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An INtegrated next generation PREParedness
programme for improving effective inter-organisational response
capacity in complex environments of disasters and causes of crises
September 2017 – August 2020
The IN-PREP project has received funding
from Horizon 2020 (H2020/2014-2020), the European Union’s Programme
for Research and Innovation under grant agreement n° 740627
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| Abstract |
The occurrence of transboundary crises in Europe is an ever more often
phenomenon. These crises can cross national borders as well as policy
boundaries with speed and ease, threatening the continuing functioning
of critical infrastructures and the well-being of many citizens. Some
European examples include wildfires, flooding, the spread diseases, the
financial crisis, and the migration crisis. The persistent threat of
international terrorism, climate change and political upheaval in the
near future virtually guarantee more of these crises. A transboundary
crisis is defined as an urgent threat to core values, key institutions
or critical infrastructures that stretches across one or more types of
boundaries (national, organizational, political, economic, legal or
conceptual). Such crises, by definition, affect multiple sectors, groups
or countries. Transboundary crises pose a specific set of complex
challenges for which Europe is – despite a number of recent policy
initiatives – still ill prepared.
IN-PREP recognizes three
challenges that need urgent attention in order to support an effective
EU-coordinated response to transboundary crises:
- As large-scale crises require the timely and
efficient sharing of scarce resources, member states need to develop
shared response planning.
- Countries need to share information in real time.
This sense-making challenge requires a way to have multiple
countries and agencies create a shared picture of an emerging crisis
based on multiple sources (different countries, many agencies).
- Countries need to coordinate the use of critical
resources to ensure a timely response and to avoid waste
and misspending.
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| Project Objectives |
The aim of IN-PREP is to provide a novel framework
To safeguard
societies and prepare them for large-scale natural or man-made disasters
and complex crises requires an intelligent, multi-faceted, systematic
and coordinated preparedness programme. The IN-PREP project capitalises
on integrating novel technology tools to support various preparedness
activities and to interlink a wide range of stakeholders including
firefighting units, medical emergency services, police forces, CP units,
command & control centres and assessment experts, for a collaborative
response.
IN-PREP addresses two main preparedness challenges:
- Improving transboundary response planning
- Enabling a novel and holistic approach for scenario building
IN-PREP will establish and demonstrate a next generation system as a
reference implementation of tools and processes, applicable to the
entirety of crisis planning stakeholders aiming to achieve realistic
cross-organisational coordination at all levels of operations
(strategic, tactical, operational) before and during an incident. The
proposed framework will not only improve preparedness and planning but
can be also applied during joint interventions, thus improving the EU’s
joint capacity to respond to a crisis. The project is funded by the
European Commission involving twenty partners from seven countries,
experts in various aspects of the crisis management sector.
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| FSEG’s role in IN-PREP |
The agent based EXODUS evacuation simulation tool represents the current
state-of-the-art in evacuation simulation. It is able to simulate large
numbers of people within large complex geometries and has been used in
different design and forensic applications including underground
stations, clubs, airports, high-rise buildings, etc.
Very few
agent based models exit that can be used for large-scale or urban-scale
applications. Several models have been developed to simulate large-scale
evacuation from floods and earthquakes but these are limited in their
ability to read GEO-data and to link to Command and Control systems.
Current evacuation models have severe limitations to accurately and
adequately simulate characteristics of large scale evacuations such as
different types of terrain (e.g. paved paths and rough ground, terrain
with steep gradients or hills) and are limited in representing the
influences of different terrain types and gradients on the movement
rates and behaviour of people travelling large distances. The models are
also limited in how they can incorporate complex map data, such as
terrain type and elevation information to describe the physical
environment. Evacuation models are also limited in how they can
incorporate reasonable population profiles describing the actual
population demographics, spatial and temporal distribution. Existing
models have difficulties to run very large simulations at or faster than
real time rate and have limited capability to adapt to events that occur
during the unfolding of an incident. Improvements in all these aspects
is essential if evacuation simulation is to be used in planning,
training and real-time support for an incident that can occur at an
arbitrary time and location. These are essential features if the model
is to be used for real time support during an incident.
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| Large scale evacuation using
urbanEXODUS |
Large scale evacuation using webEXODUS |
The identified limitations in the current state-of-the-art in
large-scale evacuation simulation will be addressed. IN-PREP will
further extend the state-of-the-art EXODUS evacuation model so that it
can address large urban scale evacuation scenarios. These enhancements
include:
- Enhancement of the urbanEXODUS evacuation
simulation tool through: Ability to read Digital Terrain Model (DTM)
data; Improved representation of space (incorporation of different
terrain types (paved/unpaved paths), terrain gradients, hybrid
spatial representation of geometry to improve run time performance);
Ability to represent the effects of different terrain types and
gradients to people’s movement rates and behaviours; Ability to
modify geometry information and agent behaviour due to changing
hazard information derived from a flood or earthquake incidents;
Ability to readjust predicted population distribution on the
evacuation model based on live feedback from the field.
