Important Dates
- Submission deadline: 2 June 2023
Publication: November/December 2023
The number of disasters globally is constantly increasing, caused either by natural phenomena, technological accidents or human actions. These disasters have an effect at all levels: people, economy and the environment, with an economic and societal impact continuing to escalate. First responders are the people who are among the first to arrive and provide aid at the disaster scene. They are typically professionals with specialized training, including LEAs, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, rescuers, K9 units, civil protection authorities and other related organizations. Due to the nature of their work, first responders are often operating in risky and hazardous conditions disaster sites, like demolished, burnt or flooded districts, being exposed to non-visible threats such as very high temperatures and CBRN environments. Furthermore, first responders may experience incidents (e.g., sudden illness, dizziness or exhaustion strokes) during operations, which can prevent them from completing their mission, but, more importantly, put their own health at risk.
Despite their willingness and proper training, first responders’ capabilities may be limited by chaotic environments, in many cases use obsolete or yesterday’s technology. Thus, they work under enormous pressure, with obsolete protective gear, in hazardous environments and often in areas where communication infrastructures have been disabled. On the other hand, technology advancements today offer a plethora of tools, which can (or have already started to) be deployed to support First Responders and Rescuers in their tasks. Typical examples include sophisticated display technologies, autonomous vehicles and robots, while the use of use of Artificial Intelligence and Internet of Things can improve significantly their cognitive, communication and awareness capabilities.
This Special Issue is dedicated to the use of IT, and the way it can improve the capabilities of First Responders and Rescuers, in order to create a safer, more efficient and technologically advanced operating framework over which they can operate.
This special issue of IT Professional seeks to present technologies and solutions that can assist Rescuers and First Responders in their fight to save lives, and make their tasks easier and safer. Contributions coming both from public and private initiatives, academic research and especially from consortia of partners working towards the implementation of integrated frameworks are welcome, while reporting of results in pilots and trials in realistic conditions will be appreciated. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Use of Wearable technologies
- Training tools and applications
- Devices and tools to enhance human sensing, cognition and situational awareness
- Tools and platforms for real time operating teams’ management
- Robust communications in adverse environments
- Technologies for victim detection
- Tools to enhance safety and efficiency of First Responders and Rescuers
- Intelligence amplification
- Use of drones and robots during rescue operations
- Field sensors and electronics in the course of rescue operations
- Enhanced and extended environments for simulation, training and use during operations
- Tools and devices that can enhance the operational capacity of rescue animals
- Crisis management and Decision support tools and platforms
Submission Guidelines
For author information and guidelines on submission criteria, please visit IT Professional‘s Author Information page. Please submit papers through the ScholarOne system, and be sure to select the special-issue name. Manuscripts should not be published or currently submitted for publication elsewhere. Please submit only full papers intended for review, not abstracts, to the ScholarOne portal.
Questions?
Contact the guest editors at it6-2023@computer.org.
Guest Editors:
- Steve Andriole, Villanova University, USA
- Anastasios Dimou, Centre for Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Greece
- Yuri Tijerino, Kwansei Gakuin University, Japan
