CAVIAR - a visualization tool to enable emergency management

Abstract

The telephone network of a leading services provider in New Zealand is profiled for calls made on mobile phones in order to establish a set of macro and micro level information about various entities including users (the population carrying the phone), fixed resources (such as cell phone towers, which are the backbone of communication) and traffic density across the geographical expanse of a city on normal days and the days of special events. Our tool, CAVIAR, also motivates the need for varying levels of detail in the information established in order to enable fast and efficient emergency management. The management of emergencies has necessitated a wide field of research into warning systems, first response mechanisms and effective mitigation of the disasters. The taxonomy of emergencies can vary depending on the severity, scale and nature of the emergency.. Depending on the nature of the emergency, the tools that are used to manage the emergency vary. We argue that the most ubiquitous sensor that can be used across the continuum of emergency detection, warning, response and mitigation is the common cell phone, simply because of its proliferation and availability. The features of the cell phone render that it a viable sensor include providing location information, being a highly prolific device and being a two-way communication channel where both the user can call in for help and emergency managers can contact civilians for information.