Domain Ontology Design and Reasoning for Resource Matchmaking in Emergency Response Systems

In an emergency response system (ERS), resource matchmaking schema (RMS) consists of emergency impact assessment, resource utility classification and mapping between impact and utility. These tasks serve the resource allocation and must be done before launching rescue activities. However, related concepts and relations have little explication. Consequently, an adequate knowledge structure is necessary. In this paper, a domain ontology for RMS (RMS_Ontology) is formally defined, on which impact-utility mapping and rule-based reasoning process are implemented. Based on the ontology defined, the authors illustrate how RMS is realized and the way reasoning process works in the ERS application of highway network under severe weather conditions. Finally, a prototype system has been developed to facilitate knowledge management and to improve the performance of emergency disposal procedures.