Developer | Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection |
Operator | Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection |
Budget | €8,074,400.00, excluding VAT |
How necessary is it to implement the Project?
The optimal prevention and dealing with the consequences of Natural Disasters (Floods, Fires, Earthquakes, etc.) and Technological Disasters has become increasingly urgent in recent years. In order to achieve this goal, particular importance needs to be placed in the coordination of Security Forces, the Civil Protection Units of the Local Government, as well as Volunteer Organizations. The exchange of information and the creation of a common operational image both in Control Centres (National, Regional, Local) and at the site of the incident, with simultaneous extraction of correct, complete and direct information from the places where there is a risk, constitute vital information that must be evaluated and used appropriately in order to devise an immediate response strategy.
In view of all the above, the use and utilization of new technologies for a modern and effective response to natural disasters is deemed necessary, both to prevent and to address them. In this direction and in the framework of the “Digital Fire Alert and Response Service” project, the Hellenic Fire Service procured the “Integrated Information System for the Coordination of Fire Service Forces and the Provision of Information to Civilians” (OPSSDPSEP).
The system consists of equipment and software that provides information support to the competent Fire Service units in order to manage incidents and resources, to monitor the position of its vehicle fleet nationwide and, at the same time, to provide digital alert services to citizens and other organizations. This information system has been installed in the FS and all FS units have access thereto through the SYZEFXIS National Network, on a nationwide scale.
What is the object of the project?
The contract’s object is to upgrade the necessary software and equipment infrastructure of the ENGAGE Information System (OPSSDPSEP – Integrated Information System for the Coordination of Fire Service Forces and the Provision of Information to Civilians) with the main objective of covering additional operational requirements of the FS in order to support all stages of the Crisis Management Life Cycle by engaging all competent bodies.
Moreover, given the engagement of multiple bodies and operational centres, as well as
the corresponding complexity of their activities, it is deemed necessary to design an
upgraded Integrated Information System with clearly defined open interfaces (interoperability with existing and future systems of Public Safety Bodies, systems of the wider Public Sector, etc.) and with the capacity to manage large volumes of information (Big Data), fast response times, scalability, in Control Centres as well as from the field, and the use of functions and tools through authorized access.
What are the purpose and objectives of the project?
The project aims to upgrade the software and equipment of OPSSDPSEP with the following main
objectives:
- Adapting operational applications based on new user requirements.
- Improving access to operational applications from terminals with different operating systems and through web browsers.
- Improving situational awareness both in Control Centres and on site, using high-resolution satellite imagery services.
- Improving decision-making through advanced algorithms and subsystems.
- Business Intelligence (BI).
- Improving interoperability and collaboration with other Civil Protection bodies and systems of the wider Public Sector.
- Allocating forces and resources and costing operations in an optimal manner.
- Enabling the exchange of multimedia content between Control Centres and Vehicles via advanced mobile terminals (Tablet).
- Upgrading the equipment of Mobile Operations Centres.
- Constantly updating citizens during important incidents through a smartphone and tablet app.
- Supporting training exercises using VR (Virtual Reality) technology for the evaluation of Procedures and Response Plans.
- Improving support for all stages of the Crisis Management Life Cycle.
What are the expected benefits?
The expected results from the implementation of the project can be indicatively summarised as follows:
- Strengthening the effectiveness of the operational work of the Fire Service and the Civil Protection Bodies, at all levels, in terms of disaster preparedness and response.
- Situational Awareness through the compilation of static, dynamic information from the field and simulations for impact assessment.
- Decision Support.
- Continuous training of personnel through advanced simulation
- and virtual reality systems.
- Coordination of all relevant bodies through the provision of appropriate digital tools and interconnection with corresponding Incident Management systems.
- Provision of timely and accurate information to citizens.
- Ongoing and systematic risk mapping process across the country.
- Structured recording of the knowledge gained from crisis incidents (Knowledge Base and Lessons Learnt) and updating of the Response Plans.
- The submission of recommendations to the Political Leadership for the preparation of long-term risk reduction plans (Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy).
- Support to the National Crisis Management and Risk Management Mechanism, as set out in Law 4662/2020 (Government Gazette A 27 – 07.02.2020).