The University of Salford’s THINKlab is pleased to announce the launch of the MOBILISE digital platform version 2.0 with a range of new features for supporting disaster risk reduction and response for natural disasters.

MOBILISE 2.0 offers a scalable digital platform with a user-friendly interface, allowing agencies to upload and explore hazard, exposure and vulnerability data in an interactive manner to establish a common understanding of their local risks and implement disaster risk reduction actions. The underlying risk information server runs on an Azure cloud service and the new visual interfaces allow agencies to access risk information remotely via tablets, touch tables, workstations or mobile phones, thus enhancing capabilities for agencies to implement a collaborative approach in disaster risk reduction and response.

MOBILISE 2.0 comes with a VR interface, based on the Unity game engine, in addition to a browser-based interface. This novel VR interface allows the user to visualize 3D city representation as textured point clouds or meshes which are captured from airborne sensing devices such as drones. This development enhances the capability of the MOBILISE platform when itis used during the disaster response phase, as well as the post disaster reconstruction phase. 

The MOBILISE digital application, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), allows disaster management centres to combine vulnerability, exposure and hazards’ information from multiple agencies to create a comprehensive understanding of the risks in their country and to undertake disaster mitigation actions as well as prepare and respond to disasters.   

Ben Monaghan, MOBILISE lead Software Engineer said: “MOBILISE 2.0 has been redesigned with a scalable architecture and reconfigurable user interface allowing the agencies to create a bespoke solution to suit their own disaster risk management practices.  The platform has been implemented using advanced software toolkits to achieve performance and ease of use while enhancing the learnability, efficiency and effectiveness of the overall platform.”

Professor Terrence Fernando, Director of THINKlab said “The THINKlab team has been working tirelessly over the last few months to produce MOBILISE 2.0 which is a state-of-the-art digital platform for conducting disaster risk reduction and response activities. We now plan to make the MOBILISE 2.0 version available to countries other than our current partner countries – Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Malaysia. This will allow us to accelerate the uptake of the MOBILISE platform and create a greater impact around the world in saving lives through intelligence driven based disaster preparedness and response activities.”

The MOBILISE platform is targeted at helping various governments to implement the Sendai Framework Priority 1: ‘Understanding Risks’ and Priority 2: ‘Risk Governance,’ as established by the United Nations.

Led by the THINKlab Director, Professor Terrence Fernando, the digital platform creates an infrastructure which offers intelligence to multiple stakeholders who can work together to help reduce the impact of natural disasters on their local communities. Set up in May 2017, the project is due to be completed in December 2020. For more information visit.

The MOBILISE team visited Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Centre (DMC) and National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) to ensure the smooth handover of the new MOBILISE digital platform for strengthening their disaster risk reduction activities.

This visit to Sri Lanka allowed the MOBILISE team to work with the technical and operational teams within both DMC and NBRO to integrate the MOBILISE platform within their existing technical infrastructure and to demonstrate how the MOBILISE platform can be used to upload exposure data and hazard information to establisha deeper understanding of the local risks and implement risk governance strategies.

The donated MOBILISE platform runs on a high-performance computer and uses a state-of-the-art digital touch table to allow multi-agency teams to work together to explore local risks and implement disaster risk reduction strategies, as well as use as an interactive knowledge base for responding to disasters. The research work and donation of the platform have been possible due to the funding received from the UKRI (EPSRC) and Global Challenges Research Fund in UK.

The platform which supports disaster risk reduction strategies and response will eventually help DMC to reduce the impact of natural disasters (such as flooding and landslides) and is the result of two years of research and development work by the THINKlab at the University of Salford and its partners in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan.

The Principal investigator of the MOBILISE project and the Director of the THINKlab, Professor Terrence Fernando, met with Ms. Anoja Seneviratne, Director for Mitigation Research and Development, Brigadier Athula Ariyarathna, Director of the Emergency Operation Centre from DMC and Dr. Asiri Karunawardene, Director General of NBRO along with several other Directors to demonstrate the MOBILISE platform and provide initial training for the staff.  

Professor Terrence Fernando said: “This is the first step towards bringing digital innovation to the current disaster risk reduction (DRR) and disaster response practices in Sri Lanka. We hope to work closely with the DMC and NBRO team to further enhance the functionality of the MOBILISE platform to ensure the platform is fit for purpose for their DRR and disaster response activities. My hope is that the MOBILISE platform becomes the national platform for DRR and disaster response activities in Sri Lanka and other countries in the region.”

Initiated  in May 2017, the MOBILISE project is due to be completed in December 2020.  However, new funding received from GCRF has now allowed the team to continue this work for another three years.

THINKlab were asked to exhibit at the launching of the Greater Manchester Digital Blueprint, a citywide initiative organised by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) which aims to help the city region’s residents lead healthier and happier lives.

