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A New Approach to Interoperability in Disaster Management

Abstract:

This paper proposes an architectural scheme for developing an interoperability platform between diverse information systems involved in emergency management. The proposal consists of a distributed communications infrastructure, based on an EDXL-DE model for the exchange of information in emergency settings as a single data model within it. A middleware layer works to adapt services and information offered by each system integrated into the platform according to the EDXL-DE standard, in order to access and/or publish information from any node or system within the infrastructure. To validate the proposal, the interoperability platform was implemented with three communications nodes located in three different locations under simulated emergency conditions. Information was exchanged between the three proprietary systems, each linked to one of the communications nodes of the platform. The staff of two response and humanitarian aid agencies participated in interoperability testing, and they confirmed the usability and functionality of the platform. The results verified the advantages and benefits of the platform, and uncovered some issues that need to be dealt with in the short and medium terms. The main contribution of this work is to provide an interoperability solution for independent information systems involved in emergency management, and to lay the groundwork for a coordinated and collaborative response between the agencies involved.