be surveyed, typically an urban area. In addition to the 3D model, the area of interest is monitored over time using multiple...

We describe results from a computer simulation-based study of a large-scale, human-initiated crisis in a densely populated urban setting. We focus on the interaction between human behavior and the communication infrastructure in the aftermath of the crisis. We study the effects of sending emergency broadcasts immediately after the event, advising people to shelter in place, and show that this r...