News

28-29/06, 2022 – Participation at the 7th European Civil Protection Forum in Brussels

The ARTION project was represented at the 7th European Civil Protection Forum in Brussels by the technical coordinator of the project, Prof. Panayiotis Kolios.

The forum, which was the first organized after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, gathered representatives from the civil protection and disaster management communities such as governments, local, national and regional civil protection authorities, first responders, EU institutions, the scientific community and the private sector as well as other relevant stakeholders wishing to provide their input to this discussion.

The participation in the event has given us the opportunity to discuss in-person, exchange ideas with and receive feedback from stakeholders across Europe.

27/06/2022 – Use of the ARTION web-platform and mobile-app in a field exercise in Sardinia

A search-and-rescue operation took place in the island of Sardinia, Italy, organized and conducted by the Directorate-General of Civil Protection for Sardinia Region (RAS). KIOS UCY participated in the exercise with two members who traveled to Sardinia in order to support with the usage of the ARTION web platform and mobile app (for testing purposes).

The exercise simulated the search and rescue of a missing person at the Serucci mine site, in Gonnesa. On the field there were 5 teams, each consisting of 2 to 3 members equipped with smartphones running the mobile app. The web platform at the on-site emergency command and control center was accessed and utilized by the KIOS UCY researchers.

Overall, the testing of the tools was successful and the feedback received from the first responders who used the mobile app was positive.

During the briefing following the exercise, the end-users (RAS personnel and volunteers) suggested modifications to improve the tools not only with respect to search-and-rescue operations, but on expanding its usability in other types of emergencies, such as fires.

22/05/2022 – Testing of the ARTION web-platform and mobile-app in a field exercise in Cyprus

A search-and-rescue operation was organized by the Cyprus Civil Defense (CCD) in Paphos, Cyprus, in order to test the ARTION web-platform and mobile-app – two tools that are used together during emergency response operations.

The tools are developed by KIOS UCY; the web-platform is running on a laptop (or any PC) and is accessed by users at the command and control center (or anywhere else). The mobile app is running on the mobile phones of the first responders that operate in the field. The basic functionalities of the tools include: continuous tracking of the first responders (i.e., of the mobile app users) and bidirectional communication between the first responders and the command and control center and between first responders in the same team. The communication is currently possible in the form of text messages, photos, sharing of points and routes of interest that are drawn on the map by the user.

Currently, an AI algorithm for persons and object recognition is integrated in the platform and runs on all photos that are captured by first responders and sent to the command and control center.

In the future, we envision to develop additional AI algorithms that will be integrated in the platform with the aim to turn the platform into an AI-powered decision support tool.

Overall, the testing of the tools was successful and the feedback received from CCD was positive.

16/03/2022 – Participation at AI for Good Webinar on Artificial Intelligence for Natural Disaster Management

On behalf of KIOS UCY, Dr. Maria Michalopoulou presented at the series of AI for Good webinars organized by ITU. In particular, we had the pleasure to present at the webinar on Artificial Intelligence for Natural Disaster Management, in the session: “AI for communications” which aimed to showcase how AI can support effective communication for natural-hazard emergencies.

The agenda of the webinar, which featured several interesting talks, can be found here. The webinar is available to watch here.

22/02 and 01/03, 2022 – 2-day workshop on AI for disaster management (online event)

In the framework of ARTION we organize the first international training workshop that will be held online. It is a 2-day event. The first meeting will provide an opportunity to learn about three examples of operational use of technology based on AI, both by Polish and foreign entities. The event will also include time for a panel discussion and to ask questions of the experts. The workshop, which is the second meeting, provides a concise training that introduces the world of operational use of AI tools and algorithms. Their thematic scope has been selected taking into account the needs of the rescue and civil protection sector. They will also be concluded with a short presentation of a method for testing such tools.

The workshop will be held virtually on the following dates:

  • Seminar event, 22nd February 2022, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM CET
  • Training session, 1st March 2022, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM CET

The webinar will be held in English via the Webex platform. The registration for the event is possible via the CMINE platform (account is not required).

07/12/2021- Prof. Marios Polycarpou at the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network Day

The coordinator of ARTION, Prof. Marios Polycarpou, participated in the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network Day. Prof. Polycarpou joined fellow experts in civil protection and disaster management in a panel discussion about how science can support prevention, preparedness and resilience in a changing risk landscape.

The Knowledge Network Day aimed at introducing the Knowledge Network – a recent EU flagship initiative in civil protection and disaster management – and highlight its vision, mission, activities and contribution to more effective disaster management in the EU.

18/11/2021- Presentation of ARTION at the seminar of the DRMKC

The technical coordinator of the project, Professor Panayiotis Kolios, has presented ARTION at the 5th annual seminar of the Disaster Risk Management Knowledge Centre (DRMKC) of the European Commission. The presentation covered the objectives of the project, the ongoing activities and samples of our scientific work. The presentation was held during the second day of the seminar, which is available in its entirety here (as on-demand videos).

09/11/2021- Third Online Consortium Meeting

The 3rd Consortium meeting for ARTION took place on the 9th of November 2021 online (due to pandemic restrictions). The main purpose of this half-term consortium meeting was to discuss the progress of the project and identify the project elements in which the consortium believes we should increase our efforts in the following months.

11/2021- National Training for First Responders in Poland and Cyprus

The first two trainings within the framework of the project have been taken place with very positive feedback. The first was organized and held online on the 26th of October by CBK PAN whereas the second was organized by KIOS and held physically on the 2nd of November at the University of Cyprus. Both trainings were addressed for first responders and gathered 20 to 30 participants from various national first responder organizations. The aim of the trainings was to demonstrate the potential benefits and use of AI technologies and tools in disaster management.

The material from the Cyprus training is in English and can be found here.

18/05/2021- Second Online Consortium Meeting

The 2nd Consortium meeting for ARTION took place on the 18th of May online (due to pandemic restrictions). The main purpose of the meeting was to present and discuss the completed and on-going actions related to the project. Also, future steps were discussed with focus on the preparation of the next project deliverables.

11/04/2021- Field Exercise executed in Cyprus

The second field exercise for collecting realistic datasets is organized by the Cyprus Civil Defense (CCD) in the abandoned village of Vretsia in Paphos district, Cyprus. The scenario was search-and-rescue; After a tornado, seven campers who were in the village at the time of the tornado are reported as missing. Some of them are injured. Rescue teams were organized and searched the area with a dog and drones. The KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence has collected videos using drones and GPS traces captured by a mobile app (running on mobile phones)

21/02/2021- Field Exercise executed in Cyprus

The first field exercise is executed in the framework of the ARTION project for the purpose of collecting realistic data from disaster management operations. The Cyprus Civil Defense (CCD) organized a field exercise on the shore of an artificial lake in Achna, Cyprus in order to simulate a flood disaster management scenario. The operations included: water pumping, establishment and operation of an emergency operation center and first aid station, and search and rescue of three missing persons. The KIOS Research and Innovation Center of Excellence has collected videos using drones and GPS traces captured by a mobile app (running on mobile phones)

03/02/2021- First Online Consortium Meeting

The 1st Consortium meeting for ARTION took place on the 3rd of February online (due to pandemic restrictions). The main purpose of the meeting was the presentation and discussion of the action plans for all the work packages of the project. Each work package leader presented an initial plan, followed by a constructive discussion among the participants.

11/01/2021- Online Kickoff Meeting

The ARTION kickoff meeting took place on the 11th of January as an online teleconferences due to the restrictions (including flight restrictions and EU wide country lockdowns. During the meeting the project overview and objectives have been reviewed, the partners roles and planned actions have been discussed and next steps have been defined.