Periodic Reporting for period 3 - LINKS (Strengthening links between technologies and society for european disaster resilience)
Reporting period: 2022-12-01 to 2023-11-30
Social media and crowdsourcing (SMCS) are increasingly being used in disaster risk management for improved information gathering and collaboration across European communities. The effectiveness of SMCS on European disaster resilience, however, remains unclear owing to the social, institutional and technological diversity across Europe. The challenge faced by first responders, public authorities, citizens and other relevant stakeholders, is the absence of collective knowledge for effectively understanding and applying social media and crowdsourcing for improved disaster resilience under diverse conditions.
The overall objective of LINKS is to strengthen links between technologies and society for improved European disaster resilience, by producing sustainable advanced learning on the use of SMCS in disasters. We define sustainable advanced learning as a maintainable and evolving collection of knowledge produced for and by relevant stakeholders.
From this point of departure, LINKS set out to achieve four core objectives:
O1: Produce sustainable advanced learning on SMCS in disasters.
O2: Achieve a consolidated understanding of SMCS in disasters.
O3: Govern the diversity around SMCS in disasters.
O4: Bring multidisciplinary stakeholders together around the uses of SMCS in disasters.
To achieve these objectives, LINKS conducted research involving local partners and participants in five European cases. The cases represent different hazard scenarios (earthquakes, flooding, industrial hazards, terrorism, drought) in four countries (Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands). The research fed into the project’s main outputs:
1) The LINKS Framework consisting of useful products for different stakeholders.
2) The LINKS Community, consisting of multidisciplinary stakeholders, dedicated to improving European disaster resilience through the use of SMCS.
3) The LINKS Community Center, the online interface for stakeholders within the LINKS Community to access and contribute knowledge to the LINKS Framework.
The overall objective of LINKS is to strengthen links between technologies and society for improved European disaster resilience, by producing sustainable advanced learning on the use of SMCS in disasters. We define sustainable advanced learning as a maintainable and evolving collection of knowledge produced for and by relevant stakeholders.
From this point of departure, LINKS set out to achieve four core objectives:
O1: Produce sustainable advanced learning on SMCS in disasters.
O2: Achieve a consolidated understanding of SMCS in disasters.
O3: Govern the diversity around SMCS in disasters.
O4: Bring multidisciplinary stakeholders together around the uses of SMCS in disasters.
To achieve these objectives, LINKS conducted research involving local partners and participants in five European cases. The cases represent different hazard scenarios (earthquakes, flooding, industrial hazards, terrorism, drought) in four countries (Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands). The research fed into the project’s main outputs:
1) The LINKS Framework consisting of useful products for different stakeholders.
2) The LINKS Community, consisting of multidisciplinary stakeholders, dedicated to improving European disaster resilience through the use of SMCS.
3) The LINKS Community Center, the online interface for stakeholders within the LINKS Community to access and contribute knowledge to the LINKS Framework.
Since the start of the project LINKS submitted all foreseen deliverables and completed all milestones.The main achievements included:
• Developing and applying three key knowledge bases and methodologies.
• Developing a comprehensive Ethical and Societal Impact Strategy.
• Developing a Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication Strategy.
• Developing in interactions the LINKS Framework and LINKS Community Center (LCC) together in the Cases and with the LINKS Community.
• Developing 8 key exploitable results (products) in the LINKS Framework:
• LCC
• SMCS Technologies Library
• SMCS Guidelines Library
• SMCS Use Cases Library
• SMCS Crisis Communication Library
• Including Citizens Handbook
• Feel Safe (Educational Toolkit)
• Resilience Wheel
The full products descriptions can be found at https://links-project.eu/results/ and https://links.communitycenter.eu/. The Framework products have been assessed, improved, and implemented in the cases, as well as in the broader EU community. The LINKS Community Center (LCC) have been used to facilitate this process. A comprehensive plan for the exploitation of the Framework has been established in this period with the assistance from the EU Horizon Booster service. Overall LINKS worked with and built a strong community of 500+ interested stakeholders in the project results, through workshops and various activities/events with externals communities such as the SRC cluster and CERIS.
• Developing and applying three key knowledge bases and methodologies.
• Developing a comprehensive Ethical and Societal Impact Strategy.
• Developing a Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication Strategy.
• Developing in interactions the LINKS Framework and LINKS Community Center (LCC) together in the Cases and with the LINKS Community.
• Developing 8 key exploitable results (products) in the LINKS Framework:
• LCC
• SMCS Technologies Library
• SMCS Guidelines Library
• SMCS Use Cases Library
• SMCS Crisis Communication Library
• Including Citizens Handbook
• Feel Safe (Educational Toolkit)
• Resilience Wheel
The full products descriptions can be found at https://links-project.eu/results/ and https://links.communitycenter.eu/. The Framework products have been assessed, improved, and implemented in the cases, as well as in the broader EU community. The LINKS Community Center (LCC) have been used to facilitate this process. A comprehensive plan for the exploitation of the Framework has been established in this period with the assistance from the EU Horizon Booster service. Overall LINKS worked with and built a strong community of 500+ interested stakeholders in the project results, through workshops and various activities/events with externals communities such as the SRC cluster and CERIS.
SMCS strategies and technologies, when taking into account diversity among European communities, can provide a window of opportunity to govern disasters more efficiently and inclusively. However, the LINKS results suggest that there are massive differences in terms of accessibility, connectivity and mobility to digital spaces within all phases of disaster risk management (DRM). This is further complicated by disinformation and misinformation. Moreover we find that at there is a strong interest by DMOs for engaging with SMCS in disaster management processes, but a general lack of:
• Good/best practices and procedures among institutions in Europe, on how to use SMCS in efficient ways.
• Relevant and easy-to-use guidelines on implementing SMCS in disaster management processes.
• Understanding of the potentials, and guidance on how to include citizens in disaster management processes.
• A comprehensive and understandable overview of existing solutions/technologies.
Taking these results into account, LINKS has worked to create a LINKS Framework which supports capacity development of DMOs and other relevant actors including businesses, decision makers, citizens and researchers, for the use of SMCS in DRM. The Framework is accessible to all stakeholders through the online LINKS Community Center. It plays a critical role in combining knowledge, experience, and good practices into tangible products for applying SMCS in DRM, and thereby contributes to strengthening resilience at local levels. LINKS maintains a grounded approach to the activities and results in the project, developing strong relationships with the practitioners and other stakeholders involved in our work. By strengthening connections and collaborations among partners and external stakeholders we ensure that the projects impacts are maximised through its end users.
• Good/best practices and procedures among institutions in Europe, on how to use SMCS in efficient ways.
• Relevant and easy-to-use guidelines on implementing SMCS in disaster management processes.
• Understanding of the potentials, and guidance on how to include citizens in disaster management processes.
• A comprehensive and understandable overview of existing solutions/technologies.
Taking these results into account, LINKS has worked to create a LINKS Framework which supports capacity development of DMOs and other relevant actors including businesses, decision makers, citizens and researchers, for the use of SMCS in DRM. The Framework is accessible to all stakeholders through the online LINKS Community Center. It plays a critical role in combining knowledge, experience, and good practices into tangible products for applying SMCS in DRM, and thereby contributes to strengthening resilience at local levels. LINKS maintains a grounded approach to the activities and results in the project, developing strong relationships with the practitioners and other stakeholders involved in our work. By strengthening connections and collaborations among partners and external stakeholders we ensure that the projects impacts are maximised through its end users.