Benjamin Barth, Govinda Chaithanya Kabbinahithilu, Alexandros Bartzas, Spyros Pantazis, & Tomaso deCola. (2020). A Content Oriented Information Sharing System for Disaster Management. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 922–927). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: In response to natural and man-made hazards multiple organisations usually are involved in a very complex situation. On the other hand, extreme weather situations due to the climate change create hazards in areas which were considered safe before. In order to improve the capabilities of involved organisations in responding and preparing for disaster events, the availability of an efficient information sharing approach is a key enabler. To this end, we propose a communication system based on a content oriented architecture tailored to disaster management. It includes a catalogue that is offering web services for publishing and subscribing of disaster information and for further collaboration amongst agencies and first responders. Moreover, the considered approach also allows for full content access control and enables a flexible system. The paper shows the current status of the system design. Next steps will include the implementation and evaluation of the approach.
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Michael Holzhüter, & Ulrich Meissen. (2020). A Decentralized Reference Architecture for Interconnected Systems in Emergency Management. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 961–972). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Optimal communication and information exchange are key elements for handling complex crises or disaster situations. With the increasing number of heterogeneous ICT systems, also raises the importance of adequate support for interconnectivity and information logistics between stakeholders to thoroughly gather information and to make quick but precise decisions. The main purpose of the information exchange is then to manage the crisis as quickly as possible, to provide full information to protect first responders' health and safety, to optimally dispatch resources, and to ensure coordination between different relief forces. Based on an end user survey with a particular focus on first responders, this paper introduces an evolutionary architecture to enable information exchange in crises situation or disasters. The aim is to provide a decentralized approach among heterogeneous ICT-systems which abstracts from the underlying communication technologies and heterogeneity of connected systems and fulfills the functional and non-functional requirements from end users.
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Thomas Theodoridis, George Katsikas, Nicholas Vretos, & Petros Daras. (2022). A Symbiotic Orchestration Module for Multi-agent Collaboration in Disaster Response Scenarios. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 771–780). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: This paper presents the Symbiotic Orchestration Module, which facilitates the collaboration of smart agents in disaster response scenarios. By effectively orchestrating the actions of different agents in critical situations towards a common goal, it enhances the individual capabilities of the agents and unlocks new possibilities that are not available when agents act isolated. To achieve this, the Symbiotic Orchestration Module is composed of four sub-modules: a) the Mission Controller, which is responsible for keeping track of ongoing missions, agent allocations and for handling non-collaborative missions, b) the Symbiotic Operation Control Module, which handles collaborative missions proposed by the system, c) the Task Allocation Module, which automatically assigns available robots to incoming missions based on robot capabilities and mission requirements, and d) the Task Recognition and Optimal Sequencing Module, which is responsible for recognizing opportunities for agent collaboration and for system-wide goal optimization.
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Holzhüter, M., Huhle, G., Reuter-Oppermann, M., Hellriegel, J., & Klafft, M. (2023). Acceptance study on application systems to improve situational incident management through bi-directional communication between citizens and decision-makers in emergencies and crises situations. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 197–207). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: Efficient hazard prevention and disaster control depend on situational awareness. Situational information is – among others – provided by citizens on the ground. Disaster managers are often reluctant to use such information on a large scale or in a systematic way for fear of being overwhelmed by information overload in a stressful crisis. New information technologies for crisis management are strongly dependent on the acceptance of the people using them and can only be successful as socio-technical systems. Therefore, 354 employees of public and private emergency operation centres as well as members of crisis management teams were asked to assess different information sharing technologies. 504 people from the public responded to an online survey about their willingness to use such technologies. The results indicate a high level of acceptance by both user groups for bi directional communication technologies for situation management and the improvement of situational awareness.
