Research topics
The Research Topics investigated by the members of the World Alliance on Digitalization for Disaster & Emergency Management, span over a broad range of domains in various disciplines. In the following, examples of research topics are given under the following classifications:
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Disaster and emergency management:
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Awareness, disaster and emergency detection and monitoring: Aims to detect the effects of disasters efficiently and effectively, such as the damages made, conditions of humans and living creatures, etc.
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Demand modeling and generation: Based on the observed damages and the environmental conditions, demand lists are automatically inferred for the necessary resources so that aid operations can be executed efficiently and effectively. Demands for resources can be various, including rescue operations, fire fighters, ambulances, security forces, repair teams, shelters, transport vehicles for evacuation, heating and cooking facilities, food and water, etc.
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Optimization and scheduling : The available resources are optimally assigned to the inferred demands on time. In case of insufficient resources, prioritization, trade-off and/or dynamic selection techniques are applied.
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Performance measurement: The performance indicators of operations are defined formally so that the desired objectives can be specified and measured. Accordingly, ongoing operations can be monitored online and in case of deviations from the desired performance values, corrective actions can be executed.
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Tracking and control: This phase includes both monitoring, evaluation and controlling actions of the ongoing activities as well as coordination among the aid operations.
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Simulation and game playing: To determine the effect of a large set of prospective disaster scenarios, determine the effectiveness and efficiency of the disaster and emergency ecosystem platform, evaluate the necessary quantity of resources and to optimize the locations of logistics centers, simulation environments and techniques must be researched, designed and implemented. Even in times when no disasters are experienced, triggered by the simulated disaster scenarios, the platform must be continuously operational so that it can be optimized using online machine learning techniques.
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​​Computation: Realization of the disaster and emergency management system is not trivial and requires research in various
computer science disciplines: For example:
Event-based computation, Digital twins, Communication networks, Coordination, Platforms and Software Engineering Aspects.
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Sociological disaster research: It is the of the social relations amongst both natural and human-made disasters.
Coordination
Coordination is generally defined as the organization of the different elements of a complex body or activity so as to enable them to work together effectively. Obviously, effective and efficient coordination of aid operations are essential in any disaster and emergency management system. Examples of research topics are:
Agent-based models (acquaintances, situation detection, protocols, goals, strategies, etc.)
Coordination patterns and ontologies
Libraries
Monitoring coordination
Measuring performance of coordination
Transformation modules for addressing procedural compatibility
Synchronization of actions
Coordination semantic compatibility checking
Run time verification of coordination actions against specifications
Gathering coordination data
Machine learning techniques to improve coordination performance
Coordination protocols and patterns among UAVs, swarm of UAVs and ground stations
Coordination protocols and patterns among control centers and task forces including Security, Rescue, Firefighter, Health, Repair teams
Coordination protocols and patterns among the team members of task forces
Standardization of coordination protocols and models