SIRIOS – Projects

The objective is to develop a system to virtually model structural and infrastructural vulnerability and functional impairments of a city district in a heavy rainfall scenario and to make damage predictions based on this. This ranges from flooding of streets that can no longer be accessed by rescue units, to critical conditions in buildings that require immediate evacuation, to the failure of communication and supply networks (Internet, telecommunications, electricity, gas, water). This project investigates for example the propagation speed of the disturbances and cascading effects, but also measures for uninterrupted power supply by means of emergency power systems and new warning methods for short-term interaction with the population. The result will be a demonstrator that will be made available to rescue forces and commanders, for example in the context of training courses, as well as to authorities and organizations for safety and security and operators of critical infrastructure for decision support or as a moderation tool in the field of urban planning.

The objective is to develop a platform to improve the protection and response capabilities of responders, helpers and the population in extreme weather situations. The system supports mission command in time-critical operational/tactical decisions with real-time data, simulations and visualizations of the situation, and intelligent decision support algorithms. The effect of options for action and measures can thus be analyzed and evaluated in advance. In addition, the platform will also offer functions for strategic analyses (ex-ante) and training. The range of functions thus far surpasses the command & control systems used in emergency response to date, especially through the integration of simulations, which have so far only been available to experts (mostly offline). The platform's open interfaces also enable the quick integration of new models, algorithms and sensors. In addition, the components and systems can be adapted in the future for other nature-related or man-made safety scenarios (e.g., power outages due to technical failure or cyberattacks, forest fires, large-scale events).

The objective is to develop a system for mission planning and decision support in the preparation, prevention and protection of safety-critical situations such as large-scale events. Operational commanders can use it to design and optimize physical protection measures in virtual space, for example by juxtaposing mobile or stationary access protection barriers with possible escape and rescue routes or simulating impacts with cars in the event of terrorist attacks on the basis of three-dimensional models of the scene. Integrated tools support the planning and commenting of the virtual missions and thus enable preparatory measures as well as debriefings and downstream analyses. A networked multi-user virtual reality environment provides all participants in the simulation with a common, digital, three-dimensional picture of the situation, without them having to be in this environment in real life or even at the same location. In addition, information that is invisible in the real world can be visualized in the situation image, for example, the coverage area of surveillance cameras or the location of utility lines underground. The developed demonstrator and the simulation results (e.g. from panic scenarios, crisis situations, physical protection measures) are available to crowd managers as well as authorities and organizations for safety and security for situational awareness, training purposes and hazard analyses.

The objective is to develop a system for virtually planning and evaluating security concepts for large-scale events, especially with regard to the capability of the organizers and responsible authorities. The project focuses on the planning of means of communication, the testing and optimization of communication strategies in critical situations as well as the training of employees. For this purpose, the system uses agent-based simulations with which visitor flows and their reaction to an incident can be simulated and analyzed. This is based on a model of behavioral parameters and available tools for warning (e.g. in terms of audibility and visibility), which is used to assess the number of people and their individual actions after the incident has occurred. In order to get a better overview of the situation, the simulation is presented not only in 2D but also in virtual 3D space and supported by intelligent image and video evaluation, situation visualization and analysis. The researched tools for warning and the behavioral models defined are transferable to other scenarios, such as critical situations in airports, train stations, or hospitals.