A4A

Alert for All

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'Alert4All focuses on improving the effectiveness of one element of the People-Centred Early Warning Systems paradigm, namely alert and communication towards the population in crises management. This improvement shall be measurable in terms of cost-benefit ratio, number of affected citizens timely reached by alerts, trust of citizens on alerts and intended vs. actual impact of alert strategies. Alert4All will provide solutions to align alert procedures and processes to contemporary crises (natural or man-made), available and emerging technologies, available information sources and trends in social behaviour. To achieve this goal the Alert4All Project will: -Develop a simulation tool that models the spreading of information and human behaviour according to key influencing factors such as crisis scenario, selected communications plans, social and cultural crowds; -Investigate the role of new media in the citizens’ perception of the crisis and develop new media screening tools to allow authorities completing their picture of the situation and adapt their strategies accordingly; -Develop an information management portal through which authorities and first responders can securely share and manage the available information about the crises by means of the aforementioned tools; -Propose new operational concepts (and training material) that allow cooperation between authorities and responders, overcoming regional and national barriers thanks to the tools developed in the project; -Design a communications system architecture and protocols allowing dissemination of alert messages over diverse communications means (terrestrial, satellite, new media) to increase alert penetration, reliability and resilience in front of major disasters. -Validate the concept in critical scenarios. The Alert4All project thus provides an extensive and interdisciplinary framework, covering all key enablers to improve the effectiveness of alert and communications towards the population.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Despite the strictest of precautions, an unexpected crisis or disaster could hit European towns and cities at any time, from flash floods to industrial leaks. An EU initiative designed a novel communication system to improve how citizens are alerted about disaster situations.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Much more could be done to alert citizens about impending dangers or crisis situations that are unfolding. The EU-funded project 'Alert for all' (http://www.alert4all.eu/ (A4A)) aimed to improve crucial communication of information to the population, potentially saving numerous lives in the process.

To achieve this, the project addressed the impact of alerts on the population and the role of new media during a crisis. This was done through the research and modelling of human behaviour and investigation of the effect of new media information flows during and after a crisis.

Results led to the development of a 'what-if' simulation tool to support decision-making processes in crisis management. Tools were also designed for screening new media. These tools, together with real-time monitoring of new media, are expected to improve the situational awareness of authorities.

A portal was set up to enable authorities and responders to exchange information at regional, national and international levels. This information management module also provides access to an alert message dispatcher that was created to deliver alerts and to decision-making features based on the developed tools.

After cataloguing existing systems and defining user needs, the team completed the design of the A4A system, which features the information management portal, global alerting gateway and alert simulation module. This flexible, scalable system comes with training materials for authorities and responders.

A best practice manual was prepared on the most ideal way to prepare and dispatch alert messages. Project members also developed an institutional framework for establishing a European A4A operating entity, now known as the European Warning and Informing Agency (EWIA).

A4A introduced a single solution for Europe's alert and communication challenges during crises. The vision of a pan-European public alerting system is well within reach.