Towards an automatic UAS-based mapping tool for first responders: Defibrillator Missions in Alpine Regions

Cardiovascular disorders are the main cause of emergencies with fatal outcomes related to mountain activities in Alpine Regions (averaging 23%) [1].The limited timespan to assist effectively these urgencies, is driving rescue teams to adopt novel strategies, like delivering Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) using Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), to aid in cases of Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrests (OHCA) in remote settings [2].Recent studies have shown the efficiency of drones to carry supplies flying over long distances, making them a promising solution to improve the response time of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) [3], especially in rural areas [2].However, critical factors need further optimization for widespread implementation in mountain environments [4].In Alpine Regions, the successful implementation of this solution needs to identify suitable locations to deploy the drones within limited facilities and a routing workflow capable to find optimal pathways in a 3D environment [4].The spatial component of these requirements, can be addressed through the use of cartographic and geostatistical methods based on suitability models [5], and least-cost paths [6].Generating drone routes compatible with the on-going design of a secure airspace for UAS operations, as the U-Space [7], keeping a safe altitude across topographic variations while avoiding obstacles, to support the joint efforts of emergency teams [8].According to the presented statements, this research aims to design a map-driven distributed emergency drone service network, enable to localize suitable areas and propose time-effective strategies for delivering Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) in Alpine Regions (Figure 1).As a contribution to the development of a solution for first responders to plan automatic Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) missions in mountainous environments.