CGI announces CGI Sense360, its cloud-based, smart analytics platform that gives emergency responders holistic and accurate situational awareness in the event of a disaster. Using comprehensive data sources and augmented reality, the platform creates a visual situation overview that helps organizations more efficiently organize and accelerate rescue operations.
Whether a disaster is caused by natural or human hazards, up-to-date information is critical to safe and successful rescue efforts. CGI Sense360 creates a holistic picture of a disaster using data from a variety of sources across the ecosystem, such as satellites, drones and maps; infrastructure, geospatial, weather and environmental data; and online databases, blogs and social media. The platform’s integrated and secure communications system combines augmented reality, situational images and other data to create a visual overview that is shared with emergency responders in a context-aware manner to enable faster, safer rescue operations.
International aid organization I.S.A.R. (International Search and Rescue) in Germany is a project partner in the design and development of CGI Sense360. I.S.A.R. is certified by the United Nations for international rescue operations.
“We provide international assistance in humanitarian missions; for example, after natural disasters and accidents or in war zones,” says Dr. Steven Bayer, Project Coordinator at I.S.A.R. “The immediate availability of detailed situation images and current data is crucial for efficient, rapid rescue measures. And, it is precisely this information that the new cloud-based data analytics platform CGI Sense360 can provide.”
Development of the platform also is supported by the European Space Agency (ESA). CGI space experts have worked closely with the ESA for about 40 years, including in Bochum and Darmstadt, Germany. CGI’s current projects include the development of a centralized “pooling and sharing” system for secure satellite communications services.
“In rescue operations, analog processes still dominate in many cases,” notes Stefan Wichert, Senior Vice President of CGI’s operations in Northern Germany. “However, an exact situation picture and an unrestricted flow of information are indispensable in the event of a crisis or disaster. In addition, the time factor is important. With CGI Sense360, we offer a high-performance, intelligent and secure platform that meets these criteria. It delivers all the information needed for time-critical coordination and relief operations in near real-time. We see a very large market potential for our new platform, which takes the benefits of digitalization a decisive step forward.”