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Enrique Caballero, Angel Madridano, Dimitrios Sainidis, Konstantinos Konstantoudakis, Petros Daras, & Pablo Flores. (2021). An automated UAV-assisted 2D mapping system for First Responders. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 890–902). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Recent advances in the Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) sector have allowed such systems to carry a range of sensors, thus increasing their versatility and adaptability to a wider range of tasks and services. Furthermore, the agility of these vehicles allows them to adapt to rapidly changing environments making them an effective tool for emergency situations. A single UAV, or a swarm working in collaboration, can be a handy and helpful tool for First Responders (FRs) during mission planning, mission monitoring, and the tracking of evolving risks. UAVs, with their on-board sensors, can, among other things, capture visual information of the disaster scene in a safe and quick manner, and generate an up-to-date map of the area. This work presents a system for UAV-assisted mapping optimized for FRs, including the generation of routes for the UAVs to follow, data collection and processing, and map generation.
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Ana María Cintora, Eva Teresa Robledo, Cristina Gomez, Raquel Lafuente, Ricardo García, & Cristina Horrillo. (2022). Analysis of the Chemical Incidents from Seveso Directive according to Direct Fatalities and Injuries. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 1058–1067). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the eMARS database, which contains compulsory information on major chemical incidents under the SEVESO Directive. This analysis serves to assess the installations with the highest number of direct fatalities and injuries. At present, the data collected to assess the status of chemical accident risk globally are rather limited. There are some sources of data on chemical accidents in government and industry that might be used to estimate the frequency and severity of some types of events, but they are far from providing a complete perspective that covers all chemical accidents, thus limiting the possibilities of obtaining a more homogeneous picture of the risk of chemical accidents worldwide. Waste storage, treatment and disposal is one of the industrial areas with the highest number of fatalities and injuries, so we must emphasize the importance of this type of industry within the risk maps.
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Kyriaki Christaki, Dimitrios Tsiakmakis, Ivanka Babic, Guillaume Inglese, Konstantinos Konstantoudakis, Gabriele Giunta, et al. (2022). Augmented Reality Points of Interest for Improved First Responder Situational Awareness. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 755–770). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: Situational awareness is a vital component of any disaster response mission, both in terms of first responder (FR) safety and efficiency. Points of interest (POI) can pertain to hazards known beforehand, risks discovered during the course of a mission, victims, entry and exit routes, important equipment, and more. Although communications and technical means can expand an individual FR’s situational awareness, they depend on clarity and can increase cognitive load, as this expanded volume of information must be held in each FR’s memory. Augmented reality (AR) can visualize POIs in context with the environment in a clear and intuitive way and reduce cognitive load as the don’t rely on a user’s memory. This paper presents an AR solution for FR team situational awareness, comprising four interconnected and collaborating situational awareness tools sharing a common pool of virtual POIs, alongside a range of different functionalities particular to each.
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Cámbara, G., Grivolla, J., Farrús, M., & Wanner, L. (2023). Automatic Speech Translation for Multinational First Responder Teams. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 188–196). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: Big disasters as increasingly observed all over the world, often require the involvement of a large number of personnel, in particular personnel acting in the field, i.e., First Responders. By far not always local teams are sufficient. As a consequence, in particular in Europe, teams from different member states are dispatched to support the local teams. However, this bears a potential of miscommunication since it cannot be taken for granted that English is mastered to a sufficient degree by everybody to serve as lingua franca. In this paper, we present work in progress carried out in the context of the INGENIOUS project on an automatic speech translation module that facilitates the interaction between First Responders speaking different languages. The module is embedded into the Telegram Messenger Application and consists of three main modules: Automatic Speech Recognition, Machine Translation, and Text-to-Speech, which are applied in sequence. We opt for a pipeline solution instead of end-to-end speech translation in order to guarantee the availability of the original speech transcriptions and their translations.
