GIS and Distributed Command Control and Communication for Search and Rescue

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GIS and Distributed Command Control and
Communication for Search and Rescue

• DISCO-SAR

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Search and Rescue in Norway

• 800 missing persons, 60 missing boats each year
• Search resources
• Search dogs
• Personnel on foot or skies
• Specialist groups
• Vehicles
• Aircrafts
• Boats
• The Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC)
  coordinates all SAR efforts in Norway
• The SAR activity is delegated to Local Rescue
  Centers
• Tactical planning and execution is directed in
  the field by Search and Rescue leaders

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The Norwegian Rescue Service

• The Norwegian Rescue Service is based on the
  Cooperation Principle
• Cooperation between government, volunteer and
  private organizations
• The police is responsible for leading the search-
  and rescue effort in the field
• The local SAR-management consist usually of
  experienced personnel from all participating
  organizations

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Norwegian Red Cross Search and Rescue

• 6 500 personnel
• 500 events/year
• A nationwide service

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The Search Problem

• A geographical problem
• Where is the missing person?
• A tactical problem
• How do we maximize the probability of
  detection?
• A organization problem
• How do we organize the search effort?
• A logistical problem
• Which resources are needed and where do we use
  them?
• A technological problem
• How can information technology increase the
  efficiency of the Search and Rescue effort?

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The command post
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Search Leader (Role)
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Tactics Leader (Role)
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Logistics Leader (Role)
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Shared situational awareness
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Tactics documentation
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Tactics documentation
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Tactics documentation
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Tactics documentation
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Tactics documentation
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Resource allocation table
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Event log
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Communication log
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Unit (personnel) log
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Briefing
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Briefing
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The general SAR work process
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The design challenge

• Usability
• Complexity
• Modeling organization, work processes and entity
  relations
• Human-Technology-Organization interactions
• Synchronization and Distribution
• Lack of standardization

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Expert or novice user?
The application
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The DISCO project

• Collaboration project between the Norwegian Red
  Cross, The Norwegian Justice Department (Joint
  Rescue Coordination Centers), Geodata AS and
  Christian Michelsen Research AS
• Pilot application ready soon (DISKO v.0.1)
• User centered design and development
• Usability testing in five different parts of
  Norway (geographical and demographical dispersed)
• 4,5 MNOK (580 000 euro) spent so far
• Only core (critical) functionality is implemented
• PhD work on distributed decision support using a
  system dynamic model of the production and
  allocation work processes and GIScience is part
  of the project

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Some system properties

• Scaleable from single to multi user
• Enables virtual organization through shared
  situational awareness using GIS and a
  synchronized and distributed E-R model
• Each task can be shared by N work processes
• Each work process can be allocated to N roles
• Each role can be identified by N concurrent
  (logged on) users
• Platform independent (JavaTM)

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Mapping Users to Tasks
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DISCO framework
Graphical User Interface
GIS
Work processes
E-R Model
Synchronization and distribution
Network
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DISCO framework
Javax.Swing.
ArcGISEngineRuntime
WP1
WP2
WP2
MSO Model
SARA Model driver
SARA API
1. SARA Search and Rescue Application (JRCC)2.
MSO Managing Search Operations
Network
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DISCO topology
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Lessons learned

• Designing a intuitive and pleasing graphical user
  interface is hard!
• Dependent on a functional and thoroughly tested
  framework
• Design, development and testing is time consuming
• The process is highly iterative
• User involvement in every aspect of design,
  development and testing phases is important
• Development is only 20 percent of the challenge,
  the remaining 80 percent is organization issues.

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Contact information

• Kenneth GulbrandsøyProject leader, Norwegian Red
  Crosskenneth.gulbrandsoy_at_gmail.com47 932 58
  930
• Pål HusumAssistant project leader, Norwegian Red
  Cross husum_at_stud.ntnu.no47 918 45 821
• Camilla HaugstenProject coordinator, Norwegian
  Red Cross camilla.haugsten_at_redcross.no47 22 05
  41 3547 416 92 702
• Øyvind SkaugProject leader, Geodata
  ASoyvinds_at_geodata.no 47 452 74 494
• Vinjar WærenskjoldProject leader, Christian
  Michelsens Research ASvinjar_at_cmr.no47 55 57 40
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Thank you!
www.redcross.no/disko(Norwegian, English version
available soon)