"INSTANT
NOTIFICATION SYSTEM FOR CRISIS MANAGEMENT"
The
Need
The extensive responsibilities of the Prefecture of Arcadia call for the
re-structure of its internal workflow procedures so as to reassure the
effectiveness of a new action model. The new action model should
reassure a quick response to every crisis. Among the priorities of the
Prefecture of Arcadia is the protection against every form of crisis
that threatens its areas of jurisdiction. With the aid of the technology,
the Prefecture intended to organize its tasks so as to increase its
productivity and improve substantially the quality of life of its
citizens.
The Project
Agiltech spotted the particular needs of the Prefecture and developed
the “Crisis and Incident Management” system and the pertaining portal so
as to constitute a total turn-key solution that is based on cutting-edge
GIS technologies. All the information regarding the activities organized
by this Information System is gathered in the “Crisis and Incident
Management” system. It allows for better coordination and management of
the Prefecture actions in cases of a crisis. The main stakeholders are
driven by the system step-by-step so as to follow the best course of
actions in every case.
More specifically:
-
With the aid of the
system, the Prefecture is constantly aware of all its available
resources (vehicles, tools etc.) and human resources (employees) so
as to be ready to face any incident. The
system provides a “log file”, categorized
by types of incident enabling the required actions to be quickly
assigned to a user, in accordance with
templates.
-
All relevant
information regarding an incident such as the location of the
incidents, of the available resources, of the people and vehicles of
the Prefecture, is displayed on a digital
map, making easier the supervision of the situation.
-
The system keeps
track of every step of every incident from the beginning (i.e. the
notification of the sensor) until its end.
-
The
communications among all relevant stakeholders are made easier
through the system. The system is able to inform the users through
PDAs real time, contributing to quicker response.
The system of the “Crisis
& Incident Management” is a web-based application. This enables more
than one user to run the application simultaneously from every work base
within the Prefecture.
As far as the portal is concerned, the Prefecture is able to inform the
citizens of every issue needed (i.e.
Protection from earthquakes tips, announcements etc.) contributing to
the development of environmental conscience as well.
Overall, the system is a total turn-key solution for the crisis
management supporting all the phases of a crisis (prevention,
preparedness, response, recovery).
The project was assigned
in November 2009 and it was developed and delivered in two months!
The project was co-funded by European (3rd CSF) and national funds.
The Result
The function of the system bears many benefits for both the employees of
the Prefecture and the citizens. The Prefecture of Arcadia now has at
its disposal a total turn-key solution for crisis management
contributing to the increase of the quality of life of the citizens,
protecting human lives and its properties as well as the natural wealth
of the area. Among the benefits are the following:
-
Better planning for
preparation and preparedness for every crisis case.
-
Efficient resource
planning & management
-
Quick response in
case of every crisis
-
Effective decision
making based on all available data
-
Better communication
and coordination among all relevant stakeholders within the
Prefecture network and external Organizations.
-
Quicker recovery of
all the fundamental functions after a crisis and reduction of the
total time needed for incident management.
-
Citizens are
officially informed through the portal regarding the progress of
every crisis resulting in the creation of a public safety notion.
