Implementing a Mobile GIS for Emergency Management in SDI Framework Abstract

Emergency management requires precise and reliable information about the current situation of emergency. Considering the time sensitive nature of emergency situations, it is necessary to collect and use spatial information of the current state of the emergency within the minimum waste of time. This will be achieved if in the context of a collaborative effort, each of the parties involved in emergency management, takes responsibilities for collecting some parts of spatial information required for emergency management and sharing them to be accessible for wider emergency management community.In this regard, former researches have illustrated that Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and Web-based GIS are an appropriate framework to facilitate such collaboration in spatial data collection and sharing and to manage this spatial data in emergency situations. Although SDI conceptual models have been developed in the field of emergency management, paying attention to application of wireless networks and dependent technologies such as Mobile GIS, it is necessary to expand such SDI conceptual models based on the characteristics of the wireless networks and related technologies. In this research, first the developed SDI conceptual model for disaster management was expanded to support wireless and its related technologies such as mobile GIS environments in emergency management. Afterwards, based on the expanded SDI conceptual model, a pilot mobile GIS was designed, developed and implemented to be utilized by in-field emergency workers. Moreover, the implemented system was assessed and evaluated. In this regard, a hypothetical scenario for emergency management was explained. Then the system efficiency in complying with the requirements having been mentioned in the scenario was evaluated. Consequently, based on the proposed scenario and evaluating the developed mobile GIS application, utilization of wireless environments and mobile GIS together in the SDI framework result in facilitating and improving the quality of emergency management.