【College of Social Sciences News】
Lin Shih-Yuan, Associate Professor in the Department of Land Economics and Executive Director of the Spatial and Social Data Integration Research Center at National Chengchi University (NCCU), led the “Cross-Time Disaster Defense Team” to participate in Taiwan’s largest digital social innovation competition, “Tech for Local Good.” The results of the 4th edition were announced on November 30, and the team won first prize among 455 competing teams.
This year, Professor Lin’s team won with the project titled “Disaster Preparedness Online! Community Safety Starts with Us.” Team members include Lin Yu-Ching (National Defense University), researchers Li Ching-Fang and Lan Chen-Wei from Sinotech Engineering Consultants (Lan is an NCCU Land Economics alumnus), IoT sensor developer Li Ching-Ping, and Lin Tung-Hao, a village officer from Wulai District Office and a student in NCCU’s Indigenous Land Policy and Environmental Planning Master’s Program. Although coming from diverse professional backgrounds, the team members shared a mutual concern for environmental disaster issues and gradually formed a collaborative relationship over the years, deepening their understanding of disaster-related challenges.
Since 2018, MediaTek has organized the “Tech for Local Good” competition, encouraging teams to focus on one of Taiwan’s 368 townships or districts and propose innovative, practical solutions for local issues. The Cross-Time Disaster Defense Team focused on Wulai District in New Taipei City, aiming to solve the issue of two-way communication breakdown in disaster monitoring for Indigenous communities. Their solution integrates radar satellite assessment technology, IoT environmental sensors, a disaster location app, and AR-based alert systems—empowering residents to actively respond to disasters and promoting a shift from passive disaster avoidance to proactive disaster literacy. The judging panel commended the team's deep understanding of local needs and their professional, technology-driven, and highly feasible solution with strong future potential.
As a member of the College of Social Sciences, Professor Lin noted that receiving the top prize in a competition hosted by the tech industry was a great encouragement for the interdisciplinary team. The award-winning project spanned both temporal and spatial dimensions, effectively enabling large- to small-scale, and past-to-future disaster observations. Moreover, for environmental disaster monitoring to be truly effective and sustainable, it must include participation from the residents directly affected. Through collaboration with local partners in Wulai, the team incorporated community knowledge and attitudes into the technology—developing a real-time disaster reporting app. This app provides intuitive access to updated environmental hazard information through localized safety maps tailored to various users, effectively bridging communication gaps.
By leveraging the internet and technology, traditional models can be transformed with innovative solutions. Professor Lin’s team has empowered every local resident to become a partner in disaster prevention while translating years of academic research into real-world social impact. The team is now actively improving their disaster information platform, with the hope of enhancing local disaster resilience and promoting technology-based disaster education to safeguard lives and property. Professor Lin emphasized that the team will continue advancing toward its goals and hopes to expand the Wulai model to other Indigenous communities across Taiwan, maximizing its societal impact.
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Original Article (Chinese): NCCU Campus NewsUDN Report: First Prize Awarded to 'Cross-Time Disaster Defense Team'
UDN Report: Tech for Local Good Competition Results Announced
