Search

The app allows users to download compatible software which streamlines the data compilation process. While raw data is accessibly, the app’s stated goal is to streamline the data into comprehensible statistics and results that can be used for informed decision-making, to this end the data is presented to the user with initial mathematical analysis already completed by the system.

• “interest in how disasters could influence communities and result in large-scale effects, as well as interest in the mental and physical health consequences of different types of disasters, the influence of context on risk to mental health, and the distinct needs of different types of disaster victims.” (170)
• “Consistent with life-course epidemiologic perspectives (37), characteristics or experiences of individuals before, during, and after a disaster may influence mental health outcomes and interact to produce psychopathology.” (174)
• “The key functions of pre-disaster preparation efforts are to prevent or minimize exposure to potentially traumatic disaster-related events and reduce likelihood of additional post-disaster stressors, which are both associated with post-disaster mental disorders. Local governments and communities can reduce the likelihood and severity of disaster exposure” (176)

Data visualization is primarily determined by the type of data being gathered and the system for data collection being used. The app integrates data in order to both make large quantities of data easily viewable and understood, as well as compare studies with existing data stored on the system.

• I was interested in the portion of the article that referred to the initial scientific understanding of post-traumatic stress after the Vietnam War, so I looked into the early reports on PTSD to see how far the science has come since then.
• The article extensively referenced Hurricane Ike which I was unfamiliar with, researching the storm gave me better idea of the type of trauma that many of the survivors experienced due to the massive amount of damage that occurred.
• The article suggested that properly stoked and manned shelters for evacuated residents would be very important in preventing trauma, so I looked into the existing infrastructure in high risk locations. The government maintains stockpiles of supplies around the country and most communities have designated shelters, however there is not a single existing plan for how a community could safely evacuate the entire population.

Users input research data in real time through connected collection systems, as well as ideas and findings in the form of reports and reviews. The type of data varies by user as it is specific to their research topics. 

The main argument is supported through several methods, first the use of demographic statistics on the patients suffering from mental illness after several significant disasters. The experiences of patients with severe mental illness are also presented as supporting evidence of the complicated causes of disaster related mental illness. Finally the article includes data and theories presented in several other papers to provide a basis for the claims of the authors regarding the future studies of mental illness and the support systems that would be ideal in minimizing the trauma of a disaster.

Twine provides information and software to set up compatible data collection systems that pool information into the larger system, which the app then makes available to its users. The system also includes a publishing and collaboration aspect which allows groups of people from all over the globe to access the same data and report on the findings together.

The bibliography of this article shows that it was written using the data and observations available in many other papers, and interviews conducted previously. It does not appear that any new data was gathered specifically for this article.

There are thousands of data collection apps that use similar technical system as Twine, one more popular app is Fulcrum which uses the same real time collection ideas and integration between existing data and new data. Fulcrum however is aimed towards medium businesses that need to coordinate between employees. There also exists several open source options that also allow for independent data collection.

The article presents the types of mental illness commonly associated with disasters as well as the statistics of effected individuals and the risk factors present before, during, and after a disaster.