Abstract
Abstract. Enhancing situational awareness in real-time (RT) civil protection and emergency response scenarios requires the development of comprehensive monitoring concepts combining classical remote sensing disciplines with geospatial information science. In the VABENE++ project of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) monitoring tools are being developed by which innovative data acquisition approaches are combined with information extraction as well as the generation and dissemination of information products to a specific user. DLR’s 3K and 4k camera system which allow for a RT acquisition and pre-processing of high resolution aerial imagery are applied in two application examples conducted with end users: a civil protection exercise with humanitarian relief organisations and a large open-air music festival in cooperation with a festival organising company. This study discusses how airborne remote sensing can significantly contribute to both, situational assessment and awareness, focussing on the downstream processes required for extracting information from imagery and for visualising and disseminating imagery in combination with other geospatial information. Valuable user feedback and impetus for further developments has been obtained from both applications, referring to innovations in thematic image analysis (supporting festival site management) and product dissemination (editable web services). Thus, this study emphasises the important role of user involvement in application-related research, i.e. by aligning it closer to user’s requirements.
Highlights
Situational awareness is a critical aspect of the decision making process in emergency response and civil protection and requires the availability of up-to-date information on the current situation, e.g. on traffic infrastructure or on current location and availability of security and medical staff (Westlund, 2012)
An innovative element of this project can be seen in the provision of a real-time (RT), end-toend monitoring capacity ranging from the acquisition of different raw data towards the creation and dissemination of information products to a specific user
This section describes how airborne-based situational awareness has been achieved during the two application examples with BRC and during the open-air festival
Summary
Situational awareness is a critical aspect of the decision making process in emergency response and civil protection and requires the availability of up-to-date information on the current situation, e.g. on traffic infrastructure or on current location and availability of security and medical staff (Westlund, 2012). Remote sensing related research in this field should encompass developing innovative single solutions for (realtime) data collection, and on the aspect of transforming data into information so that the latter can be considered as a basis for action and decision making. This aim covers issues of visualisation and dissemination of information acquired from different sources, taking the specific technological, organisational and environmental settings of an end user into account (DHS, 2014; NRC, 2003). Aiming the development of tools to be successfully used and implemented by end user organisations in the future, important components in VABENE++ are field exercises in collaboration with end users (Kujala, 2003)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