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Sofie Pilemalm. (2022). Barriers to Digitalized Co-production: the Case of Volunteer First Responders. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 782–790). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: Information and communication technology (ICT) and digitalization are often seen as enablers of co-production. But if its potential is not implemented, technology will rather act as a barrier. In Sweden, new types of “hybrid” co-production initiatives that engage civil citizen volunteers as first responders emerged a decade ago. Even though the benefits are recognized, the initiatives’ expansion are hampered by the ICT solutions. In this study, we explore why, by comparing the perspectives of national authorities, needs-owners, suppliers, and end-users. We describe the barriers, e.g., insufficient geofencing, to develop ICT for various mobile platforms, unavailability of a joint API, competitiveness and double roles among stakeholders, and ICT costs. We suggest how to address the barriers and argue that digitalized co-production of the type presented will likely increase. Here our study can contribute to the successive accumulation of knowledge.
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Ryan K. Williams, Nicole Abaid, James McClure, Nathan Lau, Larkin Heintzman, Amanda Hashimoto, et al. (2020). Collaborative Multi-Robot Multi-Human Teams in Search and Rescue. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 973–983). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Robots such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) deployed for search and rescue (SAR) can explore areas where human searchers cannot easily go and gather information on scales that can transform SAR strategy. Multi-UAV teams therefore have the potential to transform SAR by augmenting the capabilities of human teams and providing information that would otherwise be inaccessible. Our research aims to develop new theory and technologies for field deploying autonomous UAVs and managing multi-UAV teams working in concert with multi-human teams for SAR. Specifically, in this paper we summarize our work in progress towards these goals, including: (1) a multi-UAV search path planner that adapts to human behavior; (2) an in-field distributed computing prototype that supports multi-UAV computation and communication; (3) behavioral modeling that yields spatially localized predictions of lost person location; and (4) an interface between human searchers and UAVs that facilitates human-UAV interaction over a wide range of autonomy.
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Aikaterini Christodoulou, John Lioumbas, Kostantinos Zambetoglou, & Nikoletta Xanthopoulou. (2021). Combined innovative technologies for ensuring water safety in utilities: The city of Thessaloniki case study. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 929–934). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Innovative technologies such as monitoring the quality of surface water aquifers with satellite images, applying UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) and drone technology for a variety of operations, water quality measurements with improved techniques along with IoT (Internet of Things) and ICT (Information and Communication Technologies), can provide sufficient data for enhancing water safety in urban water utilities. Specifically, these data could be an effective tool for improving risk assessment process and management of water supply systems. Nevertheless, till now, there is a relative lack of published works that validate the efficiency of combing these technologies on water safety processes by incorporating most of them with a systematic way and during real working conditions in water utilities. This work aims to present the preliminary design concept of a platform that embraces innovating water safety technologies planned to be applied to Thessaloniki's Water Supply and Sewerage Co. S.A Standard Operating Procedures (SOP).
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Balogh, Z., Gatial, E., Dolatabadi, S. H., Dlugolinský, Štefan, Saltarella, M., Scipioni, M. P., et al. (2023). Communication Protocol for using Nontraditional Information Sources between First Responders and Citizens during Wildfires. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 152–165). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: One of the biggest challenges faced during the wildfires is communication. A specific case represents the need to establish communication between first responders and the public. This paper presents a proposal for a generic protocol to ensure effective communication between fire fighters and many citizens at the incident site or in the surrounding area using nontraditional information sources such as a dedicated mobile app or social media. Specific challenges, concepts and technologies relevant to such communication are described specifically customized for forest fires and wildfires. The protocol itself is provided by proposing information flows between the involved actors. Moreover, several technologies including a Citizen Engagement Mobile App, an Edge Micro Data Center for forward command centers, a Mesh in the Sky communication infrastructure or a Dashboard integrating and displaying all the data in one place is shortly introduced. The presented paper is a work in progress.
