AIRBEAM (AIRBorne information for Emergency situation Awareness and Monitoring)

Worldwide natural disasters were responsible for more than one million deaths during the last decade. Many of these deaths occurred not as sudden events but rather in the long aftermath after the natural disaster took place. Authorities have difficulty monitoring and responding effectively to disasters due to the infrastructure damage that they cause and the wide geographic area over which they can occur.

AIRBEAM is a new project to develop capabilities to monitor and support crisis management, including response to natural disasters and human-made environmental disasters. In particular, AIRBEAM will focus on building a multi-platform approach to crisis management by integrating information from Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), balloons, satellites, and other remote sensing platforms. The objectives of the project are three-fold:

· Provide and demonstrate value to end users involved in crisis management
· Provide an integration framework serving security applications to the multiple related initiatives
· Develop the technological bricks and standards allowing for the rapid take up of this multi-platform approach by Member States

The project is funded by the European Commission through the Seventh Framework Program (FP7). It is led by EADS (the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company), makers of Airbus, Eurocopter, and Ariane rockets. The AIRBEAM Consortium includes 22 partners, including some of the largest high-tech companies in Europe, as well as end-user representatives such as national police organizations and, for example, the Emergency Services College in Finland. The project will continue for four years, starting this spring, and will culminate in two live demonstrations to be conducted in Europe.

Laurea University of Applied Sciences is coordinating Work Package 1 of AIRBEAM, which focuses on studying potential concepts of use and end-user requirements. We will work closely with end-user organizations and conduct interviews and panels to better understand the needs of authorities in crisis management. LaureaSID’s SecurityLab will be responsible for these activities.