- Coupling to Command and Control (C2) environment; Ability to
communicate with C2 environments via webEXODUS;
Receive input from flood or earthquake scenario;
- Coupling to Mixed Reality Preparedness Platform (MRPP): Ability
to modify scenario with live data inputs.
The integration of EXODUS with the C2 and MRPP will provide a unique
advantage to incident managers when assessing the available evacuation
options of the affected population by providing the tools to assess the
evacuation procedures and adapt them to accommodate the peculiarities of
the unfolding incident.
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| Work Packages and FSEG’s role |
| Work Package |
FSEG's contribution |
| WP1 Consortium Management & Innovation Development
Coordination |
FSEG will contribute to periodic, interim and final reports
and deliverables |
| WP2 User Needs and Ethical, Legal and Human Factors
in System Development |
FSEG will capture end-user requirements (civil protection,
fire and police departments, health emergency units and regional
policy makers for crisis management). FSEG will analyse the user
requirements and prepare the technical specifications for the
evacuation modelling component. FSEG will also contribute to the
use cases and the specifications of the table-top exercises and
demonstrations.
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| WP3 IN-PREP System Design |
FSEG will design the evacuation simulation layer and its
integration within the Mixed Reality Preparedness Platform
(MRPP). Existing capabilities will be specified as well as the
maturity level and architecture of urbanEXODUS and webEXODUS.
The focus however will be on webEXODUS as the tool that will be
integrated into the IN-PREP system. The scenario editing
capabilities of webEXODUS will be specified. A description of
how an evacuation scenario can be prepared prior to an incident
taking place and how it can be edited and modified live while an
emergency is unfolding. The inputs and outputs of urbanEXODUS
and webEXODUS tools in relation to the MRPP will be defined. The
role and information provided by the evacuation layer to MRPP
will be specified. |
| WP4 IN-PREP Scenario Building |
Developments on webEXODUS interface, addition of
new features and capabilities to be able to represent the
table-top exercises and demonstration cases. This will include
the development of the library models and scenarios to be used
during the exercises and demonstrations. Develop the
webEXODUS output information that will be displayed on the
MRPP. |
| WP5 IN-PREP System Developments and Adaptations |
FSEG will develop protocols to enable communication between
webEXODUS and the IN-PREP system, allow for data
exchange and provide evacuation related data in an appropriate
form for display in MRPP. Improvements will be made in both
webEXODUS and urbanEXODUS to accommodate new
features and capabilities, input from and output to other
IN-PREP modules and components, import of hazard modelling data
and results, provide evacuation related data such as evacuation
times, clearing times, evacuation routes and usage of those
routes, population density, safety times, areas of critical
population density, etc. Develop the ability to receive real
world input data (population, hazards) and provide the tools to
modify the evacuation scenario accordingly. Development will
also be made on urbanEXODUS simulation tool with new
features and capabilities to be able to represent the required
scenarios for the table top exercises and demonstrations.
urbanEXODUS will receive input from web |
| WP6 IN-PREP System Integration |
Define the integration requirements and architecture of
webEXODUS within the IN-PREP system, specify technical
aspects of communication protocols and interface to the IN-PREP
system.
Testing and verification of webEXODUS
integration with IN-PREP system for all the table-top exercises
and demonstrations that will include an evacuation modelling
component. |
| WP7 IN-PREP Training Programme - Exercises & Demos |
Provide input and support of the table-top exercises and
demonstrations involving the evacuation simulation component.
This work will include the design and preparation of the
evacuation models that will include the evacuation area,
population distribution and scenario specific information.
Contribute to the assessment of the evacuation component and
agreement with end users’ requirements and project objectives. |
| WP8 High Impact Communications and Networking |
Participating in workshops, conferences, provide information
regarding developments for evacuation module and prepare a web
page providing a description of the IN-PREP project as well as
FSEG’s role in the project. |
| WP9 Exploitation of Results, Management of
Intellectual Property and Standardisation |
Preparation of papers and communications for submission to
international conferences, workshops and exhibitions. |
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Project Partners |
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| Further Information |
Prof. Ed Galea
Fire Safety Engineering Group
University of Greenwich
Greenwich Maritime Campus
Old Royal Naval College
Queen Mary Building
Greenwich SE10 9LS
UK
Tel: +44 (020) 8331 8730
e-mail:
E.R.Galea@gre.ac.uk
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