The event set out a refreshed digital strategy blueprint for Greater Manchester for the next three years and included key speakers Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, Elise Wilson, Councillor and Leader of Stockport Council, Lou Cordwell, OBE and CEO of Magnetic North and Sarah Todd, Chief Executive of Trafford Council.

THINKlab showcased their recently launched MOBILISE digital platform and the work they have undertaken with the Environment Agency, namely two resilience based digital platforms which enable multi-agency collaborative working and which are aligned to the Blueprint’s five digital priorities. The digital platforms were presented on high performance equipment which allowed the team to fully engage with delegates and demonstrate how the design of the platforms build city resilience and sustainability with their partners and stakeholders.  

Director of THINKlab, Professor Terrence Fernando, said: “We’re delighted to be involved with this key event for Greater Manchester. Creating sustainable cities requires a stronger collaboration between a range of public and private sector organisations to ensure cities are safer, healthier, and are intelligent and prosperous places for citizens to experience an enhanced quality of life. We have developed a range of novel technology platforms that will allow public and private organisations in a city to utilise the power of their data intelligence to make collective evidence-based decisions to address the challenges faced by cities.

THINKlab have an experienced R&D team who can develop customised technology platforms for bringing city information into a discussion space through advanced visualisation and interaction technologies. The team have further extended the toolset available within these platforms to improve disaster resilience and help tackle the climate change challenges in different parts of the world.”

The University of Salford’s THINKlab Director, Professor Terrence Fernando was recently invited by Sri Lanka’s National Building Research Organisation (NBRO)  to make a keynote speech at their 10th Annual Research Symposium on Equitable Resilience.

The event took place on 17 and 18 December 2019 at the Hotel Galadari in Colombo and was attended by more than 400 delegates who are involved with disaster risk reduction activities across Sri Lanka. Senior dignitaries included Major General Kamal Gunaratne, the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence who was the chief guest, and Trine Jøranli Eskedal, the Ambassador for the Royal Norwegian Embassy who was the guest of honour.

The theme of the symposium was ‘Equitable Resilience’ and Professor Fernando’s keynote speech highlighted the importance of ‘Technology Enhanced Adaptive Governance to Support Equitable Resilience.’ The keynote included findings and recommendations from both the MOBILISE and TRANSCEND projects where Professor Fernando is the Principal Investigator of each project and leads a team of partners in UK, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan. Funded by UKRI (EPSRC, ESRC) and Global Challenges Research Fund, the MOBILISE project focuses on LMIC communities in disaster prone areas who are regularly affected by natural disasters such as flooding, landslides and earthquakes and the TRANSCEND project focuses on risk sensitive urban development and equitable resilience.  

During the symposium, Prof Fernando launched the MOBILISE platform which has been donated to the Disaster Management Centre and NBRO for enhancing the disaster risk reduction and disaster response activities in Sri Lanka.

The two-day event included panel discussions with industry experts and academics who contributed their experiences across the field of disaster reduction. The technical sessions discussed landslide risk reduction and building research which are aligned with the NBRO’s key objectives.

The event was jointly organised by the NRBO, The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), NITTOC Construction, NIPPON KOEI Co, Engineering & Laboratory Services Ltd and the University of Salford as the academic partner.

Further reading: http://www.defence.lk/Article/view_article/778

After intensive research and development work over the last two years, the THINKlab team is now ready to release their first interactive digital platform to disaster management centres in Colombo, Sri Lanka; Sarawak State, Malaysia; and Peshawar, Pakistan.

The donation from the THINKlab is the MOBILISE digital platform which runs on a state-of-the-art multi-touch screen driven by a high-performance computer.  Agencies have the choice of using a web-based interface or a 3D virtual reality interface of the platform to explore and develop their risk reduction strategies. The software created and developed by the XR software engineers, the UX designers and researchers from the THINKlab combines seven main data categories (including built and natural environment, social information, land characteristics, hazards, real-time and remote sensory data) which segment a further 60 data layer and attributes to determine disaster risks.

This digital platform, developed as a part of the MOBILISE project, funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and UK Research and Innovation, will allow the disaster management centres to combine various vulnerable, exposure and hazards’ information from multiple agencies to establish a more holistic understanding of their local risks. In turn, this will enable them to work together to develop disaster risk reduction strategies to reduce the impact of natural disasters on the local communities, infrastructure and economy.   

The Director of the THINKlab, Professor Terrence Fernando stated: “It has been a challenging journey for developing a common approach and vision for our partner countries and bringing digital innovation to their current disaster risk reduction and disaster response activities. This is only a beginning of a long journey to transform current disaster risk reduction activities by various government organisations in middle-income countries. We are fortunate to have committed academic partners and government organisations in our project consortium who have worked with us to progress this far.”

