The interdisciplinary research project "Rescue-Mate" aims to prepare Hamburg for the coming challenges posed by extreme weather events and give implications for densely populated regions. The federally funded project was initiated by Prof. Dr. Mathias Fischer from the Department of Computer Science and Dr. Martin Semmann, House of Computing and Data Science, and is being carried out under their leadership at the University of Hamburg and ten more partners, as well as more than 15 associated partners.
Storm surges are expected to increase in frequency and intensity in Hamburg. This includes the consideration of rising sea levels, the increase in local extreme winds and the effects of continuous rain or heavy rain events on the dike-protected areas. The recent storm surges on the North Sea and Baltic Sea in particular have shown the dramatic impact such events can have on the affected regions.
In order to be able to effectively counter these developments in the future, it is crucial for Hamburg to react to the changing conditions at an early stage and to further develop existing concepts and measures with the involvement of civil security research. This applies in particular to the areas of warning the population and official deployment management.
More efficient and faster response in an emergency
The Ministry of the Interior and Sport, together with the University of Hamburg and numerous other universities and partners, has therefore launched a new project entitled "Dynamic Situation Generation and Support for Rescue Forces in Complex Crisis Situations (RESCUE-MATE)". The project, led by the Ministry of the Interior, is set to run for the next four years and is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research with almost nine million euros as part of civil security research.
RESCUE-MATE focuses on the scenario of a particularly severe storm surge in Hamburg, which requires extensive evacuations and closures in the areas close to the Elbe and in which numerous players have to work together in a networked and coordinated manner to manage the situation and protect the population. One of the aims of the project is to achieve the coordinated and interdisciplinary management of such catastrophic events more efficiently, faster and better and thus to increase the level of protection for the management of disasters and major emergencies together with the Hamburg Fire Brigade and Hamburg Police.
Technical solutions for coordinating aid
The project was initiated by Prof. Dr. Mathias Fischer and Dr. Martin Semmann from the University of Hamburg and will be implemented under the leadership of the University of Hamburg. In particular, it aims to automate, accelerate and enrich the flow of information between authorities, rescue workers and aid organizations. To this end, technical solutions are being developed to enable the security authorities and the numerous organizations involved in the Hanseatic city to provide rapid assistance to citizens in distress.
The other aims of this project are to provide targeted hazard warnings in the event of an emergency and to transmit recommendations for action to the population, for example by means of evacuation instructions via apps. During the various project phases, information events are planned at which citizens will be given the opportunity to gain a realistic view of the conditions in the event of a flood situation using virtual reality.
Further information can be found on the project website.
