Decision Support System for

Search And Rescue of Missing People

SHARON is an international research project
organized and promoted by


What?

SHARON is devoted to the Search and Rescue mission management, it provides advices on how to deal with the various phases of the mission, starting from the collection of the target's information and supporting the decision maker until completion of the research

Target Data Collection

Simple online interface for entering personal data of the missing person

Target Presence Probability Maps

Estimate the Target's presence probability on the basis of prediction models and best practices adopted worldwide

Search Area Estimation

Estimates the paths and the maximum area reached by the Target in given time. Person profile and environment characteristics are exploited

Search Units Planning

Suggest tradeoff solutions for allocating Search Units and routing men from their real-time location to the base camp

User-Friendly

Provides a web-based interface and intuitive wizards for filling Target information, configuring the mission and viewing results in 3D world map

Reports

It offers a complete report of the Mission, with prints dedicated to the various single phases and a simple interface for sharing information

Features

Where could be the Target?

Estimate Target's Presence Probability accordingly to:
Known Positions

e.g., Last Seen Position

Terrain Features

e.g., Elevation, Roads

Presence Probability Map

SHARON estimates the probability of presence in the nearby area accordingly to state-of-the-art models and taking into account person's profile. The combined result is shown on interactive 3D map: cold colors indicate a low probability, hot colors indicate an higher probability

In the example on the right, the target was last seen at Gardeccia refuge (RED Marker) and it is known that his destination (BLUE Marker) was Passo Principe

How could the Target move?

Estimate the fastest paths (worst case) from Last Seen Position and accordingly to:
Person Profile Information

e.g., age, physical condition, interests, ..

Terrain Characteristics

e.g., morphology, vegetation, roads, ..

Estimated Target's Paths

SHARON simulates fastest paths in the nearby area starting from the target's last seen position.

In the example on the right, the target is expected to move from last seen position at Gardeccia refuge (RED Marker) on the paths around the mountains peaks.

How far can be the Target?

Estimate the maximum distance reached by the target since Last Seen Position and Time, accordingly to:
Fastest Paths Simulation

intra-cell velocity and time estimation

Full Grid Exploration

inter-cell navigation policies

Estimated Travel Time

SHARON estimates the the time required to reach each cell of the grid (and its fastest path) from the last seen position accordingly to person's profile and terrain characteristics

The interactive 3D map highlights low travel time with cold colors and higher travel time using hotter colors

In the example on the right, the target is assumed to move from Last Seen Position at Gardeccia refuge (RED Marker) in nearby area

How many Men are required for searching the area?

and where are they right now?
Wireless Tracking

of Mission Assets

Tradeoff Solutions

efficiency vs. cost

Selection of Search Units

SHARON offers trade-off solutions by considering Cost in terms of distance between current position of each man and the base camp, and by considering operation efficiency in terms of fitting Decision makers objectives (e.g., time, number of search units, ..)

Search Units are gathered at the Base Camp <img src="assets/img/map.marker.poi.48-green.png" style="height: 18px" alt="(RED Marker)" /> to search the green area within a given time

How to Monitor & Coordinate the operations in the field?

Update the real-time presence probability based on the areas covered by rescuers
GPS Trackers

commodity devices

Mobile Phones

by installing an APP

Tracking Rescue Teams

SHARON keeps information log of rescuers involved in the search operations (e.g., in/out time, position, searched area) to ensure their safety. Rescuers' position information is also exploited in real-time to update the target presence probability model.

In the example on the right, some tracks from GPS trackers on rescuers and K9 unit (dog) are shown.

Join the research community for testing and developing it

   

Testing

New Search Operation

Create a new SAR Mission from scratch

Create New Mission
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Create from Template

Start from an existing example

Create From Template
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