Abstract
Abstract. In the Mediterranean region, drier and hotter summers are leading to more likely and severe wildfires. The authors propose an innovative approach for situational awareness by giving life to maps and exploiting interoperable GIS, hazard models, simulations, and interconnection analysis processes aimed to enhance preparedness and strengthen the resilience of responding organizations. The information related to a virtual city and its countryside has been implemented in the terrain of simulation systems. The TIGER wildfire model software has been adapted to a scenario where districts, refugee camps and critical infrastructures can be impacted by a fire and has been linked to a smoke dispersion model, and associated impacts to the electricity network and roads. The transfer of computed fire propagation and combustion data to the AI-powered SWORD simulation enable more accurate computing of damage and loss. In SWORD, civil protection, military assets and humanitarian actions can be performed for training and operation preparation. The simulation data about fire and assets’ deployments can feed a web app map or a command and control system, thus providing situational awareness for optimal decision-making, and analysis about people in danger, network interconnections and potential service disruption. Disaster managers and commanders can interact with simulated assets performing their chosen courses of action and analyse the outcomes.In conclusion, tests in a wildfire case study demonstrated a high level of interoperability among those systems and the possibility to provide updated situational awareness leading to better emergency preparedness and critical infrastructure resilience building, finally contributing to save more lives.
Highlights
Regions that are more affected by natural hazards are those most conflict prone; when natural hazards strike an area the reduction of food could lead to subsequent conflicts (Lana, 2015) and migration (Platt et al, 2012)
This paper focuses on the development of a technical platform for exploiting geospatial information, simulation technologies and knowledge supporting decision-making in disaster management, response analysis, preparatory training and exercises
TIGER is a set of wildfire simulation models which are being applied for Mediterranean area fire training and investigation work
Summary
Regions that are more affected by natural hazards are those most conflict prone; when natural hazards strike an area the reduction of food could lead to subsequent conflicts (Lana, 2015) and migration (Platt et al, 2012). The optimal decision-making in crisis and disasters requires information exchange, coordination and updated situational awareness. This is a critical element to increase system’s resilience under pressures, such as population growth and climate change. We need to combine highly detailed cartographic data, social media and sensors’ data, disaster models, repository of procedures and triggers, constructive simulations and Command and Control (C2) systems. By integrating these aspects, emergency agencies and military would better prepare for disaster and support community and responding organizations’ resilience. Is it possible to exploit the capabilities of existing disaster, simulation and command and control tools and to fill the gap between the civilian and the military simulations’ domains?
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