Protection and rescue

The complete system of protection against natural and other disasters is founded on four areas of operation, which are closely interconnected:

1. Planning: in the process of planning, the degree of threat is assessed, scenarios are made and measures are planned. Planning is professionally demanding work and is done by specialised institutions, usually faculties and institutes. All the data needed for the assessment of threat and for possible scenarios of the development of the situation are space-related. Measure plans must be spatially defined, too, and only the use of relevant technology and the method of presentation guarantee their effective implementation.
   
2. Prevention: threat assessments provide the basis for prevention measures. Measures are implemented through spatial plans, the system of permitting of activities affecting the physical environment, and the construction and maintenance of protective facilities. It is the responsible ministry or municipality that usually plays the most important role in carrying out preventive measures. In spatial planning and permitting of activities affecting the physical environment, it is crucial that the institutions performing spatial planning have the necessary threat data at their disposal, on the basis of which they can make guidelines for the preparation of spatial planning documents and issue consents for construction. When building protective facilities, it is also important that they are built in the right place and time.
   
3. Action: we act in the case of disaster. It is vital that the protection and rescue forces come to the scene in time. The protection and rescue forces are mobilised by notification centres, which are a part of the national-security system and are the central information junction in the case of disaster. They obtain information on the time, place and kind of disaster, mobilise the protection and rescue forces, offer them information and logistic support to the place of the disaster and during the rescue operation itself. Notification centres also gather data on the measures taken and prepare first reports on the damage. In case of action, they act according to algorithms, which are prepared in advance and contain the data on the kind of unit which should be mobilised regarding the location, kind and extent of the disaster. The run of the location is determined by the best route on the basis of the spatial data.
   
4. Disaster relief: in disaster relief, the standard of success is the correct allocation of means. It is important that the means go to those who really need them and to the extent that they need. Disaster relief is the responsibility of the Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning. The institution licensed for the distribution of help must have relevant data on where the damage has been done and what its extent has been. Accordingly, it must be capable of efficiently coordinating the distribution of means and controlling their use.

Institutions responsible for the protection and rescue system are various state institutions, rescue and protection forces, and the army. Each of them uses different information and communication solutions. The key linking element between the systems is the exchanged data. The majority of these data have a spatial component.

OUR WAY OF WORK

Since protection and rescue are vitally linked with space and spatial data, IGEA operates in all four parts of the system. In the area of planning, we cooperate with experts and help them in the preparation of results, so that they can be used also in other parts of the protection and rescue system. In the area of prevention, we help in the preparation of strategies for the protection against natural and other disasters and in their integration into development plans. In the area of action, we offer consulting and operational support in the preparation of the data related to the areas of operation of protection and rescue units, in the digitalisation of action algorithms, in the development of systems for displaying caller location, in the integration of notification-centre applications into a unified system for supporting of decision-making, and in the development of the disaster reporting system. In the area of disaster relief, we offer consulting and operational support in the setup of information systems for post-disaster recovery management. We capture and process data on the damage and help managing the disaster relief and financial resources distribution. Thanks to experience in disaster relief after earthquakes, droughts and other major natural disasters, we help our clients to set up such a disaster relief system that will function faster and more effectively in the case of another disaster.

OUR SERVICES

Drawing on extensive experience, IGEA operates in all four areas of the protection and rescue system. Our services comprise:

• consulting in setting up the comprehensive protection and rescue systems (including the integration of existent information systems, data acquisition, ICT, etc.),
• engineering and acquisition of financial resources,
• development of turnkey software solutions (planning, implementation, testing, training, maintenance),
• support in data capturing and processing,
• assistance in setting up a project and project office,
• information support for the project office,
• consulting in the preparation of strategies and conceptualisations of prevention,
• etc.