D58 Alps Crisis Management Operational Test Case and Report – REMIFOR

REMIFOR is a civil defense organization involved in an ongoing project to develop a network for the acquisition and exchange of technical data for emergency management decision support. The RETINA project is a source of data, information, and expertise that will serve as an example for testing the user's model for decision support, particularly in the domain of responding to natural risk. The network for decision support also serves as an educational emergency response training tool for use by and within the REMIFOR organization.

Prevention: This topic concerns primarily legislation, for building codes, payments at the local, regional and national levels. In France, a key document for risk mitigation is plan, abbreviated “PPR”. In particular, this phase includes the following steps:

§ Compile data on past events

§ Reach consensus on standard language and terminology for use by all users

§ Harmonization of formats for exchanging data between services (e.g., GEOTIFF files at 1/25 000 scale).

§ Make available scientific publications on reusable and certified electronic interfaces.

§ Modelling of propagation geophysical processes, e.g. maps of ground acceleration caused by seismic wave propagation.

§ Define most likely scenarios

§ Use and integration system of the monitoring data

§ Hazard map with event probabilities in Geographic Information System (GIS)

§ Realization of cartography of the probabilities risks to chosen scale

Risk analysis: This phase includes calculating the consequences of the scenario event on humans and their infrastructure. In particular, it includes

§ Evaluation of the damage caused to the public structures (administrative centers, educational establishments, receiving public, the hospitals...).

§ Evaluation of the damage caused to the public infrastructures, structures, roads, bridges, lines railway, networks of telecommunications, electricity, rain, water, the rivers...).

§ Evaluation of the damage caused to the private structures (dwellings, factories of industrial and commercial sector, establishments on indexed risks, SEVESO...).

§ Evaluation of the damage caused to private infrastructures (power supplies, systems of rejections of the pollutants, incinerators...).

§ Scenarios of probabilities multi risks by superposition of the cartographic layers.

§ To introduce a scale of values on European level.

§ Indications and measurements of constructions for the civil engineering.

§ Estimated statement of the requirements in logistic resources (networks telecommunications, permanence of communications axes...).

§ To meet the users needs (to return the analyses and reports of the scientific experts, in the form of decision-making aid in electronic format, adaptable in the various administrations and local authorities).

§ To channel the expression of the results compared to the request (waiting users).

§ Development of the scientific contents in the form of appreciation (to insert the studies in the administrative and legal provisions).

§ Transmission of relevant information according to the requesting department (offers service: request/study/validation/answers).

§ Development of a schedule of conditions for the request of the service

§ Mutual knowledge of the requirements – “inter-services” concept

Planning domain. In this phase, the user must plan the response to a foreseeable event in terms of first aid and crisis management. It includes a large part of risk analysis. This phase includes the following steps:

§ Evaluation of the zones potential requiring intervention zones

§ Inter-operable computer/telecommunications systems for sharing information between different organizations.

§ Refined maps of landslides triggered by earthquakes.

§ Anticipating direct and indirect effects of the natural events

§ Defining allowable interactions in the decision chain.

§ Operations planning, including all responding organizations, especially real-time scientific procedures.

§ Simulation exercises with a realistic scenario of a landslide triggered by an earthquake

§ Enhancing information flow between the crisis command center and scientific data collectors

§ Real-time display of data from scientific instruments, e.g. seismograms, with comparison to scenario

§ Mapping vulnerability of infrastructure to both earthquakes and landslides

§ Population censuses of the zones

§ Mapping of material exposure, including social-professional function of building stock, e.g., a school full of students constitutes a greater risk than an empty warehouse.

§ Scientific procedures intern with the groupings and networks of research.

§ Scientific validations by set of thematic and problematic.

§ Transmission by the official channels or institutional of the reports of analyses and studies, prevention of the foreseeable natural risks

§ Uniting of the info to the services instructors of the state.

§ Ventilation of information risks foreseeable beforehand establishes, in a diagram of decision-making aid (stages: forecast, planning, operational management of PC of site).

