Key Words:
Disaster Management, Preventive Citizen Participation, Information Management, Mobile App Development, Storm Surges & Flooding, Prototyping, Artificial Intelligence, and Machine Learning
Background:
Within the research project Rescue-Mate, the challenge of creating situational awareness and optimizing information flows in the security scenario of a storm surge in Hamburg is being investigated. This challenge arises against the backdrop of rising sea levels, more frequent extreme weather events, and a growing number of residents who may need to be evacuated and provided for in the event of a disaster. The key stakeholders in this scenario include government agencies and their affiliated units such as the fire department, police, the harbor authority, and various relief organizations. Comprehensive situational awareness and an informed and prepared population are particularly relevant for disaster response planning in situations like a storm surge, which involves aspects such as drowning individuals, drifting ships, and blocked roads.
It is possible to write theses that contribute to the content and objectives of the Rescue-Mate project, exploring selected subject areas and developing and testing prototypes. Through the project consortium, access to experts can also be provided.
Research Objectives:
Depending on the academic level (bachelor's or master's), specific areas of focus, and interests, various tasks and research questions can be addressed. Collaborations with organizations and/or companies are also possible but not mandatory. The following thematic areas are of particular interest and can be explored:
- Analysis and development of concepts and mobile prototypes for informing and proactively educating citizens in urban areas, particularly in Hamburg-Mitte, as well as their involvement in crisis situations to efficiently collect data and support crisis-relevant stakeholders.
- Development of AI-based prototypes for the automated evaluation of data from mobile crisis applications, such as aggregating automatically collected data, including locations, and presenting them to crisis management teams in the form of interactive maps or similar tools.
These topics are especially suitable for students majoring in computer science, business informatics, human-computer interaction, software system development, IT management and consulting, and intelligent adaptive systems. Theses can be written in either German or English.