At the same time that we are increasingly experiencing unprecedented natural phenomena, new forms of climate risks and natural disasters, the need to build shields and increase preparedness levels to deal with them remains imperative.
To what extent are we informed about the risks of natural and man-made disasters (e.g. risks related to floods, forest fires, droughts, landslides, chemical accidents, etc.) and how do we respond individually and collectively? How do Civil Protection Authorities (CPA) perceive these risks and how do they differ from citizens’ perceptions? Although the complexity of these phenomena and their degree of interconnection around the world are increasing day by day, there are variations in how citizens understand climate risks and public awareness of related issues remains low.
Having immediately identified the need not only to understand the nature of new risks associated with natural and man-made disasters, but also to design technological tools that facilitate cooperation between citizens, PPE and experts, the I-SENSE GROUP research group at the University Research Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (EPISEY) of the National Technical University of Athens (NTEU) has developed the Aeolian AR application for smartphones.
The Aeolian AR mobile app: a valuable tool in crisis management by EPISE/NTU researchers
In emergency situations where timely and reliable data exchange is of utmost importance to increase preparedness, adequate risk management and effective response by authorities, The Aeolian AR mobile app is designed to instantly send alerts and provide real-time two-way communication between PPE and citizens or volunteers. Using the Aeolian AR mobile app, users can directly interact with PPE and report current hazards, thus enabling proactive action to be taken in areas of concern, as well as appropriate management measures to be taken in the event of an evolving disaster. At the same time, through virtual reality (AR) technologies, users can benefit from a range of valuable educational functions on natural and man-made hazards, thus improving situational awareness during a hazard for a more effective response and contributing to early prevention and, at the very least, increased levels of preparedness.
The development of this innovation was completed thanks to the systematic work of researchers from the Crisis Management and Secure Societies Department (CMSS) of the I-SENSE GROUP – EPISEY’s research unit – and in the context of the European project RiskPACC, which aims, on the one hand, to better understand the gap between risk perceptions and countermeasures and, on the other hand, to bridge it through the development and application of specific technological and conceptual tools. As the technical coordinator of the project and EPISEY’s Director of Research and Development, Dr. Angelos Amditis, states: “Technology today is capable of radically changing the way we respond to natural disasters. Citizens’ input into this process is crucial and cooperation between citizens and competent bodies, Civil Protection and experts is now necessary to address the magnitude of the risks. But the key that will lead us to the safe and resilient societies of the future is horizontal training on natural disasters, and this training must concern everyone – from citizens to the state apparatus, to special forces, to EKAV, to the police, to the fire brigade.”
The RiskPACC platform and other tools
At the heart of the project’s efforts is the RiskPACC platform, which was also developed by EPISEY’s I-SENSE research unit with innovative design, interoperable and user-friendly functionalities. The platform serves as a comprehensive knowledge base and repository of tools to improve resilience and disaster management. A range of advanced technological and conceptual tools, training materials, best practices and guidelines provide users with comprehensive training resources. Specially designed software interfaces ensure dynamic interaction between the Aeolian AR app and the platform, with tailored data access levels for ARs and citizens or volunteers. The video you will find here provides further information on the tools developed within the framework of RiskPACC.
Complementing the Aeolian AR mobile app is the HERMES desktop app, which users can use to report current risks and contact PPE. Additional tools developed at RiskPACC are Damage Mapping, which was developed in collaboration with the Centre for Security Studies (KEMEA) and the Municipality of Rafina-Pikermio to support voluntary contributions to damage mapping after a natural or man-made disaster and to expand the work of the APPs. Additionally, the Thermal Comfort Tracker tool, developed in collaboration with the Municipality of Padua in Italy, aims to gain insights into how people in a given situation perceive their personal thermal condition. Finally, the PublicSonar platform is provided by Crowdsense, focusing on crowdsourced data to help CSOs gain real-time insights from publicly available information sources and mitigate the hazardous effects of natural and man-made hazards.
The RiskPACC Consortium
The development of the RiskPACC core platform, as well as the individual project tools, is supported by a consortium of 19 partners (across Europe and Israel), academics, organizations, technology companies, research institutes and government agencies who have worked methodically over 36 months and in 6 pilots to strengthen existing risk management methods and practices across all phases, from prevention and preparedness to response and recovery. The innovative RiskPACC tools were presented during the project’s Final Awareness Workshop held on July 2 in Brussels. The knowledge and feedback gathered during this workshop will play an important role in improving the final results and how to leverage these innovations for the benefit of citizens.