Newsletter February 2023
Welcome back to our three-monthly newsletter Issue 7 in the new year 2023.
After the successful Ankara workshop at the end of November (and the beginning of December), we continued to our technical work even there is the Christmas holiday. All of the work in progress and achievements in the workpackages are summarized in the corresponding blogs published at https://teamaware.eu/news-events/blogs.html
In the meantime, in this period we had promising dissemination achievements.
December 2022, TeamAware Ankara Workshop
In December, Ankara played host to the full TeamAware consortium for an impressive technical demonstration of its six responder technologies.
The event was attended by nearly 100 individuals over the course of a week, all of whom were eager to see the latest advances in the focus technologies:
- Visual Scene Analysis Systems
- Infrastructure Monitoring Systems
- Chemical Detection Systems
- Acoustic Detection Systems
- Team Monitoring Systems and
- Citizen Involvement and City Integration Systems
For those who are unfamiliar, responder technologies refer to the tools and equipment used by first responders to assist in emergency situations. This can include everything from communication devices to search and rescue equipment, and much more.
At the demonstration, attendees were treated to a wide range of these technologies and innovations. There were demonstrations of new communication systems that allow emergency responders to stay connected even in the most challenging of environments. There were also displays of new search and rescue tools that can help first responders locate and rescue victims more quickly and efficiently.
Perhaps most impressive, however, were the demonstrations of new drone technologies that can be used in emergency situations. Drones can be equipped with a range of sensors and cameras that allow them to provide a birds-eye view of the situation on the ground. This can be incredibly helpful in situations where access is limited, such as in the aftermath of a natural disaster such as we’ve just seen following the Earthquakes in Turkey and Syria.
In addition to the impressive technology on display, attendees were also able to participate in workshops and training sessions. For many attendees, this was an invaluable opportunity to learn new skills and techniques that they could bring back to their own organizations.
A further event is now planned whereby all of the technologies will be demonstrated as part of an integrated information and command system.
Overall, the technical demonstration of responder technologies was felt to be a huge success. Attendees were able to see firsthand the incredible advancements being made in this field, and many left feeling inspired and motivated to continue pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Director of the Resilience Advisors, Jon Hall (organizers of the demonstrations) said “It’s events like these that help to ensure that our first responders have access to the very best tools and technologies, and that they are able to respond quickly and effectively in even the most challenging of situations. The research community has much to add to innovation in this area.”
December 2022, Our project was on local media
December 2022, TeamAware is on local newspaper Hurriyet which has the highest circulation in Turkey
February 2023, COILS Demonstration to Czech Republic Firefighters, Police, and Army
Our partner DUNE demonstrated its COILS system to servicemen and officers of the Czech Republic Firefighters, Police, and Army on February 16th 2023 at the training facility of the Prague department of the firefighters. There were participants from SMEs and other organisations such as Microsoft, Sovereign Systems, Hypa. There were mainly three demonstrations:
Test 1 (Figure 1): two operators from the cooperating Companies, already acquainted with the COILS system and the Sovereign radio-modem: approx. 15 minutes, 225 meters, with altitude variations and underground tunnels.
Test 2 (Figure 2, Figure 3): two operators from the firefighters, not acquainted with COILS and the communication system. Approx. 22 minutes, 500 meters, two altitude levels, tunnels and indoor-outdoor mixed path.
Test 3 (Figure 4): one single firefighter, equipped with two COILS systems (one for each foot), not acquainted with COILS and the communication system. Approx. 8 minutes, 230 meters, two altitude levels and tunnels. Note: large holes in the communication, but the two paths are quite complete.
The demonstrations were quite successful and there were positive outcome from all the tests; more specifically:
- resilience of the communication system, also in the presence of communication holes
- results independent of the degree of familiarity with the system
the first responders attending the demonstration have shown vivid interest in the COILS system and its performance.
We will continue to update you on our exciting development activities, so look out for more information about how TeamAware is progressing in future issues of our Newsletter!
