- Emergency WA Hackathon to deliver innovative ideas for warnings platform upgrade
- Teams to be judged on use of cutting-edge technologies to enhance emergency public information
An intensive brainstorming event has challenged the collective minds of Western Australia's brightest developers and data professionals to improve how emergency information is communicated during a disaster.
The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) has teamed up with the WA Data Science Innovation Hub to host the 2023 Emergency WA Hackathon from 23 to 25 June in Perth.
Emergency WA, the State's official source of emergency information, is undergoing a major upgrade that will deliver faster, more personalised and targeted community warnings.
The State Government has allocated significant funding to overhaul the platform, which recorded close to eight million page views over the 2022-23 high-threat period (October to April).
One hundred participants from a wide range of industries have formed teams to develop innovative ideas and solutions that can enhance the way emergency information is delivered.
Recent research shows four in five Western Australians are satisfied with Emergency WA but want more detailed information during emergencies, such as estimated evacuation times based on the user's current location.
Hackathon teams are investigating how data-driven technologies such as artificial intelligence can future-proof a new warnings platform by providing features such as automated warnings, translated emergency information and predictive modelling of emergency situations.
The challenges include:
- improving emergency interactions for people with hearing and vision impairments;
- detecting and translating emergency notifications into a person's native language;
- creating contextual warnings based on a person's location; and
- generating automated warnings using trends and forecasts from data sources.
An expert panel of judges will assess each team's solutions at the end of the three-day event and award cash prizes up to $2,500.
As stated by Emergency Services and Innovation and the Digital Economy Minister Stephen Dawson:
"Emergency WA saves lives - equipping people with the information they need to stay safe when hazards like bushfires or floods threaten our communities.
"The Emergency WA Hackathon will help identify cutting-edge solutions to complex problems faced by our emergency services personnel and the public during highly stressful and fast-moving emergencies.
"By bringing the technology and emergency services sectors together, WA is leading the way in emergency public information and ensuring our State is well placed to face the challenges of future disasters."
As stated by Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm AFSM:
"Emergency WA has been an outstanding success - several other State Government agencies have started or expressed interest in utilising its capabilities.
"More than 3,800 community warnings were issued on Emergency WA during the 2022-23 high-threat period.
"But the technology behind the public-facing website is due for an upgrade.
"DFES is incredibly excited to work with the local tech industry to discover innovative ways to develop Emergency WA into a more inclusive platform for linguistically diverse communities and people with disabilities."
