Hexagon supports iLiKe project for disaster management with innovative social media integration

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., 12 April 2022

Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division today announced the successful completion of a proof-of-concept solution for the Austrian Federal Ministry of the Interior that utilizes social media data to support disaster operations. The research project was led by the Institute of Engineering and Business Informatics at Graz University of Technology and resulted in the development of iLiKe, an intelligent situation information portal that integrates data from publicly available channels to aid emergency organizations.

iLiKe serves as a portal for collecting, processing and extracting relevant information from social media and other public sources. It integrates with Hexagon’s major event management solution, HxGN OnCall Planning & Response, allowing public safety personnel to view the aggregated data in a variety of ways, including on a map for pinpointing emergencies faster. Users can also assess and rate the data for continual quality improvement of information, resulting in more informed decision-making in the future.

“During a crisis, rapid action is critical to reducing impact and averting further damage,” said Maximillian Weber, senior vice president, EMEA, Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division. “Social media, instant messaging and other channels provide vital real-time and bi-directional communication between those affected and first responders. Leveraging these channels allows public safety professionals to better prepare for a situation and make more informed decisions that could positively impact lives and communities.”

“We have managed to find ways for identifying, classifying and presenting valuable information for disaster management buried under piles of irrelevant or misleading information,” said Professor Siegfried Voessner, Graz University of Technology, in discussing the value of the project.

The project was sponsored/funded by the KIRAS security research grant program of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Regions and Tourism.

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