December 2022 was a celebration! The ‘Rescue-Mate’ collaborative project entered the implementation phase.
The design phase started in 2021: Rescue-Mate’s central crisis scenario is a storm surge in the urban area of Hamburg that significantly exceeds the dimensions of 1962. Images of the flooding during the last storm surge season and the heavy rainfall in the Eifel and Ahr valleys in 2021 highlighted the importance of such a research project for future developments.
This extreme crisis scenario convinced the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) of the relevance of the topic and the innovative approach. The project focuses on a comprehensive revision of the information flows from the crisis teams to the emergency services on site and to the citizens. In addition to new approaches to data collection and increasing the resilience of communication infrastructures, innovative visualisation and interaction concepts will be tested.
Also Drones are used to collect the data: Their flights can be used, for example, to ensure that the dyke line is intact and that damaged dykes do not pose a risk to the population in the event of flooding.
The IKS provided support during the application phase. For Martin Semmann, Managing Director of the Hub of Computing and Data Science at the University of Hamburg, ‘Rescue-Mate’ is an example of the excellent cooperation between administration, industry, science and society in the development of innovative ideas and concepts: ‘With this project, we are creating the framework for establishing a clearly visible beacon of civil security. The aim is to ensure that complex hazard situations resulting from extreme weather events can be better managed and that the emergency services receive the best possible support in protecting the population,’ says the scientist. According to Semmann, good networking within the metropolitan region is a decisive factor for the success of such large-scale projects.
In addition to the relevance for the Hamburg location, the aim is to gain important insights for the transfer of the solution to other regions and contexts: A smart city solution that is vital and can have an impact from Hamburg to the world.
The project shows that the smart city of the future cannot be reduced to mobility: For an intelligent infrastructure, other aspects such as safety or the signalling infrastructure must also be included. It is crucial to look at the solutions developed in conjunction with each other: Only if this ‘technology divergence’ works can the city operate safely, adapt to new challenges and thus become more resilient.
Companies such as the Hamburg Port Authority, Landesbetrieb Straßen, Brücken und Gewässer and Absolute Software, as well as cluster organisations such as Hamburg Aviation, are involved in the collaborative project. A total of eleven funded and 14 associated partners are working together in the consortium. This will also benefit Hamburg as a business location and local solution provider. From the smart city to the world.
Duration: 4 years: 1 October 2023 to 30 September 2027
Funding volume: approx. 11 million euros
Funding line: Zivile Sicherheitsforschung SIFO (Civil Security Research SIFO)