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Kerrianne Morrison, Yee-Yin Choong, Shanee Dawkins, & Sandra Spickard Prettyman. (2021). Communication Technology Problems and Needs of Rural First Responders. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 817–834). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Although new technology may benefit rural first responders to help them serve their communities, to date little is known about what communication technology problems rural first responders most need addressed and what future technology they desire. To explore the context of use and communication technology problems and needs of rural first responders, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 63 rural first responders across four disciplines: Communications (Comm) Center & 9-1-1 Services, Emergency Medical Services, Fire Service, and Law Enforcement. Using qualitative data analysis, interview data were sorted into problems and needs categories. Rural first responders' greatest problems were with reliable coverage/connectivity, interoperability, implementation/information technology (IT) infrastructure, and physical ergonomics. Rural first responders' greatest need for new technology was to address their current problems, but they were interested in new technology that leverages real-time technology and location tracking. Implications for researchers and developers of public safety communication technology are discussed.
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Lennart Landsberg, Alexandra Braun, Ompe Aimé Mudimu, & Klaus-Dieter Büttgen. (2021). Considering end user needs when developing new technologies – a new plug and play sensor technology for locating trapped victims. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 922–928). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Building collapses often happen unexpectedly and suddenly. Consequently, people are often buried under the debris. What follows is a complicated search by first responders, which is characterized by time pressure and danger. In the research project SORTIE, a modular and UAV-based technical system is being developed to support the first responders in their search efforts. During the first phase of this project, an extensive requirements analysis was conducted with the involvement of end users. This ensures that the developed technology meets the requirements for later use under realistic circumstance. The project consortium has good experience with this operational approach and is in close cooperation with end users who are part of the consortium. In addition to a comprehensive understanding of building collapses and prevailing conditions, the technical partners were also able to identify requirements that they might not have discovered without the involvement of end users and the appropriate methods.
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Zelenka, J., Kasanický, T. š, Gatial, E., Balogh, Z., Majlingová, A., Brodrechtova, Y., et al. (2023). Coordination of Drones Swarm for Wildfires Monitoring. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 144–151). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: As a result of climate change and global weather patterns, large forest fires are becoming more frequent in different parts of the world. The focus of the presented work is on creation of a complex coordination and communication framework for a swarm of drones specially tailored for use in preventing and monitoring of forest fires. The presented algorithm has been testing and evaluating using a computer simulation. The testing and validation in relevant environment is scheduled during a pilot demonstration exercise with real personnel and equipment, which will take place in Slovakia on April 2023. The presented work is a part of the SILVANUS EU H2020 project, whose objective is the creation of a climate resilient forest management platform for forest fire prevention and suppression. SILVANUS draws on environmental, technical, and social science experts to support regional and national authorities responsible for forest fire management in their respective countries.
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Henrique Romano Correia, Ivison da Costa Rubim, Angelica F.S. Dias, Juliana B.S. França, & Marcos R.S. Borges. (2020). Drones to the Rescue: A Support Solution for Emergency Response. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 904–913). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Emergency is a threatening condition that requires urgent action, an effective response and within an emergency scenario there may be risks for responders, as well as for those affected. Response time is crucial for affected individuals and environments to be addressed on their needs. In this context, the goal of this work is to support the agents involved in the emergency response, through an application-supported collaborative solution using drones. This solution aims to collect information from the worked emergency scenario, so that, through the collaboration of specialists, there is a greater support for the decision-making made by the responsible agents within this scenario, causing it to occur in a shorter time, thus speeding up the response to the emergency. In this work, the aim was to validate with experts from the Rio de Janeiro Firefighters, who already work with drones, by evaluating the utility of the solution in real scenarios.
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Henry Agsten. (2020). Effects of Smartphone-Based Alerting on Reducing Arrival Times for Volunteer Fire Departments. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 990–994). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: This practitioner paper describes the efforts of a volunteer fire department in Germany to reduce the time to arrive at a place of emergency. It presents the former situation, identifies reasons for delays and highlights the volunteers' first years in utilizing an existing smartphone application for alert and response as a mean to optimize their times of arrival. The paper finally evaluates the effects of the application's usage.
