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 in Perth.
Emergency WA, the State’s official source of emergency information, is undergoing a major upgrade and the brainstorming event challenged the State’s brightest developers and data professionals to improve how emergency information is communicated during a disaster.
Participants from a wide range of industries formed teams to develop innovative ideas and solutions that could 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 investigated 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.
Commissioner for Fire and Emergency Services, Darren Klemm said Emergency WA had been an outstanding success with more than 3,800 community warnings issued during the 2022-23 high-threat period.
“However, the technology behind the public-facing website is due for an upgrade,” Commissioner Klemm said.
“The 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.”
