Design and Implementation of a Context-Aware Mobile Geographic Information System for Guiding Relief Forces after an Earthquake: A Case Study in Maragheh City, Iran

The earthquake causes thousands of people to fall under the rubble, and if we do not help them as soon as possible, they will lose their lives. On the other hand, rescuers for quicker relief need to have more structured information available at any time and any place. This information helps them justify their position in areas destroyed by an earthquake. The aim of the present study was to implement a system for guiding relief forces in Maragheh City, Iran. The current research was a descriptive analytical study conducted in the city of Maragheh, East Azerbaijan Province, Iran, in 2018. The information needed in this research was obtained through field observations and location coordinates from Google Maps. Coding was done in the Android environment using Basic4android and SQLite software. Considering the contexts of position, direction, and speed of movement, a context-aware system was implemented for guiding relief forces in the city of Maragheh after the earthquake. This system could show the rescuers online information, such as the position of rescuers, sensitive locations, and the number of people living in a building, and also the shortest route to reach these locations. The results of this study indicate that the use of position, direction, and speed of movement contexts to guide rescuers will increase the efficiency and speed of relief operations and ultimately save people who have been remained under rubble.