- Emergency WA Hackathon to deliver innovative
ideas for warnings platform upgrade
- Teams to be judged on use of cutting-edge
technologies to enhance emergency public information
An
intensive brainstorming event has challenged the collective minds of Western Australia's
brightest developers and data professionals to improve how emergency
information is communicated during a disaster.
The
Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has teamed up with the WA Data
Science Innovation Hub to host the 2023 Emergency WA Hackathon from 23 to 25
June in Perth.
Emergency
WA, the State's official source of emergency information, is undergoing a major
upgrade that will deliver faster, more personalised and targeted community
warnings.
The
State Government has allocated significant funding to overhaul the platform,
which recorded close to eight million page views over the 2022-23 high-threat
period (October to April).
One
hundred participants from a wide range of industries have formed teams to develop
innovative ideas and solutions that can enhance the way emergency information
is delivered.
Recent
research shows four in five Western Australians are satisfied with Emergency WA
but want more detailed information during emergencies, such as estimated
evacuation times based on the user's current location.
Hackathon
teams are investigating how data-driven technologies such as artificial intelligence
can future-proof a new warnings platform by providing features such as
automated warnings, translated emergency information and predictive modelling
of emergency situations.
The
challenges include:
- improving emergency interactions for people with
hearing and vision impairments;
- detecting and translating emergency
notifications into a person's native language;
- creating contextual warnings based on a person's
location; and
- generating automated warnings using trends and
forecasts from data sources.
An expert
panel of judges will assess each team's solutions at the end of the three-day
event and award cash prizes up to $2,500.
Comments attributed to Emergency Services and
Innovation and the Digital Economy Minister Stephen Dawson:
"Emergency
WA saves lives - equipping people with the information they need to stay safe
when hazards like bushfires or floods threaten our communities.
"The
Emergency WA Hackathon will help identify cutting-edge solutions to complex
problems faced by our emergency services personnel and the public during highly
stressful and fast-moving emergencies.
"By
bringing the technology and emergency services sectors together, WA is leading
the way in emergency public information and ensuring our State is well placed
to face the challenges of future disasters."
Comments attributed to Fire and Emergency
Services Commissioner Darren Klemm AFSM:
"Emergency
WA has been an outstanding success - several other State Government agencies
have started or expressed interest in utilising its capabilities.
"More than 3,800 community warnings were issued on
Emergency WA during the 2022-23 high-threat period.
"But
the technology behind the public-facing website is due for an upgrade.
"DFES
is incredibly excited to work with the local tech industry to discover
innovative ways to develop Emergency WA into a more inclusive platform for
linguistically diverse communities and people with disabilities."
