About The Forum

COVID-19 Information for our attendees & partners

Disasters such as Black Saturday, Cyclone Larry, and Cyclone Debbie have continued to surprise mankind by unleashing its destructive power swiftly and unexpectedly. The catastrophes, unspeakable tragedies, and gargantuan losses behove an urgent and critical need to institutionalize post-natural disaster resilience.

In recent years, efforts in disaster management have gained momentum from the unprecedented advances in information, communication, and innovation technologies, with wide-ranging applications in disaster preparedness, mitigation, and management.

To build a resilient ANZ requires a paradigm shift from a response-recovery governance to a risk-sensitive development approach and a stronger attempt in regional cooperation for managing trans-boundary disasters. With this in mind, we cordially invite you to the 3rd Edition of the forum on Innovations In Disaster Recovery And Rescue For Bushfire, Flood, Hurricane And Earthquake  taking place on 6  – 8 April 2020 in Melbourne. Themed “dynamic disaster recovery planning and innovations in search and rescue missions”,  join this forum to learn more about the latest innovative technology available for disaster rescue and response operations.

Key Themes

  • How Big Data Analytics And AI Are Helping To Predict And Fight Bushfire
  • Learning Lessons From Thai Cave Rescue Team
  • How Drones Are Used To Deliver Critical Lifesaving Flotation Devices During Floods And Hurricanes
  • How Disaster Teams Are Using Autonomous Drones To Deliver Critical Medical Supplies
  • Saving Flood Victims With Remote-Controlled Rescue Boat
  • How Cobots And Exoskeletons Can Help To Fight Bushfires
  • Using Drones To Assess The Aftermath Of Natural Disasters And Searching For Survivors
  • Establishing An Effective Emergency Communication Network During Natural Disasters
  • How Virtual Reality Helps To Train Fire Fighters To Handle Emergency Responses During Searing Bushfires
  • Using Drones To Assess The Aftermath Of Destructive Earthquakes
  • How Crowdsourcing Intelligence Helped To Assess Damage Caused By Cyclone Debbie In Real Time

Highlight Speaker: 2019 Australian Of The Year

Featured Fire Side Chat Speaker
Craig Challen
Thai Rescue Cave Diver and 2019 Australian of the Year

Craig Challen- 1st page

In 2018 Craif Challen, along with his dive partner Richard Harris was involved in a cave rescue operation in Thailand to evacuate 12 children and an adult from the flooded Tham Luang Cave system. Challen was awarded the Star of Courage and Medal of the Order of Australia by the Governor-General of Australia for his role in the rescue. On 7 September 2018 Challen was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Direkgunabhorn by the King of Thailand.

The Forum At A Glance

DAY 1 Pre-Forum Site Tours: Monday, 6 April 2020

  • Site Tour A: Using Unmanned Drones For Delivering Critical Medical Supplies And Searching For Victims
  • Site Tour B: Exploring Artificial Intelligence And Predictive Mapping In Disaster Risk Management

DAY 2 Main Forum: Tuesday, 7 April 2020

  • City Of Los Angeles Bushfire Case Study: How To Predict Bushfire Patterns And Risks Using Connected Sensors And Big Data
  • How Google’s Advanced Machine Learning Algorithms Helps To Revolutionize Flood Prediction
  • Improving Evacuation During Bushfire With CSIRO’s Award-Winning Decision Support System
  • How Thai Cave Rescue Team Uses Advanced Mapping And LiDAR Technology To Save Victims Trapped In Cave
  • International Case Study: Using Drones To Assess The Aftermath Of Indonesia’s Destructive Earthquake
  • Searching For Survivors With Infrared Imaging Drones

DAY 3 Main Forum: Wednesday, 8 April 2020

  • Translating Tweets Into Insights For Disaster Response At CSIRO
  • Innovations In Cobots And Exoskeleton In Fighting Bushfires
  • Fireside Chat With CASA: Are Firefighting Drones The Answer?
  • Championing Innovation With Serval Mesh – An Emergency Communication Network
  • How Blockchain Ensures Donation Transparency For West Japan Disaster Relief Project
  • How AI And Big Data Helps City Councils To Identify Earthquake Vulnerability In Cities And Prepare For Emergency Evacuation