§ Permanence of telecommunication routes (telephony, radiotelephony, and security of satellite transmission...).

Information domain. This domain concerns the citizens’ right to information concerning foreseeable natural risks, thus increasing their awareness and preparedness.

§ Development and standardization of the messages of information.

§ Development of a message for building awareness.

§ Reinforcement of the “playful” aspects of the message, using the citizens’ preferred languages

§ Collection of the acts and messages consultable, by commune or territory, on a specialized Internet portal, e.g., Precede Net, remifor.fr...).

§ Information campaigns through all media

Dissemination of results:

§ In professional environment (SDIS, ECASC, ENSOSP).

§ During the closure meeting of RETINA project.

§ During the 112ème Firemen congress in BOURGES.

§ Management reports and reports of the WP (diffused).

§ Experience feedback of the operation tests (reports and account report).

§ Projection of the results in other European projects (SIGMA, Emerg-e-Sat).

§ Procedures of operation settings reproduced on inter Regional scale.

TELERISQUE: A platform for sharing information and implementing operations during a crisis

Fig. 16: Screen shots of the data "interfaces" between various actors, including SDIS, scientists and technical staff in geographically distinct locations.

Fig. 17: Screen shots of the data "interfaces" between various actors, including SDIS, scientists and technical staff in geographically distinct locations.

§ Joint operation carried out in the department of the Bouches du Rhône, France

§ Use of ground cabled network: connection via Internet sites of the scientific and technical entities

§ Use of the satellite network: connection of the sites of diffusion (HQ, operational centers of command)

§ Inter connection between the State services and the communities),

§ Inter connection between the scientific structures (laboratories, universities, research centers, national schools...) and the professional actors of crises (firemen, HQ, military, civil protection,

§ Creation of a common culture (before, during and after the crisis),

§ adaptation and connection of methodologies resulting from each entity (professionals and scientists),

§ Setting in network the actors (area network, satellite, division of work, Video- conferences, platform of services...).

Fig. 18: The mechanism in operation.

Conclusions:

The platform allowed the command/decision chain to follow the pre-defined protocol on transmitting information and the technical and scientific data.

REMIFOR had the following comments following the simulation exercise at the RETINA final meeting in the Azores in June 2005.

Positive points:

§ Azores groups use Inter-operable data (available formats, open source),

§ Standard format recognized (SIG),

§ Transmission of information in an electronic format

§ improvement of quality in information both upwards and downwards in chain of command

§ Fastening the info to the services instructors of the state

§ Scientific procedures intern with the networks and research grouping

§ multiple mode of uses

§ requests of the users to develop these solutions

§ Use of the TIC

§ Satisfaction of the results set in network of the actors (scientific and technical communities).

Points to be improved:

§ Scientific data to provide (mode not inter operable, lack of common culture);

§ Inter operable (formats to be acquired in open source);

§ Scientific validations;

§ Validations of the authorities;

§ Transmission by the official or institutional channels;

§ Ventilation of the information established beforehand in a diagram of decision-making aid ;

§ Common culture to be improved ;

§ Results of the program not exploited according to the requests of the WP 2400 and 2700

§ Introduction of the TIC into the intern operating modes intern (decision-making process, Validation, division of the authority);

§ Even more sharing of resources

Recommendations:

§ Access to information: The “users” (actors in operational public services) ask that the “scientists” (actors in the technical and scientific community), validate their information (data, reports, or alarms) before expecting other actors to act up it. Indeed, all information should necessarily validated by an independent expert, who can transmit it in a formal way to the Official Authorities. Despite its bureaucratic appearance, this administrative and legal procedure is the best way for delivering a message concerning the occurrence of a foreseeable event to the public.

§ User requirements: The approach adopted by RETINA of starting with the users defining their requirements for the scientist worked well.

§ Information exchange. All relevant information should be recorded in an inter-operable Geographic Information System (GIS) at a scale of 1:25000.