Cognitive contextualization of emergency management system communications

• US 9,953,028 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2015
• Issued: 04/24/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kozloski, James R., Pickover, Clifford A., Roberts, Melanie E., Vukovic, Maja
• Primary Examiner(s): Mishra, Richa
• Application Number:
  US14/593,038
• Publication Number:
  US 20160203123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,201 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/3329 Natural language query formulation or dialogue systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/30 Semantic analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/265 Personal security, identity or safety

Abstract

Software that contextualizes communications during an event by performing the following steps: (i) receiving an input communication from a first user, where the input communication includes input information relating to the event; (ii) receiving first user contextual information, where the first user contextual information pertains to an emotional state of the first user at the time the input communication was received; (iii) determining an output communication based, at least in part, on the received first user contextual information, where the output communication includes output information relating to the event; and (iv) sending the output communication to a first recipient.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by an emergency management system adapted to facilitate human-to-human communications between individuals involved in emergencies, an input communication written, spoken, or communicated via gestures by a first user, wherein the input communication includes natural language-based input information relating to a pre-identified emergency event;

receiving, by the emergency management system, a first user contextual information, wherein the first user contextual information includes information regarding the first user'"'"'s status in relation to the emergency event, and wherein the first user contextual information further includes partially processed prosodic data pertaining to an emotional state of the first user at the time the input communication was received;

utilizing, by the emergency management system, a prosody analyzer to provide an enhanced emotional interpretation of the input communication, based, at least in part, on the partially processed prosodic data of the received first user contextual information, wherein the prosody analyzer allocates emotion recognition processing tasks over a client/server architecture on a dynamic basis based, at least in part, on channel conditions and client loads;

determining, by the emergency management system, an output communication based, at least in part, on the input communication, wherein the output communication includes natural language-based output information relating to the emergency event;

modifying, by the emergency management system, the output communication based, at least in part, on the first user contextual information and the enhanced emotional interpretation, wherein modifying the output communication includes modifying natural language content of the output information;

sending, by the emergency management system, the output communication to a second user;

determining, by the emergency management system, a cognitive state of the first user and a cognitive state of the second user; and

prioritizing, by the emergency management system, the sending of the output communication over other output communications based, at least in part, on the cognitive state of the first user and the cognitive state of the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second user contextual information pertaining to an emotional state of the second user, wherein the modifying of the output communication is further based, at least in part, on the second user contextual information.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the output information includes information contained in a three-dimensional virtual environment.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the sending of the output communication includes automatically displaying the virtual environment for viewing of the output information.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the virtual environment includes an avatar; and

the output communication includes changing a characteristic of the avatar included in the virtual environment.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein:

the virtual environment includes a scenery; and

the output communication includes changing the scenery included in the virtual environment.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first user is one of the following;

a police officer, a firefighter, an ambulance operator, an emergency medical technician, a doctor, or a nurse.

8. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having stored thereon:

program instructions programmed to receive, by an emergency management system adapted to facilitate human-to-human communications between individuals involved in emergencies, an input communication written, spoken, or communicated via gestures by a first user, wherein the input communication includes natural language-based input information relating to a pre-identified emergency event;

program instructions programmed to receive, by the emergency management system, a first user contextual information, wherein the first user contextual information includes information regarding the first user'"'"'s status in relation to the emergency event, and wherein the first user contextual information further includes partially processed prosodic data pertaining to an emotional state of the first user at the time the input communication was received;

program instructions programmed to utilize, by the emergency management system, a prosody analyzer to provide an enhanced emotional interpretation of the input communication, based, at least in part, on the partially processed prosodic data of the received first user contextual information, wherein the prosody analyzer allocates emotion recognition processing tasks over a client/server architecture on a dynamic basis based, at least in part, on channel conditions and client loads;

program instructions programmed to determine, by the emergency management system, an output communication based, at least in part, on the input communication, wherein the output communication includes natural language-based output information relating to the emergency event;

program instructions programmed to modify, by the emergency management system, the output communication based, at least in part, on the first user contextual information and the enhanced emotional interpretation, wherein modifying the output communication includes modifying natural language content of the output information;

program instructions programmed to send, by the emergency management system, the output communication to a second user;

program instructions programmed to determine, by the emergency management system, a cognitive state of the first user and a cognitive state of the second user; and

program instructions programmed to prioritize, by the emergency management system, the sending of the output communication over other output communications based, at least in part, on the cognitive state of the first user and the cognitive state of the second user.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising:

program instructions programmed to receive a second user contextual information pertaining to an emotional state of the second user;

wherein;

the modifying of the output communication is further based, at least in part, on the second user contextual information.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein:

the output information includes information contained in a three-dimensional virtual environment; and

the sending of the output communication includes automatically displaying the virtual environment for viewing of the output information.

11. A computer system comprising:

a processor(s) set; and

a computer readable storage medium;

wherein;

the processor set is structured, located, connected and/or programmed to run program instructions stored on the computer readable storage medium; and

the program instructions include;

program instructions programmed to receive, by an emergency management system adapted to facilitate human-to-human communications between individuals involved in emergencies, an input communication written, spoken, or communicated via gestures by a first user, wherein the input communication includes natural language-based input information relating to a pre-identified emergency event;

program instructions programmed to receive, by the emergency management system, a first user contextual information, wherein the first user contextual information includes information regarding the first user'"'"'s status in relation to the emergency event, and wherein the first user contextual information further includes partially processed prosodic data pertaining to an emotional state of the first user at the time the input communication was received;

program instructions programmed to utilize, by the emergency management system, a prosody analyzer to provide an enhanced emotional interpretation of the input communication, based, at least in part, on the partially processed prosodic data of the received first user contextual information, wherein the prosody analyzer allocates emotion recognition processing tasks over a client/server architecture on a dynamic basis based, at least in part, on channel conditions and client loads;

program instructions programmed to determine, by the emergency management system, an output communication based, at least in part, on the input communication, wherein the output communication includes natural language-based output information relating to the emergency event;

program instructions programmed to modify, by the emergency management system, the output communication based, at least in part, on the first user contextual information and the enhanced emotional interpretation, wherein modifying the output communication includes modifying natural language content of the output information;

program instructions programmed to send, by the emergency management system, the output communication to a second user;

program instructions programmed to determine, by the emergency management system, a cognitive state of the first user and a cognitive state of the second user; and

program instructions programmed to prioritize, by the emergency management system, the sending of the output communication over other output communications based, at least in part, on the cognitive state of the first user and the cognitive state of the second user.

12. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising:

program instructions programmed to receive a second user contextual information pertaining to an emotional state of the second user;

wherein;

the modifying of the output communication is further based, at least in part, on the second user contextual information.

13. The computer system of claim 11, wherein:

the output information includes information contained in a three-dimensional virtual environment; and

the sending of the output communication includes automatically displaying the virtual environment for viewing of the output information.