I527-290 ESRIF Final Report (WEB).indd - European Commission

1.2.1.4 Research needs
Research is needed for:
Development of know how required for building up of needed capabilities
Designing of systemic improvements for the well balanced functioning of a secure society
In table 1 the research needs for a secure society are specifi ed.
TOPIC RESEARCH NEEDS
CAPABILITIES
MOBILISATION
OF CITIZENS FOR
ENHANCEMENT OF
SOCIETAL SECURITY
WITH RESPECT TO
INCIDENTS
PROTECTION OF SOFT
TARGETS
RESILIENCE OF SOCIETY
FOR CALAMITIES
Behavioural analysis (collective and individual) for risk perception / emergency, information /
warning methodologies (incl. minorities), Organisation Governance / Decision making, human
behaviour in stress situation, education of population to security issues.
Mobilizing the citizens to behave in an appropriate way for reducing their own risks and - if
necessary - contributing to the emergency response, including caring for minorities and
weaker individuals. The availability of reliable messages clearly indicating what has to be
done is essential.
On the other hand, during a crisis situation, the people in the crisis area stand for a gigantic
reservoir of information, but the challenge is to eff ectively exploit this reservoir.
New possibilities for communication via mobile devices can be seen as the nucleus for new
ways of crowd sourcing.
Eff ective communication in two directions require a systematic approach to meet the real
information needs without overloading the human capacities; a netcentric information
infrastructure with user specifi c modules and interfaces has to be developed; training and
education of public bodies, fi rst responders and citizens is required for eff ectiveness.
How people have to react in the event of a CBRNE incident or terrorist attack is an option for
a scenario to be considered.
Models for fi eld cooperation around specifi c targets concerning systematic risk assessment
and review of security measures. Development of the desired security awareness is an
important aspect.
Methods and infrastructure for Information sharing; this comprises providing the public with
updates/ alerts/ warnings, private reporting about noticed unusual /suspicious activities.
Major events can be valuable as laboratories to implement and test specifi c security measures,
as well as to elaborate best practices that are also transferable as routine protective measures
for fi xed targets.
Modelling and simulation of residential areas and built infrastructure for better coping with
diff erent virtual scenarios for calamities of a signifi cant size. Moreover, the composing of
adequate sets of measures for appropriate levels of security requires the use of these types
of instruments for evaluation purposes.
After a natural or industrial catastrophe, urban acts of violence or a terrorist attack, cities
may recover economically and can be rebuilt. At the same time the recovery of the victims
requires more attention, because the usual short-term psychological support on a large scale
is not suffi cient. Development of longer-term support for the victims of such events
is necessary. An option to be studied is the creation of an internationally recognized victim
status which should provide them with legal, social, and short- and long-term psychological
support to help them recover from the events.
53