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Christoph Lamers. (2022). Electronic Visualization for Situational Awareness in Control Rooms. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 1008–1011). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: It is generally agreed in crisis management that a comprehensive visualization of the situation is crucial for an appropriate situational awareness of the staff personnel in control rooms. Therefore an expert group of fire officers in the German State North Rhine Westphalia developed a system for this purpose known as the “tactical wall”. The core of the system is a situation map of the relevant area with so-called tactical signs, i. e. defined graphic symbols for hazards, response units and tactical measures. Moreover, the assignment of response units to tactical sectors or staging areas as well as other relevant information such as the management organization is displayed at defined places within the wall. While the system was purely manual in its original version, a new digital version was recently developed. The user interfaces of this system are web-based and can by intuitively operated after a minor training effort.
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Spyros Chrysanthopoulos, Theofanis Kapetanakis, Giannis Chaidemenos, Stelios Vernardos, Harris Georgiou, & Claudio Rossi. (2020). Emergency Response in Recent Urban/Suburban Disaster Events in Attica: Technology Gaps, Limitations and Lessons Learned. In Amanda Hughes, Fiona McNeill, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2020 Conference Proceedings – 17th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 984–989). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Emergency response operations in large-scale urban/suburban disaster events is often addressed by the standard protocols and international guidelines for collapsed buildings, heavy debris, etc. However, a wide range of First Responder (FR) operations need to address various other contexts, work environments and hazards. In this paper, two real disaster events are explored as use cases for such urban/suburban FR operations, namely a flash flood and a wildfire, both in Attica, Greece (2017-2018). Based on our team's experience from these mobilizations and active participation in both these events as FR actor in the field, we present the challenges, the complexity of such multi-aspect disaster events, the limitations of emergency response, the technology gaps of the FR teams, as well as the lessons learned during these deployments. Finally, we make some notes on future prospects and possible advancements in tools and technologies that would greatly enhance the operational safety and readiness of the FR teams in such events.
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Ana Maria Aldea Reyes, Marta Burgos Gonzalez, & Susana Izquierdo Funcia. (2022). Ethics in Catastrophes, Extraordinary Decisions. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 814–819). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: European research projects take ethical aspects into central consideration. In this extended abstract we have developed the methodology of the Search and Rescue (SnR) project and research made in relation to the ethical aspects of animal welfare.
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Cecilia Hammar Wijkmark, Ilona Heldal, & Maria-Monika Metallinou. (2021). Experiencing Immersive VR Simulation for Firefighter Skills Training. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 913–921). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: Virtual Reality (VR) technology has gained interest for training in many domains, including firefighter education and training. However, there is hesitation in accepting immersive VR technology, especially for skills training. This paper examines the results from a field study investigating how first-time users experience immersive VR comparing with hot fire live simulation (HF-LS) training, a training involving several human senses. This study included nineteen firefighter students, eight instructors, and seven experienced firefighters using a VR technology simulating fire, smoke, heat, and via haptic feedback hose and pressure experiences. Data investigating user experiences were collected through questionnaires and observations. The results show that experienced firefighters valued the training using this VR technology higher than students. Further findings illustrate a difference between different user groups regarding expectations on the realism of simulated representations. For example, the visual realism of the smoke and the fire was more appreciated by experienced firefighters than students and instructors.
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Masahiro Watanabe, Yu Ozawa, Kenichi Takahashi, Eri Takane, Tetsuya Kimura, Soichiro Suzuki, et al. (2021). Hardware Design and Tests of SMURF V1 Platform for Searching Survivors in Debris Cones. In Anouck Adrot, Rob Grace, Kathleen Moore, & Christopher W. Zobel (Eds.), ISCRAM 2021 Conference Proceedings – 18th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 849–866). Blacksburg, VA (USA): Virginia Tech.
