Kategória: KNtoolbox

Crowd sourcing and emergencies

Mrs Marina Tavra from the department of geodesy and geoinformatics at the University of Split (HR) presents crowd management models in emergency, disaster, and crisis.

The Climate Change vs Tourism in the Alps

The European Alps underwent significant climate changes in the last decades, and an intensification of the current trends is foreseen by regional climate projections by the end of this century.

Mrs Elena Pede from the Inter-university Department of Regional and Urban Studies and Planning, Politecnico di Torino, presents the increasing risk of natural hazards due to climate change: desertification, ecosystems changes, water scarcity, forest fires, hydro-geological and hydraulic instability. Further, the socio-economic impacts are alarming for the Alps, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, etc.

Security of the pan-European infrastructure networks

Timo Hellenberg, a security expert from Finland, presents the initiative RAIN and how it deals with the mpact of extreme weather conditions on critical infrastructure and bringing mitigation tools to enhance the security of the pan-European infrastructure networks.

Online Course: Inclusive Disaster Risk Management

Local governments are at the forefront of dealing with natural disasters such as floods, floods, fires, earthquakes, droughts. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic as an unprecedented and biggest crisis of our time is hardly affecting societies and communities.  Not only, that these events hinder local level sustainable development, but also exacerbate existing vulnerabilities and creating new social inequalities. The vulnerable categories of citizens e.g. women, children, youth, disabled, the elderly, citizens exposed st social risks, etc are bearing the heaviest consequences that weaken their resilience. The exclusion suffered by these groups and their low level of participation in society can result in their needs being overlooked in disaster risk management measures. Therefore, the local governments need to integrate their needs and capabilities while planning and reducing the disaster risks and ensuring that no one is left behind.

The link of the IDRM e-learning course http://nalas-academy.com/

Should you be interested in participating in the course in 2022, please contact us on terzieva@isemi.sk

Two Aspects of Managing of the Crowds: physical and virtual

About 80% of the world data come from geo-components, and they can be processed under machine learning. It means that data circulated can be localised. Though being of greater importance in search and rescue of people, for example, the team of scientists and researchers Marina Tavira, Josip Peros and Ivan Reciting from the University of Split, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture and Geodesy at the regular CRISPRO webinar hold on 21.10.2021. The scientists added that GIS-based crisis management could take advantage of social network data validation. They are sourcing the system with data from the crowds and managing it by introducing the Virtual Support teams, widely promoted by the unique NGO VOST Europe presented by the “maker” and developer Jorge Gomes, ahead of the international network.

He added that crowdsourcing had been used, with success in several instances. While many groups continue the purely conceptual discussion about the pros and cons of using crowdsourcing in DRR and crowd management, VOST Europe focuses on the cases of successful data gathering to help decision-makers and citizens (African natural disaster case). Social network information crowding can also enable the direct involvement of citizens in the research and investigation processes. For example, they can be asked to share the photos they have taken at a particular place and time concerning a criminal or disaster-related accident. Furthermore, it can foster the citizens’ participation and make them accountable for the environment and communities. As a result, citizens can feel important and helpful, and it can be considered a “democratic” model for illustrating public engagement in disasters or emergencies.

Volunteered geographical information or VGI and remote sensing technologies are basic for modern data aggregation and rapid filtration through machine learning and big data processing. It is extremely important in the interventions referring to the life and health of persons worldwide. Remote sensing data and volunteered geographical information from non-experts collecting and sharing data can be acknowledged as an essential complementary tool of the traditional situational awareness technologies. It refers to the professional capacities of the rescue and searches intervention teams who challenge the physical obstacles in the area affected by the disaster or public disorder incident/riot/unrest. Social-network-based data aggregation can support rescue and emergency planning, especially in the remote or lesser density populated regions such as the Arctic and Barents see areas, outlined Mr Hannu Rantannen, a security expert of the project. “Improving maritime safety in the Arctic Ocean through Ai and Virtual Control Room”. The Barents Rescue Event is an excellent platform for testing and validating technological solutions, and the upcoming one in the fall of 2023 in Bodo Norway, added Hannu Rantanen.

Another physical aspect of the crowd management interventions refers to the CBRN incidents in public spaces, shopping malls, airports or religious places, added Mr Timo Hellenberg, a security expert.
Geo-referencing and geo-positions shall also move from planning and monitoring to intervention support tools for the first responders. It can be useful for disseminating information through the traditional communication channels used during specific interventions.

