From Data to Action: RED ROSES for Enhanced Natural Disaster Preparedness
Co-funded by the European Commission (DG ECHO), RED ROSES addresses natural risk prevention and preparedness in the French-Italian cross-border area.
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Progress Since March 2024
Significant strides have been made since March 2024, particularly in developing the project's Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and fostering cross-border cooperation. The project has focused on identifying and harmonising multi-source and multi-format data repositories, ensuring consistency in content, terminology, and format across borders. These efforts are crucial for effective and coordinated disaster management.
Training sessions organised by the Italian Red Cross in May 2024 enhanced the capabilities of Emergency Operations Centres (EOCs) in data analysis and emergency monitoring, raising risk awareness among local staff from regional branches of the Red Cross and municipalities.
Enhanced Cooperation and Coordination
The mid-term meeting held in Nice in March 2024, was crucial in evaluating the project's progress. This meeting underscored the importance of mutual understanding and extensive information sharing, fostering innovative initiatives within the RED ROSES project. By bringing stakeholders together, the project ensures cohesive strategies and gathers support.
The project’s presence at the 8th European Civil Protection Forum in Brussels in June 2024 was a major highlight. This prestigious event allowed the consortium to present its objectives and activities, share results, engage with participants and prepare for upcoming initiatives.
Technical Meeting #3 Highlights
In June 2024, the project consortium convened its third technical meeting in Chiavari (Italy). The primary objective of the meeting was to ensure the consistency and reliability of the RED ROSES database in a cross-border context, by reviewing the datasets to be implemented into the Geoportal module of the RED ROSES Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI).
Additionally, the consortium addressed the project implementation, assessing past and future activities and discussing coordination needs.
In a pleasant and productive working environment, the meeting was marked by collaborative discussion and significant progress in ensuring the integration and reliability of the RED ROSES database, aligning with the goals for the upcoming simulation exercise scheduled in October.
“By uniting efforts across borders, we can build a safer and more resilient future.”
Upcoming Simulation and Future Outlook
A 10-day cross-border simulation exercise is scheduled for October 2024. Jointly organised by the French and Italian Red Cross, this exercise aims to test the practical application of the SDI in real-world scenarios. This simulation exercise will be a significant milestone in validating the project’s tools and strategies.
Additionally, a research paper on barriers to data sharing for disaster risk reduction at borders, authored by students from Paris-Dauphine University, one of the consortium partners, has been submitted to ISCRAM (Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management). This research paves the way for developing a governance plan for the data ecosystem, highlighting the ongoing and future impacts of the RED ROSES project.
Moving Forward
The RED ROSES project is on track to achieve its objectives, with significant progress made in data harmonisation, technological implementation, partner coordination, and data management training. Maintaining strong communication among stakeholders and focusing on implementing DSS procedural workflows, the data ecosystem governance plan, and organising the simulation exercise will be crucial for the project's successful completion by February 2025. This final push will ensure the project’s long-term impact and sustainability.
Continued engagement and cross-border collaboration promise to enhance community resilience to natural risks in this critical region. The RED ROSES project, with its innovative initiatives, exemplifies how international cooperation can strengthen disaster preparedness and security.
Sectors
Risk reduction & assessment
Risk drivers
Climate change