Abstract: When a large-scale disaster such as earthquake occurs, a huge number of victims will be trapped under debris in a wide area. Rescue activities in debris are technically not easy and endanger the first responders. There are several methods for improving safety and efficiency of rescue operation, but their availability is limited to a certain area or short operating time. Our project called CURSOR is developing tools to comprehensively search victims using a large number of ground-based robots entering debris transported by aerial drones. Here we show the development of the exploration robot collecting information with several sensors. The robot system was designed based on the requirements and performance was evaluated by ruggedization tests and mobility tests. No critical problem was found in the durability, and the mobility showed as the same as the ordinary wheel. To improve the mobility, we are planning to apply a proposed unique track mechanism.
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Ophélie Morand, Caroline Rizza, Stéphane Safin, & Robert Larribau. (2022). Improving Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation by Building Trust between Dispatchers and Citizens through Simulation Workshop. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 791–802). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: Improving the survival rate of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) remains an important public health issue. Indeed, current survival rates are approximately 10% and can be significantly enhanced by early Cardiopulmonary reanimation (CPR) and early defibrillation. Bystanders are most likely to perform these acts, but few resources (such as digital apps) are dedicated to them due to a lack of confidence in their abilities from them and from the professionals. In order to build trust and collaboration between the dispatchers and the bystanders, an OHCA simulation workshop was conducted involving the whole survival chain. The main idea consisted in getting the participants to interact via an application dedicated to bystanders which provided a CPR demonstration video. The aim was to analyze the effects of this video on the CPR itself and especially on the lived-experience of the participants. A further objective was to assess how the shared workshop would affect the relationship between the stakeholders.
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Samuel Auclair, Pierre Gehl, Mickael Delatre, Christophe Debray, & Philippe Méresse. (2022). In-depth Analysis of Practitioners' Perceptions about Seismic Early Warning Prior to Aftershocks: The Point of View of the USAR Community. In Rob Grace, & Hossein Baharmand (Eds.), ISCRAM 2022 Conference Proceedings – 19th International Conference on Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management (pp. 740–754). Tarbes, France.
Abstract: Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams are particularly exposed to the risk of collapse of buildings due to aftershocks, making concept of earthquake early warning (EEW) particularly interesting. In addition to scientific advances in EEW, it is crucial to understand what are the real expectations and needs of USAR teams, and to what extent EEW solutions could meet them. In this study, we conduct a survey to collect insights from USAR rescuers: it highlights that aftershocks are a major concern for them. In this context, we find that the concept of EEW is very favorably received by the respondents, who consider different types of possible actions upon receipt of an early warning. This study provides a basis for the functional specifications of future solutions of EEW useful to all USAR teams, as well as for the definition of their modalities of engagement on the field.
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Lorscheidt, J., Wehbe, B., Cesar, D., Becker, T., & Vögele, T. (2023). Increasing diver safety for heavy underwater works by Sonar-to-Video Image Translation. In Jaziar Radianti, Ioannis Dokas, Nicolas Lalone, & Deepak Khazanchi (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International ISCRAM Conference (pp. 166–176). Omaha, USA: University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Abstract: Supervision of technical dives is particularly important in emergency and disaster response operations to ensure the safety of divers in unexplored locations with uncertain conditions. Diver monitoring relies primarily on voice communication and a video stream that gives the operator a first-person view of the diver. However, in many cases underwater visibility can drop to just a few centimeters, leaving the diver only able to feel his way with his hands and the operator depended only on voice communication, making it very difficult for both of them to identify upcoming hazards. In the DeeperSense research project, we are attempting to reduce the limitations caused by poor underwater visibility by using a sonar in combination with an AI-based algorithm designed to translate the sonar signal into a visual image that is independent of the turbidity of the water and gives an overview of the situation where the eye can no longer see anything. Laboratory results show that visual information can be recovered from sonar data.
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