The project


MAppERS

  • European Commission, DG-ECHO
  • ECHO/SUB/2013/661013

MAppERS aims at identifying gaps in the information sharing system in terms of territorial knowledge, risk prevention and emergency. Moreover, it deals with human role as ‘territorial mappers’ through the development of a smart phone application that allows the sharing of GPS-localised, precise information on risk situations from the population to civil protection operators.

The whole process of designing, updating feedback from citizens, and involving them in training courses on the monitoring of the territory fulfils a long term objective of creating involvement and participation from the population in hazard management. This is a focal point of a strategy for the active participation of citizens as actors of prevention of hazards, according to the priorities of action set by the Hyogo Framework for disaster risk reduction, reducing costs of recovery and emergency management and promoting a long term policy of responsibilisation of the population.

The pilot activity includes explanations and a training on operative functioning of the modules. The smart phone modules are to be later re-designed according to a methodological and technical feedback gained during the pilot study. Training curricula for citizens that wish to be involved in the monitoring of the territory in the long run are then to be defined so to promote territorial knowledge and awareness, give information and practical skills on smart phone technologies and specific efficient jargon to communicate hazard-relevant information. Furthermore, the system is to be implemented through a strategy of data monitoring including existing data loggers and instruments adopted on pilot study. A user-friendly integration of existing techniques will be implemented on top of a deep new architecture. A synchronized platform would allow both the protection of private data from citizens and the identification of the users in case of misuse of the smartphone information sharing.