Uncrewed systems for managing disaster situations

Whether during extreme weather events or in military crises, optimal situational awareness is crucial for effectively coordinating hazard prevention measures and rescuing individuals in emergencies. Often, it is not an information deficit that complicates relief efforts. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) is investigating how efficient situation assessment, mission planning, and execution could look in the RESITEK project.

Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the trees. Or you simply have difficulty filtering out the trunk you’re looking for from the sheer mass. This is similar to what emergency response centers sometimes experience in unclear crisis situations. This was likely the case in the summer of 2021 following the devastating flood in the Ahr valley. To keep track of the multitude of information and coordinate aid and rescue measures, rescuers need not only the best equipment but also optimal, clear situational awareness. In real-time.

Uncrewed systems provide real-time data

For this, various data sources and deployment methods – ranging from UAS and helicopters to both manned and unmanned land and water vehicles, as well as satellite data – must be consolidated. At the same time, information must be filtered and sorted. In addition to aiding people in distress, it is essential to strengthen the resilience of power grids, ensure supply, and allow for secure communication. Even when infrastructure is destroyed.

Since competencies from various disciplines are required for this, the RESITEK project (Resilient Technologies for Disaster Relief) brings together a total of 16 institutions from the German Aerospace Center to develop a modular, continuously expandable data and visualization platform. This aims to enable continuous situation monitoring as well as optimized mission planning and oversight. The goal is to empower authorities and first responders to act as effectively as possible in emergencies.

To best test the complex overall situation and quickly assess data from various sources, the exercise scenario was intricately designed

Two major exercises are part of the RESITEK roadmap to test ideas and assess progress. In the fall, Braunschweig is set to test how to respond to a devastating storm, while in June 2026, the Ahr valley was the site of an exercise addressing the aftermath of extreme heavy rainfall. This is where one of the largest natural disasters in post-war German history occurred nearly five years ago, following days of consistent rainfall.

Reliable information is crucial

„Incomplete or delayed situational awareness, missing connections, and insufficiently networked actors can significantly impair the efficiency of response measures in disaster situations. Damaging events like widespread flooding, storms, or power outages demonstrate the high dependence of society on functioning critical infrastructures“, explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla, Chairwoman of the DLR Executive Board.

Utilizing satellite data, drone flights, and reconnaissance missions with robotic systems such as the amphibious vehicle SHERP provided by the World Food Program (WFP), the large-scale exercise aimed to gather information as rapidly and broadly as possible after the alarm was raised and translate it into a situational assessment. Additionally, a local communication system was established, allowing response teams to exchange information. „RESITEK demonstrates how modern technologies can strengthen disaster protection. What is crucial is not only the performance of individual systems but their interplay“, says Prof. Dr.-Ing. Anke Kaysser-Pyzalla. So the journey is already part of the goal. „All participating partners benefit from the intensive knowledge exchange that occurs during the exercise.”