The SmartResponse Framework: A Semantic Digital Twin Approach to Remote Emergency Command

Abstract

Remote incident commanders must coordinate disaster response without being physically present, while time pressure, incomplete information, and limited expert availability increase the risk. A novel framework – SmartResponse - develops the basis for future online command by integrating real-time 3D data acquisition, semantically enriched digital twins, and immersive, biosignal-assisted XR interaction for mission planning and communication with teams on site. This paper discusses the potential for digital twins to improve infrastructure management and remote emergency command. The workflow combines deployable sensing technologies, including LiDAR, calibrated cameras, inertial measurement, on-board processing, and broadband transmission, to stream 3D point clouds from an incident area to an operations centre. There, the scene is incrementally reconstructed into a semantically enriched digital twin that can be iteratively updated and augmented with hazard information, structural elements, relevant objects, and deviations from reference data. The resulting layer supports research on faster 3D situational awareness, hazard zoning, safer route planning, improved resource allocation, and more intuitive communication for distributed teams. A challenging dimension is the integration of emergency-critical human factors for system design and biosignal-based evaluation, including assessment under real emergency mission conditions.

Keywords: Emergency Management, Decision Support, Digital Twins, Semantic Mapping, Emergency-critical Human Factors

DOI: 10.54941/ahfe1007376