ADAMO

The major challenge of a disaster management architecture is to provide all authorities and emergency services involved in the calamity with succinct and accurate and synchronised real-time information. The aim of the ADAMO project is to address this challenge and to provide multi-disciplinary end-to-end bi-directional communication and information to all members of the intervention-chain, from the disaster area up to the crisis-center/back-office.

To improve on-site communication capabilities, the ADAMO architecture aims at allowing the intervention teams to dynamically deploy an ad-hoc wireless network within the disaster building supporting voice, video and data communication (ex. sensor-based data such as oxygen, gas, temperature, ...) to the local Commanding Officer. ADAMO will study how such an ad-hoc wireless network can be made robust and redundant, securely supporting intervention teams of different disciplines within the same are. The ADAMO architecture will research how this ad-hoc wireless network can be securely connected and extended into a larger outdoor on-site wireless network based upon technologies such as WIMAX or WIFI Mesh. The ADAMO architecture will investigate integration of this environment with the ASTRID TETRA network used by emergency services.

On the crisis-center side, ADAMO will introduce a new crisis-management software, handling crisis management in a procedural and multidisciplinary way, serving as a secure, as-needed and selective data relay system between multiple disaster management discipline. Integration formats and methods will be defined for graphical and electronic intervention plans. ADAMO will research the usage of large table-size collaborative touch-screen user-interfaces supporting all members of the crisis-center in providing real-time, personalized information with the ability of simple 'drag and drop' sharing of information between the different disaster teams around the interaction 'table'.

A final element of the ADAMO project will be the analysis and research of the business models and the go-to-market strategy of the end-to-end disaster management architecture in multiple segments of the public sector market.

The consortium brings together the global leader for networking for the internet (Cisco Systems, Inc.), a leading European integrator (Telindus), an SME that develops software for crisis management (AbiWare), an SME that provides life & fire safety consultancy and engineering services (FPC), an SME that develops software for risk analysis and management (Riskmatrix), the operator of the TETRA network for Public Safety and Security services in Belgium (ASTRID) and a leader in medical and safety solutions (Draeger). From the IBBT side, UGent-IBCN and UA-PATS will bring in their expertise on wireless and ad-hoc networks, while UHasselt-EDM will be responsible for the user interface. Finally KU Leuven-ICRI will take care of all legal aspects.

Leaflet: Dutch, English