Ontology for Disaster Mitigation and Planning
Hemant Joshi, Remzi Seker, Coskun Bayrak, Srini Ramaswamy and Jeffrey Connelly
Summer Computer Simulation Conference 2007 (SCSC 2007)
San Diego, California (USA), July 15-18, 2007
Abstract
Disasters can cause extensive damage either directly in terms of human life or indirectly by disrupting the life preserving services provided by societal infrastructures. The study of disaster mitigation is multi faceted in its nature and its range of impact and hence requires a multi-disciplinary approach. Better simulation tools can lead to well-defined plans that are based on more accurate anticipation of, and assistance in preparedness for, such disasters. In this paper, we propose an ontology-based approach for disaster mitigation using Web Ontology Language (OWL). The proposed approach is envisioned to allow for the seamless integration and management of heterogeneous, multi-lateral data from different local, state as well as federal agencies. Ontologies have been successfully used for various semantic applications in critical environments. In this paper, we explain the rationale behind using ontologies for disaster mitigation and demonstrate its capabilities and pitfalls in a simulated situation using the proposed Disaster Mitigation and Modeling (DMM) approach.