Speaker: Uriel Alonso @ AWS Community Day Hong Kong 2025
Summary by Amazon Nova
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhrC2V4KDPQ
Disaster Exposure in the Philippines:
The Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries, ranked as such for 16 consecutive years.
Experiences an average of 20 tropical storms annually, along with floods, earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic events.
These hazards overwhelm first responders due to scale, frequency, mass casualties, and communication challenges.
Global Challenge:
- Disasters are not limited to the Philippines; they are a global issue affecting many countries.
Solution: Reliable Communication During Disasters:
Real-time situational maps.
Drone feeds to locate victims, hazards, and damage.
Disconnected operations for remote or offline areas.
Introduction to Team Awareness Kit (TAC):
TAC, also known as Team Awareness Kit, is a geospatial visualization and collaboration tool.
Designed for real-time situational awareness in critical environments.
Enables secure data sharing, mapping, and communication across diverse teams and devices.
Core Capabilities of TAC:
Real-time mapping and geolocation.
Secure messaging and data overlays for maps.
Integration with sensors, drones, and IoT devices.
Open-source and customizable via plugins.
Platform Compatibility:
- TAC can be used on iOS, Android, Linux, and Windows.
Why TAC?
Successfully deployed in disaster response operations globally.
Used in Kenya, Peru, Somalia, Gaza, Mexico, Poland, Brazil, and the Philippines.
Field-tested in the 2017 Marawi crisis under extreme conditions.
Scalable and secure with AWS.
Detailed Breakdown of Disaster Response Architecture:
Main Services Used for TAC Server:
EC2: Deploys the TAC server.
S3: Stores assets and user data.
DynamoDB: Manages user credentials.
Lambda: Automates the sending of user credentials and facilitates clear, instant messaging.
Communication Features:
Text and Alerts: TAC can send text messages and alerts to all responders.
AWS Wickr Integration: Provides secure communication.
One-on-One Chat: Enables private conversations.
Team-Specific Updates: Shares updates only with relevant teams.
Group/All Chats: Keeps everyone informed about the disaster situation.
IoT Integration:
T100A IoT Trackers: Connected via LoRaWAN gateways to deliver encrypted GPS and sensor data directly into TAC Map.
Secure Location Sharing: Sends location data to TAC Map for all connected users.
LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is an open wireless communication protocol for the Internet of Things (IoT) that connects low-power devices over long distances. It is built on LoRa (Long Range) technology, which uses a specific modulation technique for long-range, low-bandwidth, and low-power communication. This makes LoRaWAN ideal for applications like smart cities, smart agriculture, and industrial monitoring, where devices need to send small amounts of data with long battery life.
Domain Services for IoT Integration:
IoT Core: Fetches data from trackers (sensor data, sensor ID, coordinates).
Lambda: Decodes the data.
EC2: Deploys Node-RED, which sends location data to TAC devices/clients.
Node-RED: Low-code programming for event-driven applications
Node-RED's goal is to enable anyone to build applications that collect, transform and visualize their data; building flows that can automate their world.
Drone Integration:
Live Aerial Views: Streams live drone footage to responders.
Hazard and Victim Detection: Helps locate victims, assess damage, and improve search and rescue speed.
CCTV Streaming Feature:
Live Ground-Level Monitoring: Provides continuous monitoring of key areas.
Tracks People and Vehicles: Enhances site security and operational awareness.
Live Streaming Services:
- EC2: Installs the streamer for live features.
Additional Details on Live Streaming and Disconnected Operations:
Live Streaming from CCTV to IVS:
GStreamer: Used to push live streams from CCTV cameras to IVS.
IVS: Handles live streaming. (Amazon Interactive Video Service)
S3: Used for auto-recording and auto-saving of live streams.
Kinesis Video Streams (KVS): Live streams from cameras are also pushed to KVS.
Object Detection: Recognition service is used for object detection, connected to both S3 and Kinesis Video Streams.
Operations in Disconnected Areas:AWS Snowball Edge
Used for offline TAC operations.
Allows TAC to run in environments with no internet.
Ideal for remote areas or disaster-hit zones without electricity or internet.
Supports mapping, messaging, and location sharing features.
Benefits:
Faster rescues and better coordination.
Helps save more victims.
Operates in degraded or disconnected environments.
No more outdated information.
Can be deployed for small incidents or nationwide responses.
"Disasters, whether man-made or natural, are inevitable. The Philippines is battered by calamities every year. Our capability to communicate during calamities can significantly impact those responding and the affected community. While we can't prevent calamities, we can improve our communication and coordination to help first responders save more lives during disasters."
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