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During a life-threatening disaster, rapid response times are critical in limiting casualties and providing first aid to victims. “Emergency teams need to be able to quickly visualise and understand the area struck by disaster,” notes RESPONDRONE project coordinator Max Friedrich from the German Aerospace Center. “This means having access to real-time information on the status of critical structures, road access, the exact location of victims and so on.”
The quicker that a comprehensive overview of a disaster area can be provided and a communications network established, the faster first responders can provide a coordinated response.
However, collecting, processing and sharing such information can be challenging, especially when no reliable communications infrastructure is available.
Situation awareness in disaster zones
To address this challenge, the EU-funded RESPONDRONE project developed and trialled a new situation awareness platform for first responders. The basic concept uses a fleet of drones – specially designed for operating in rugged conditions – to collect and broadcast critical information from a disaster site, in real time.
To achieve this, information gathered by camera-mounted drones was made available to emergency responders via a web-based system. “Responders can access this information on their mobile devices,” explains Friedrich. “The drones also provide internet access through an open Wi-Fi network in areas with disrupted communication infrastructure. They can also be used to drop medical supplies or equipment in hard-to-reach areas.”
A ground control station was developed to safely control multiple drones simultaneously, and a graphic interface showing a map of the disaster area – including drone locations and first response units in the field – made available to mission command. This enables operational managers to make mission-relevant decisions, and takes the need to control drones out of the hands of the first responders in the field.
“RESPONDRONE has always been an end-user-centred project,” says Friedrich. “First responders actively participated in the design, development and evaluation of the platform. Altogether, nine first response agencies were part of the consortium, and were consulted regularly by our technical partners.”
Enabling rapid emergency response
The platform was demonstrated at the ATLAS Flight Centre in Jaen, Spain. The objective was to show how the RESPONDRONE platform could support first response agencies in their daily operations.
“For this purpose, partially scripted scenarios were conducted,” explains Friedrich. “Each scenario started with an incoming phone call – a fire alarm or alert of a missing hiker for example – followed by the launch and command of drones equipped with camera and communication technologies.”
Once the fire or hiker was detected, the location was verified. In-field first response units then drove to the site using the platform’s mobile app. This enabled them to receive real-time information on the situation, and to communicate and coordinate their tasks with mission command.
“We were able to show exactly how the RESPONDRONE platform enables first responders to quickly access information and coordinate,” adds Friedrich. “Because first responders are better informed, they can perform their tasks more efficiently and effectively. This in turn increases public safety. Furthermore, the user-centred design process we followed has ensured that first responders will find the platform intuitive and easy to operate.”
Moving forward, Friedrich and his team intend to develop and improve the platform further. One consortium partner has already started commercialisation activities aimed at finding potential customers for this innovative and potentially life-saving platform.