EU-Project, FORTRESS, is developing Foresight Tools for Responding to cascading effects in a crisis

The main challenge in pan-European disaster management is dealing with inter-organisational and cross-border cascading effects.

The main challenge in pan-European disaster management is dealing with inter-organisational and cross-border cascading effects. In order to meet this challenge, the European Commission has funded the FORTRESS project (FOResight Tools for REsponding to caScading effects) with a grant of over 3 Million euros under the 7th Framework Programme (grant agreement no: 607579). FORTRESS is a three-year project that begun in April 2014.

FORTRESS aims to develop an evidence-based tool that can be used as a foresight tool to assist decision-makers in understanding the potential effects of their decisions in a crisis situation as well as in training environments.

FORTRESS is divided into three phases. Phase 1 of the project will begin with a knowledge review around crisis situations. This includes the current understanding of cascading and cross-border effects, of vulnerability and resilience as well as existing tools for crisis management. In phase 2 of the project, an empirical database for the foresight tool will be developed. To do so, FORTRESS is combining case studies of historical crisis (from both Europe and International cases) with real-time scenario case studies of crisis management. The real-time scenario case studies consist of four crisis exercises. In phase 3, a scenario builder tool for cascading and cross-border effects and further elements of the FORTRESS Incident Evolution Tool (FIET) will be developed. Stakeholder partners, including the Dutch Public Safety & Health District Kennemerland (VRK), will actively be involved in the software development process and the testing of the tool in the field, thereby ensuring the needs of first response organisations are incorporated into the building and testing of the tool Key outputs of FORTRESS will include a collaborative and accessible modelling platform for cascading and cross-border effects as well as a demonstration of the FIET.

The FORTRESS project consists of an inter-disciplinary consortium from eight European countries. The team consists of social scientists, practitioners in the field of crisis management and IT-specialists. The knowledge review and historical case studies will be mainly conducted by scientific partners: the University College of London (UK), Trilateral Research & Consulting (UK), Ritchey Consulting (SE), the Higher Institute on Territorial Systems for Innovation / SiTi (IT), IRKS Research GmbH (AT), DIALOGIK (DE) and Technical University of Berlin / Center for Technology and Society (DE) where the project is coordinated by Dr. Leon Hempel. The scenario case studies will be conducted in tight collaboration with stakeholders within the consortium: the Service Départemental d’Incendie et de Secours des Alpes de Haute-Provence (FR) and Electricité de France (FR), the Berliner Wasserbetriebe (DE) and in the Public Safety & Health District Kennemerland / VRK (NE). FORTRESS’s IT team is made up of two companies; Treelogic (ES) and GMV Sistemas S.A.U. (ES).

To follow updates on the FORTRESS project, including our research activities and results, invitations to workshops, and other activities, please follow FORTRESS on Twitter @FORTRESS_EU and visit our website: http://fortress-project.eu

For more information please contact the project coordinator, Leon Hempel: [e-mail]

Keywords

• Crisis management

Countries

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Spain, Finland, France, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Slovenia, United Kingdom