Rapid processing and data aggregation can also influence the scenarios at the very moment of the reactions. The most popular forms of public crowd management scenarios were presented by Leonard Leso, a Security Analyst with a long 44 years career in the Carabinieri Corps, the military and police force of Italy. He raised attention to the essentials of crowd management: defining the antagonists and lessons learnt, planning for the public order operations, mobile teams setting, training and procedures for public order that can also be enabled by the alert information as an entry point and gets to any rescue situations. Furthermore, spacial recaptured evaluated images involving citizens and extracting reliable data could support the field interventions.

The teams’ preparation is driven by particular national and regional scenarios of potential risks outlined by Jari Honkanen from the Ministry of Interior of Finland. Further, he referred to the leading principles of the Finnish civil protection driven by the comprehensive approach, integrated preparation for peace-time and war-related emergencies, making all actors responsible for carrying out their functions in all security situations, and stressing the pragmatic public/private cooperation, also supported by the military authorities. The territory of Finland is divided into risk classes. The regression model determines four risk levels, and it is based on the number of inhabitants and buildings. The regression model has been calculated according to real house fires and any prognosis for risk level in a square 1 km x 1 km. While the National Risk Assessment outlines 20 scenarios, the sub-national risk assessments are drafted cross-sectorally to represent the region’s municipalities, authorities, businesses, and working groups. The representatives of the National Rescue Platform do provide insights into their communities and reference groups extensively.

Teaming Up for the New DRS Calls in 2022

Cascading effects and vulnerability of society are essential elements to be tackled by the new call for proposals under Cluster 3, the EU programme for developing security and societal resilience actions. A group of about 25 scientific, policy and first responders‘ organisations called by the CRISPRO network discussed new proposals for 2022. The online consultations were hold on 21st October, 2021. The group assessed their previous experience and highlighted the importance of focusing on pragmatical and applicable tools-developments referring to historical data, online data from social networks, situational awareness and first responders preparedness. The main idea is to tackle cascading effects and multi-hazards paradigm because such models of disaster risk management enable engagement of various forms of vulnerability mitigation measures.

The team will be acting as a non-formal and project-driven team of prominent organisations for challenging models and aspects of disaster risk reduction based on grant opportunities for development.

Daniel Sampere about climate-induced disasters

The ANYWEHER project focuses on the weather-induced emergency management. The initiative offers catalogues or weather and climate forecasts products /snow, fire, storm, flood, severe winds, droughts, etc.) advancing climate risk forecasting and global situational awareness for civil protection actors.

 

CiProVoT online course

A Trans-national training course CiProVoT offering three modules for Civil Protection Volunteers, is hosted by CRISPRO.

The development of disaster prevention and awareness in the Civil Protection is closely linked to the ability to draw in the experiences and learning of this daily work as well as using daily operation in non-disaster situations to create networks with and broader awareness among other key stakeholders and the public on risk-management, disaster prevention and preparedness.

 

The Civil Protection Volunteer Course is an online multinational training programme that aims to provide you with technical skills. It ables you to share experiences and create networks with other experts in disaster prevention.

The first module is about national hazards and disaster risk reduction. The second is focused on crisis management, and the third unwraps opportunities for using ICT in disaster resilience and risk management.

Each training module is developed into subunits consisting of four hours of study. At the end of the training course, you will identify the global and regional type of hazards, identify and understand the impacts causing the various hazards in Europe, understand the disaster risk reduction concepts and develop your conceptual frameworks. Finally, you will be able to identify disaster risk reduction strategies and operational planning.

You can start your training by registering on the online course platform.

CiProVoT-Civil Protection Volunteers Training

CiProVot Course Presentation
Introduction: Natural Hazard and Disaster Risk Reduction
Module 1. Natural Hazard and Disaster Risk Reduction
Module 2. Emergency planning
Module 3. ICT for Disaster Risk Reduction Activities

Virtual Control Room (VCR)

The Virtual Control Room (VCR) established in International Hellenic University (IHU) is one of the most complete and modern VCR all over Europe. The VCR of IHU has been funded by the Administrative Region of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace in Northern Greece. It specializes in the fundamental and advanced training of students and professionals on control room operations and emergency responses during technological or natech accidents. 

Most of the scenarios examined in the VCR are not hypothetical or fiction products, but rather the result of long-term interviews with industry executives, field operators and control room operators in order to reproduce accurately, efficiently and effectively near-misses, dangerous incidents and accidents. This is particularly beneficial to the trainees for getting well acquainted with what-if fact-scenarios of our developed comprehensive database, and coping with difficult circumstances, often more difficult than they actually were. To that end, trainees have the opportunity to test and understand their limits in a highly secure environment; and on the other hand the industrial executives to be informed about the suitability and readiness of their staff. 

For more information visit teiemt.gr.