Title:  Disasters, dogs and robots – an introduction to computational public safety

Computational Public Safety (CPS) is a relatively new field involving the application of computational theory, resources, and practice in support of and improvement to public safety processes. In this presentation, we will discuss:

• computational public safety – why it matters,
• urban disasters – structural collapse, rubble and lots of trapped people,
• what dogs can teach us about AI and robotics, and
• disaster scene modelling and reconstruction—a poor man’s approach.

Various research projects within the Network‐Centric Applied Research Team (NCART) lab will be presented as they attempt to address the needs of the Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) and Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear explosive (CBRNe) communities.