Landing page of GDACSmobile at the DRIVER Experiment 42 in The Hague, Netherlands

Nederlandse Versie

Welcome to the EXP42 Website for GDACSmobile

A Mobile Application for Information Exchange

and Coordination in Crisis Management

Description

In the DRIVER experiment 42 (EXP42) we evaluate selected solutions and tools for interaction between crisis management units and volunteers within a hands-on interdisciplinary simulation exercise. The experiment aims at stimulating and intensifying the developments on current solutions in the area of disaster preparation and post-disaster situation awareness by using different crisis management mobile technologies and information integration.

The experiment is centered on a simulation exercise in the Safety Region of The Hague, the Wateringse Veld. In context of a flooding scenario several crisis management tools will be deployed and evaluated by crisis management practitioners and volunteering citizens. For more information around the experiment, see the following websites: http://driver-project.eu/content/expe-42-interaction-citizens-2 and https://de.pleio.nl/. One of the solutions tested during the experiment is GDACSmobile.

GDACSmobile is a mobile assessment tool developed to support two main target groups: crisis management professionals and (affected) citizens. Both groups are able to use the application for an effective situation assessment and information sharing, thus in turn creating a better situational awareness which is crucial for effective disaster response. GDACSmobile was initially developed in 2012 by the European Commission Joint Research Centre, Institute for the Protection and Security of the Citizen, and the University of Muenster, Department of Information Systems, with the aim to expand the GDACS environment (Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System, www.gdacs.org) by community involvement. Since then it was deployed in several different simulations and serious games and thus continuously developed further. In the EXP42 scenario only a customized version for the interaction between the crisis management center and unaffiliated volunteers is applied. For this purpose the consideration of professional first responders in the field as trusted users as well as the social media interface has been disabled.

Simulation Exercise: Flooding in The Hague!

Based on a forecasted flooding scenario in The Hague, involved volunteers are asked to go to some specific destination in order to answer a question or to fulfill a task while using GDACSmobile. During their walk they will also find other, probably relevant information pieces, which they are invited to report with the help of GDACSmobile and thereby share with the crisis managers of the Safety Region The Hague. We encourage the volunteers to participate during the whole experiment, but the scenario will also allow to join or leave at any time.

Restricted Area: Wateringse Veld, The Hague

Your Tasks

Open your team envelope and follow the instructions
Knowing that the area is at risk due to bad weather forecasts, you are invited to use the GDACSmobile “map overview” for navigation purposes
During your walk to your destination: watch out for markers/information sheets called “EXPERIMENT OP STRAAT” on lanterns, walls, trees and other public areas.
In case you find any information which sound relevant to you, please use GDACSmobile to send a report to the local authorities/the crisis managers.
In case you find any wrong information on the GDACSmobile map overview, do not hesitate to feedback this observation by using the reporting functions and creating a correct/updated observation.
Once you reached your destination and are done with your tasks, you are invited to walk around the affected area and look for further relevant information but also feel free to enjoy the rest of the day in beautiful The Hague!