How will COLLARIS move forward and reach its goal of building a sustainable network of experts related to UAS in civil protection and disaster response? This and many other questions were discussed in COLLARIS’ first Plenary Meeting which aimed at promoting the project activities and maximising the impact of achieved results.
The meeting took place after the ATM Trial held in Stalowa Wola, Poland between August and September 1, 2023, during a field exercise dedicated to flood response. It was an important step for the COLLARIS Network, setting the scene for the upcoming months and years, also taking into account the view from associated partners. The full report of the meeting (a modified version of D7.2A) is now publicly available.
The event was focused on a behind-the-scenes close-up look at innovative Air Traffic Management approaches that are currently being implemented in Poland. The aim of the exercise was to test the ability of the Podkarpackie Province to respond to a flood, with the operational involvement of representatives of all emergency agencies and services. The exercise had a special component concerning the development of an optimal model for conducting drone operations during flood risk, consisting of a dedicated experimental episode (real drone operations) and an additional table-top activity in which the Air Operation Manager and UAV pilots were able to practice an advanced scenario on flight coordination, including flights of manned aircraft.
Participants from all over Europe
The Plenary Meeting after the exercise was attended by the Strategic Group members (representatives of core consortium partners: CIK CBK, MSB, DCNA and KIOS, with the exception of Valabre due to project travel budget constraints, and associated partners from the Swedish Police, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency and the Ministry of the Interior of Finland). Other participants included representatives of the RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, the Södertörn Rescue Service from Sweden and Polish stakeholders involved in the ATM Trial: State Fire Service (Central Headquarters and several regions), Territorial Defence Forces, Regional Water Management Authorities, regional and district crisis management centres, and National Police Headquarters.
The Plenary Meeting was divided into three separate sessions. The first part was focused on discussing the recent exercise from the perspective of the key actors involved in the activities – State Fire Service, Regional Water Management Authorities, Air Operation Coordinator, Polish Air Navigation Services Agency, and Territorial Defence Forces. The second session was devoted to COLLARIS’ ongoing and planned activities, preliminary thematic reports already available, as well as the potential involvement of interested stakeholders in COLLARIS (like a questionnaire, feedback on analyses, participation in the upcoming trials etc.). During the last part of the Plenary Meeting, the invited guests from abroad were asked to share their reflections and observations about the ATM Trial and current use of drones for crisis management purposes in their respective countries.
Great success and plans for the second Plenary Meeting
The Plenary Meeting was deemed successful by its participants from Poland and abroad who – apart from learning more about COLLARIS’ activities in all thematic lines and being able to discuss issues related to Air Traffic Management – also appreciated the informal networking opportunities offered by the event. It is important to ensure that this approach is continued for the next Plenary Meeting which should also be synchronised with a relevant conference/exercises/trial, thus, ensuring optimal possible interest of involved stakeholders and maximising the outreach impact. COLLARIS is currently considering the European Civil Protection Forum in early June 2024 as an option.
Find the full report of the meeting here.
About COLLARIS
COLLARIS (COLLaborative network on unmanned AeRIal Systems) is a capacity-building initiative to develop a sustainable European network of scientific, engineering, and end-user expertise related to unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in civil protection and disaster response. COLLARIS will offer a networking platform as part of the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network for information exchange and experimentation with advanced concepts of UAS for disaster response and crisis management. These activities are accompanied by thematic workshops, webinars, and moderated discussions, as well as trials and embedded first responder trainings, aimed at increasing the efficiency of UAS operations by bringing knowledge closer to operational use.
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