National Tsunami Drill
Enhancing Fiji’s tsunami preparedness with real-time, geotagged coordination.
In 2018, the Fiji National Tsunami Drill (PacWave2018) was successfully conducted, involving eight government agencies and 13 UN organizations. The drill showcased the critical role of information and communication technologies in disaster response — with geoBingAn integrated into the drill design as a core tool.
To implement Fiji’s National Tsunami Response Plan, the National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), with UNDP and other partners, planned a series of drills. PacWave2018 tested NDMO’s emergency response capabilities, including evacuation exercises across five schools along the Suva Peninsula.
geoBingAn served as NDMO’s primary ICT tool for disaster information collection, analysis, and sharing — transmitting geotagged photos, videos, and reports instantly to the National Emergency Operations Center for rapid situational awareness.
By tracking evacuation progress in real time, agencies avoided miscommunication and NDMO could centralize and issue directives. geoBingAn not only accelerated information transmission but also produced digital records for post-drill evaluation and improvement.