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In mass casualty scenarios such as shootings or extreme weather, every minute counts. Eyewitnesses can provide key details to authorities amid the chaos and confusion of such rapidly unfolding situations.
With the proliferation of cell phones, people often don’t call emergency services but instead turn to social media to share what they see or are experiencing – and even appeal for help.
The EU-funded ATHENA project focused on the popularity and availability of Internet-connected mobile technologies and social media to better engage with citizens in emergencies.
Lessons learned from ATHENA led to the creation of a global staff security system for the United Nations’ International Organization for Migration (IOM), with similar systems for other global institutions expected to follow soon.
‘The concept of ATHENA is to both support citizens and provide first responders – the police, fire and ambulance services – with a situational awareness capability in order to enable the best course of action if there is a terrorist incident, for example, or a major flood,’ says technical lead Babak Akhgar, director of CENTRIC at Sheffield Hallam University in the United Kingdom.
Triggered by tragedy
ATHENA was born in the aftermath of the 2008 terror attacks in the Indian city of Mumbai during which tourists holed up in hotel rooms took to social media as the situation unfolded.
‘The telephones were disconnected and the only means of communication they had were mobile phones and social media – so people started using social media, sending messages about gunshots, asking what they should do,’ Akhgar says.
He recalls how his team at CENTRIC, together with the West Yorkshire police counterterrorism unit that coordinated ATHENA, saw the social media angle as ‘something major’ and began looking for ways to make best use of it in future, fast-breaking scenarios of this nature.
Over the course of the three-year project, the two institutions – joined by 12 other partners from government, academia and the private sector – created a system to encourage and enable public participation in crisis situations.
This prototype includes a mobile app that allows members of the public to submit eyewitness reports and request help. It also features a ‘command and control dashboard’ that contains critical information such as warnings about danger zones whose purpose is to monitor and coordinate the overall crisis response. Another component is a crisis intelligence analysis system that processes information.
ATHENA was successfully piloted in Slovenia, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
Turning research into reality
The lessons learned from ATHENA led to the development of the Security Communications and Analysis Network (SCAAN), a digital platform and mobile app designed to provide more efficient communications and assistance to field staff at IOM, also a member of the ATHENA project consortium.
‘It reflects cooperation between IOM and CENTRIC to bring research into operational reality,’ says Akhgar.
Over time, IOM says all of its 11 000 staff worldwide will be equipped with the app to enhance their security as they go about their work in often difficult environments. Currently, as the rollout continues, SCAAN is being used by more than 2 400 staff based in 105 countries.
Built upon the results of ATHENA and co-created by CENTRIC and IOM, SCAAN is based on real-time operational requirements. It is specially designed for challenging situations such as armed conflicts and, among other things, enables staff to quickly send an alert for help if they are in danger.
It allows for the geolocation of IOM staff when they travel in high risk zones, warns them if they enter ‘no go’ areas, and facilitates headcounts, which is particularly important if disaster strikes and staff are spread out or in remote areas.
CENTRIC is currently in contact with several other international organisations interested in implementing a similar system, according to Akhgar.
‘SCAAN enhances the safety and security of IOM staff in many of the most hostile environments, as well as reducing the financial burden to IOM,’ he adds. ‘It is a clear demonstration of how applied collaborative research can lead to tangible life-saving impact.’