idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Innovative Technologies for European Disaster Response: BIBA completes iTEK re-search project | Study results published | Basis for EU-wide research created | Find-ings and technologies from production and logistics can help in natural disasters
From floods and forest fires to earthquakes – the frequency and intensity of natural disasters is increasing. This also means an increase in the number of people affected and damage to infrastructure, with serious eco-nomic consequences. What are the needs of first responders, and which technologies offer options to support them? The BIBA – Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik, together with its associated partners, the disas-ter relief organisation @fire, the ASB-Regionalverband Niedersachsen West and the technology consulting company SWMS Consulting, conducted research on this topic in the iTEK project. They have now published their study results.
The iTEK (Innovative Technologies for European Disaster Response) project was a preparatory step for a Hori-zon Europe project on innovative technology assessment and selection for European disaster response. The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space.
Forecasts call for swift action
Protecting and saving lives and minimising damage – there is an urgent need for innovative disaster manage-ment solutions that improve preparedness, response and resilience.
According to the European Commission, forest fires in the EU alone caused an estimated €54 billion in damage between 2000 and 2017. Figures on damage caused solely by weather-related natural disasters are provided by the global database Statista, among others: "Between 1980 and 2020, weather- and climate-related natu-ral disasters caused economic damage of between €460 and €509 billion in the EU member states (plus Nor-way, Liechtenstein and Iceland). Hydrological events caused the most damage. Depending on the source, they accounted for between 39 and 44 per cent of the total. Hydrological events include, for example, floods."
The forecasts show a clear upward trend and call for swift action. Targeted adaptation measures are neces-sary to minimise damage as much as possible, including in the technology used by emergency services on site and for incident management. However, selecting suitable technologies is a challenge. Although first respond-ers and disaster management organisations have a wealth of expertise in the field of operational measures, they often lack the resources, technical knowledge and structured processes required to identify, evaluate and select suitable technologies.
Real needs and technical solutions
The project partners have summarised their research findings in two white papers. These provide insights into the issues, analyses and initial approaches to possible solutions. The two iTEK papers highlight the actual needs of first responders in disaster response and map relevant, suitable fields of technology that can facili-tate, improve and make disaster response more efficient and effective.
The first white paper is based on the experiences of the first responders. The second builds on this. It deals with the technological dimension of disaster response to support first responders. The documentation thus offers useful insights as well as a basis and impetus for future dialogue between practice, research and tech-nology development. In addition, according to another aim of the project partners, the research should also enable a deeper understanding of the actual needs of first responders.
Insights from production and logistics
BIBA contributed its interdisciplinary expertise in production and logistics to the project. These areas are also characterised by highly dynamic processes. ‘Many applications and solutions from these areas can be trans-ferred to civil security research and the field of disaster response,’ says BIBA scientist Moritz von Stietencron, iTEK project initiator and manager. ‘With iTEK, we have shown how application-oriented research from pro-duction and logistics can contribute actual added value to disaster response – from robust supply chain solu-tions to interoperable information and communication infrastructures. The white papers provide a scientific basis for future research projects and technological implementations in both disaster control and civil protec-tion.’
Key data on the iTEK project
In the one-year iTEK project (Innovative Technologies for European Disaster Response), BIBA – Bremer Institut für Produktion und Logistik at the University of Bremen, in cooperation with the German disaster control or-ganisation @fire (Wallenhorst), the ASB-Regionalverband Niedersachsen West (Osnabrück) and SWMS Con-sulting (Oldenburg), conducted research into the needs of first responders and their future-oriented techno-logical support. The investigations were carried out in preparation for future EU-wide research. The project had a volume of €120,000. It was funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) as part of the ‘Research for Civil Security’ programme (sifo, security research, FKZ: 13N17223) and supervised by the VDI Technologiezentrum (Düsseldorf).
Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Klaus-Dieter Thoben
phone: +49 421 218-50 005
e-mail: tho@biba.uni-bremen.de
Moritz von Stietencron
phone: +49 421 218-50 117
e-mail: sti@biba.uni-bremen.de
White Papers:
https://doi.org/10.26092/elib/4820
(Part 1 – TRIAGE: What First Responders Really Need)
https://doi.org/10.26092/elib/4824
(Part 2 – ESCAPE ROUTE: Technologies for First Responders)
https://www.itek-sifo.de (Project website with download option for white papers)
https://www.biba.uni-bremen.de
https://www.at-fire.de
https://www.asb-niedersachsen-west.de
https://www.swms-consulting.de
Work carried out by the iTEK project partners for their studies on the ‘BIBA Mobile Ad-hoc Infrastru ...
Source: Moritz von Stietencron/BIBA
The ASB Regionalverband Niedersachsen West was involved in the iTEK research project as an associate ...
Source: ASB Niedersachsen West
Criteria of this press release:
Business and commerce, Journalists, Scientists and scholars, Students, Teachers and pupils, all interested persons
Electrical engineering, Environment / ecology, Information technology, Mechanical engineering, Traffic / transport
transregional, national
Research projects, Research results
English
You can combine search terms with and, or and/or not, e.g. Philo not logy.
You can use brackets to separate combinations from each other, e.g. (Philo not logy) or (Psycho and logy).
Coherent groups of words will be located as complete phrases if you put them into quotation marks, e.g. “Federal Republic of Germany”.
You can also use the advanced search without entering search terms. It will then follow the criteria you have selected (e.g. country or subject area).
If you have not selected any criteria in a given category, the entire category will be searched (e.g. all subject areas or all countries).
