Rescue operations in both small-scale emergencies and major natural or man-made disasters are undoubtedly more dangerous than in the past and the needs of First Responder teams have increased. The INGENIOUS project, funded by the European Union and the Republic of Korea under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Program, aims to assist First Responders to be more effective and save more lives during natural and manmade disasters and crises by exploiting novel technologies.
EXUS AI Labs, the R&D department of the INGENIOUS partner, EXUS, focuses on designing and developing robust and trustworthy AI solutions that allow us to leverage the untapped potential of big data analytics across multiple verticals. We impact the technological future by developing techniques to capture, process, analyse and visualise large datasets in timeframes not accessible to standard IT technologies.
Our partners in I.S.A.R. Germany are currently supporting the joint RKI/EMT/GOARN mission deployed by the Centre for International Health Protection (ZIG) at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) to bolster the effort of the Republic of Kosovo to respond to COVID-19 pandemic. The 2-week mission is organized by the RKI in close co-operation with WHO and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) and will end on the 3rd of October.
One of the main INGENIOUS objectives is to enhance data collection and processing during an emergency operation and to enhance information dissemination to FRs at all levels of command. In this context INGENIOUS partners are working on the:
The design and prototyping of several smart flying and ground devices have been performed in the first year of Ingenious. One of the INGENIOUS main aims is to provide first responders with new instruments to enable improved scene perception, indoor/outdoor mapping, accurate self-localization in indoor environments, as well as data communication with other devices. For this purpose INGENIOUS partners from SINTEF, FOI and DLR are developing three drones (MIN, MAX and MACS) and a self-localization tool (IPS). All these devices are connected with the field communication system.
The “smart” first responders concept is one of the key pillars of the INGENIOUS technical offering as part of its cost-effective, modular, and highly reliable Next Generation Integrated Toolkit (NGIT) for collaborative response, at the service of the first responders, enhancing their protection and augmenting their operational capacities.
SBFF is one of the three largest fire and rescue brigades in Sweden. We cover 10 municipalities with 650.000 inhabitants in the southern parts of Stockholm County. With roughly 500 staff members, we have a large capacity, ranging from volunteer stations to specialized National Search and Rescue Units.
The 2nd Official End-User Workshop of the project was held at our SBFF partners’ premises in Stockholm, Sweden, from 28 to 29 January 2020. During the workshop, well-needed discussions were held and working groups were formed to record user requirements. The need to physically meeting and working in small groups formed by technical partners responsible for a specific tool and FRs involved in the testing of that tool was crucial for the project’s progress.
The INGENIOUS Project inaugurated on 18th-20th of September through the Kick-off Meeting of its consortium on the beautiful Porto Heli in Greece. During the Kick-off Meeting, the different task areas and roles of contributing partners were presented.
