#	Pagina
attuale pagina	/open-h2020/projects/210215/results.html

Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - IN-PREP (An INtegrated next generation PREParedness programme for improving effective inter-organisational response capacity in complex environments of disasters and causes of crises)

Teaser

Summary

During the recent years, a rising number of crises with transboundary characteristics is evident across Europe. Three challenges are the main ones that need to be urgently tackled:
- Development of collaborative response planning (among agencies and across borders) that dynamically adapt to incidents
- Empowering scenario building and training with focus on real time information sharing and interoperability
- Coordination of the use of critical resources
These challenges are hard to meet in any type of crisis or disaster and they are especially hard to meet in a transboundary context that lacks a dominant actor.
IN-PREP concept drives towards providing an IT-based platform called Mixed Reality Preparedness Platform (MRPP) aiming at strengthening the capacities of individual countries and specialised agencies in the transboundary crisis management field. Such platform will facilitate not only the planning and preparation for transboundary crisis management but also the coordination information sharing during transboundary crises. In addition, IN-PREP will develop a Handbook of Transboundary Preparedness and Response Operations, addressing operational and procedural best practices and technical recommendations for further development of relevant systems.

Work performed

WP1 has been active since day one to ensure the smooth project management and execution of the project tasks while at the same time update partners on the project technical management, quality management, administrative procedures and processes. The project plenary meetings have been organised together with other project activities (e.g. the 1st and 2nd end-user Workshops).
WP2 on User Needs produced five deliverables and achieved two milestones. WP2 laid the foundation for IN-PREP through heavy involvement with end users. During the first user workshop, participants identified several needs and wishes related to a training and preparedness platform. Such feedback was categorized into a cyclical planning and training process to give structure to the IN-PREP platform:
1.Make a plan
2.Create a scenario
3.Define criteria to test
4.Play (train)
5.Score / assess/ evaluate
6.Adapt
WP3 on System Design started quite early (in parallel to gathering of user requirements) to de-risk the project due to the complexity of the system. WP3 elaborated the high level architecture of the Mixed Reality Preparedness Platform and positioning the various tools brought by the partners within the fundamental concepts of a) Scenario building, b) Training and c) Production of response plans.
During the beginning of the project, WP4 has focused on the training and preparedness environment. The first version of the scenario building tool has already been implemented, through the guidance of the involved end-users and taking into consideration the outcomes of end-user recommendations and related end-user requirements.
WP5 on System Developments focuses on relevant research and development as well as adaptations of the palette of IN-PREP tools comprising the MRPP. As such relevant work progresses in parallel to the Training programme (i.e. WP7).
The objective of WP6 is to integrate the developed software components to form the final IN-PREP platform. An integration plan has been prepared to guide the integration of the IN-PREP components.
WP7 on the Training Programme was focused on preliminary design of the exercises and demonstrations as well as specifying the KPIs for evaluating the MRPP and the Training sessions. As a result, the planned dates for the three Table-Top Exercises (TTXs) and the three DEMOs were specified.
WP8 on communicating the IN-PREP messages and disseminating results began from project start and a broad range of activities was realized. IN-PREP website is frequently updated with interdisciplinary articles from all partners reflecting the projectâ€™s nature.Furthermore, IN-PREP uses highly its Twitter account to communicate the projectâ€™s messages and facts regarding disaster management to a wide audience. Throughout the first year two videos have been produced for reaching a wide audience communicating clear and concise messages.
Under WP9 on Exploitation, Standardization and IPR-related activities, the overall exploitation plan has been initiated with the elaboration by each partner of their individual strategy, background and roadmap. The identification of the business plan and business cases are on-going at high level.
WP10 acts as the WP for the Ethical Clearance Approvals from the NDPAs for each partner. Abiding to the IN-PREP Research Protocol and following the instructions provided by the IN-PREP Ethics Summary Report all IN-PREP partners contacted and notified the competent Ethics Committee in the country in which those research activities are to be carried out, in order to receive the Committeeâ€™s favorable opinion concerning the referred activities.

Final results

â€¢ Human Factors in Command and Control rooms
During the first 12 months of this project, WP2 was dedicated to gain a better understanding of human factors on civil protection Command & Control in connection to complex control rooms and stress. More specifically D2.4 contains the results of an extensive literature analysis and expert interviews as well as recommendations on human factors and also relevant organisational, policy and social factors relevant for the system developments of the IN PREP platform. The human factors identified in WP2 comprise cognitive processes (such as processing of information, perception, memory, team cognition, and decision making), and issues to be considered regarding the user interface design. This result will be used by the technical partners of the consortium as recommendations for the further development of the platform.
â€¢ The Mixed-Reality Preparedness Platform â€“ A Holistic Training Tool
The MRPP targets the creation of a holistic training tool, integrating several layers of information:
-Scenario and simulation information
-Remote sensing
-C2 information (resource list/availability/allocation/characterisation, alerts/incidents)
-Modelling systems
-Decision support systems
Combination of all these data enables end-users to plan effectively, taking into account every piece of information available to them.
â€¢ Dynamic and Collaborative Response Planning
End users emphasize that the planning process itself, is incredibly important. An inactive existing plan is of low value whereas working together to consider risks, approaches, alternatives, necessary resources, etc. leads to valuable discussions and that help crisis managers to be better prepared. IN-PREP fosters this process and provides a collaborative platform where crisis managers from different organizations and countries can efficiently and effectively work together.
â€¢ Cross-organisational handbook of Transboundary Preparedness and Response Operations
One of the main outputs of IN-PREP is the cross-organisational Handbook of Transboundary Preparedness and Response Operations, which will synthesise lessons learned, recommendations, check-lists and other relevant findings of IN-PREP to be used during the various phases of transboundary crisis response operations. In more detail it will contain on the one side operational and procedural recommendations and best practices and on the other side the technical description of the capabilities of the IN-PREP platform.