Application of location-based services as part of an integrated natural disaster risk management system

Abstract

This paper examines the role of location-based services in integrated disaster risk management. A particular focus is on their application in telecommunications and geospatial guidance of the civilian population in the event of a crisis. Integrated disaster risk management is closely linked to available geospatial information, suggesting that it should be viewed and exploited not only as a passive source of information but also as a tool for decision-making support, both in integrated disaster risk management and at the individual level in the context of self-evacuation. The basic assumption highlighted in the paper is that technological infrastructures, i.e. platforms that support location-based services, which are publicly available and widely used, can be used as a source of relevant orientation and navigation information that plays an important role in the integrated disaster risk management system by providing users with access to previously standardized geospatial data such as evacuation routes and checkpoints in appropriate navigation formats. This paper aims to scientifically describe the possibilities for the active integration of the civilian population into the integrated risk management system for natural disasters, using location-based systems as a tool.  For the above, the methodological approach is based on the analysis of the existing literature on location-based systems and natural disaster risk management, as well as on the conceptual synthesis of geospatial and information models. The results indicate that such integration of location-based systems can contribute to increasing individual situational awareness, improving the movement of the population in the part of geospace subject to risk, as well as relieving the burden on organizations focused on protection and rescue, thereby creating the possibility of more effective and efficient allocation of resources to maximize the achieved results of engagement.