The University of Paderborn (UPB) has taken a central leadership role in the development of cutting-edge disaster management technologies through the CREXDATA project. As the task leader for the Weather Emergencies Use Case (EmCase), UPB has spearheaded the creation of a sophisticated demonstrator system designed to augment decision-making during critical events like urban flooding and forest fires.
Technical Leadership and Development
UPB coordinated a multi-partner effort to integrate complex simulations and AI tools into a unified workflow. A primary contribution from the UPB team is the EmCase Simulator HyperSuite, an extension integrated into the RapidMiner AI Studio modeling environment.
This suite serves as a technical bridge, allowing for:
- Integrated Workflows: Managing data flows between various simulators and the ARGOS system, which acts as the primary interface for fire department experts.
- Simulation Management: Hosting critical simulation components, including the Spark wildfire simulation and the Gazebo robotic simulation used for planning drone routes.
- User Interface Design: Providing a dedicated Graphical User Interface (GUI) for parameterizing simulations, ensuring that complex data inputs are accessible to operational personnel.
Bridging Simulation and Field Operations
UPB-led architecture utilizes the ARGOS system as both a data source for weather information and a “sink” for visualizing technology outputs. To ensure these insights reach commanders in the field, UPB’s workflows support the visualization of simulation results in Augmented Reality (AR).
This technical framework was rigorously tested across diverse environments:
- Urban Flooding: Evaluated in the city of Dortmund, Germany.
- Wildfires: Evaluated in the alpine landscapes of Innsbruck, Austria.
- Generic Emergencies: A large-scale exercise in Kuopio, Finland was used to verify the system’s transferability beyond its initial scope.
Impact and Validation
The effectiveness of UPB’s contributions is reflected in the system’s usability metrics. The EmCase demonstrator achieved a System Usability Score (SUS) of 68.25, aligning with established benchmarks for “satisfactory” usability. Fire service personnel noted that the visualizations and predictive capabilities provided by the system effectively support real-world operational decisions.
Looking ahead, the project aims to refine these tools further, targeting the “good to excellent” usability range to better protect citizens and first responders in the face of extreme weather events.
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