Interoperability for Disaster Relief Operations in Smart City Environments

Abstract

Internet-of-Things (IoT) technologies in the past decade have matured both in the hardware and software aspects for large-scale deployment. Alongst IoT, the Smart Cities Concept is also taking shape. Pilot projects and implementations in multiple cities are trying to find out the feasibility and applicability of Smart City Information and Communications Technology (ICT). IoT assets along with the legacy assets are essential for Smart City ICT implementations.With the evolution of Smart Cities and concentration of people in the cities, it becomes necessary to be ready for future Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Recovery (HADR) operations. But the huge void in heterogeneous IoT and legacy technologies create a big hurdle in establishing and handling the HADR operations. This aim of this PhD is to investigate the interoperability aspects amongst the various IoT technologies and Smart City concepts. The goal is to create a framework and an architecture for allowing the interoperable operation of ICT assets in a Smart City environment. This framework would enable rapid deployment of HADR relevant technology assets on the ground allowing multiple HADR agencies to seamlessly communicate while having shared Situational Awareness (SA) and complementing each others capabilities.