Understanding the provision of multi-agency sensor information in disaster management: A case study on the Australian state of Victoria

Excitement about the potential usage of sensor data sourcing to provide near real-time information has spread to the emergency management sector. Despite the advantages that shared sensor-derived situational awareness may provide, research has been limited on the actual utilization of multi-vendor sensor data in disaster management. In consideration of this shortcoming, an empirical case study is conducted in the Australian state of Victoria to understand the current practices and requirements for access, exchange, and usage of multi-agency sensor data amongst participants in flood disaster organizations. First-hand knowledge of sensor data producers and disaster decision-makers is used, disclosing serious technical barriers to interoperable access to the highly disparate organizational sensor data. The findings also uncover the mechanisms in use for integrating multi-agency sensory information in disaster management, revealing the capabilities required of stakeholders to derive disaster information from raw sensor feeds.