Professor Fernando also added: “The feedback from various disaster management agencies and other government agencies has been extremely positive. We hope to make the MOBILISE platform available to other governments around the world very soon. I hope other research organisations will join us for creating bespoke environments for their local governments.”

Funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the MOBILISE project focuses on LMIC communities in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan who are regularly affected by natural disasters such as flooding, landslides and earthquakes. 

The MOBILISE platform is targeted at helping various governments to implement the Sendai Framework Priority 1: ‘Understanding Risks’ and Priority 2: ‘Risk Governance,’ as established by the United Nations.

Led by the THINKlab Director, Prof Terrence Fernando, the project is developing a digital infrastructure which offers intelligence to multiple stakeholders who can work together to help reduce the impact of natural disasters on their local communities. Set up in May 2017, the project is to be completed in December 2020. For more information about the MOBILISE project.

Members of the UK based MOBILISE Project team are currently visiting Malaysian partners to explore how best to strengthen the impact of the MOBILISE project in various states in Malaysia, especially Sarawak State and Selangor State. 

Funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the MOBILISE Project has been working with its partners to create a digital platform which can be used by agencies to work together to reduce disaster risks and response better.

As part of an extensive visit (which also includes visiting Sri Lanka), Prof Terrence Fernando, Director of THINKlab at the University of Salford, has met with Dr. Khamarrul Azahari Bin Razak and his team at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) based in Kuala Lumpur, and Mr Ahmad Fairuz Mohd Yusof, Director of Selangor Disaster Management Office to discuss how the outcome of the MOBILISE project can be used to strengthen disaster management strategies in Selangor State and in Malaysia in general.

The Selangor Disaster Management Office, the only state-level dedicated office for disaster management works with its 52 technical agencies in the State of Selangor and key government agencies at federal level including National Disaster Management Agency (NADMA), the Fire and Rescue Department, the Royal Malaysian Police and the Malaysian Armed Forces.

Prof Terrence Fernando said “The Universiti Teknologi Malaysia has already joined the MOBILISE project as an Associate Partner and this visit has helped us to discuss how UTM and THINKlab can work together to strengthen the disaster management strategies in Malaysia. We hope to combine the research strengths of Dr. Khamarrul Razak’s team and the THINKlab to create a world class digital infrastructure in supporting disaster risk reduction activities”.

Dr. Khamarrul said “We are excited about the opportunity to work with the MOBILISE project led by the THINKlab and bring technology innovation into disaster risk reduction and response in Malaysia. During our discussions, we identified a range of future research project ideas and we look forward to implementing them through joint research programmes with the THINKlab.”

For more information please visit: THINKlab and MOBILISE

The MOBILISE Project Consortium will organise its second project workshop on “A Collaborative Multi-Agency Platform for Building Resilient Communities” in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on 29 – 31 October 2018. The event is funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

The workshop is being coordinated by Dr Noralfishah Sulaiman at the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia and THINKlab at the University of Salford. Dr Sulaiman is one of the Co-Investigators and is the project lead for the MOBILISE project’s Malaysia activities. Over forty-five government, academic, non-government and business organisations from Malaysia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom, are contributing to the workshop which will be held in English.

The workshop will particularly focus on three specific themes relating to disaster risk governance:

1. Collaborative disaster risk reduction and response governance
2. Building community resilience
3. The use of technology for understanding, monitoring, predicting local disasters’ risk and cascading impacts.

For further details about the event:  http://mobilise.uthm.edu.my

Photo by: Ishan @seefromthesky on Unsplash

MOBILISE builds global partnership against natural disasters

THINKlab’s £1.2M research project MOBILISE is developing digital infrastructure to protect communities from natural disasters in Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Malaysia.

Experts from Salford are working with local agencies to better plan for disasters like floods and earthquakes by exploiting the latest information and communication technologies.

As part of the EPSRC-funded project, the SoBE team have been travelling the globe building partnerships to make the project as effective and sustainable as possible.

Prof Terrance Fernando, Director of THINKlab, recently attended the Director Generals’ Conference in Sri Lanka to agree on an approach to strengthening multi-agency collaboration for disaster risk reduction.

Technology

The two-day roundtable conference involved senior government officials who discussed a collective way for implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030).

The conference welcomed the objectives of MOBILISE to create a collaborative multi-agency platform that can be used for building resilient communities in disaster-prone areas, as well as on joint approaches for risk modelling, assessment, mitigation, preparation and response.

The MOBILISE team were also involved in organising several key workshops at this year’s annual Geomatics & Geospatial Technology Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Professor Fernando and Dr Che Zulkhairi Abdullah presented to government, environmental and educational organisations with Terrance also giving a keynote speech on the MOBILISE project and the wider stakeholder engagements in Malaysia.

A larger Director Generals’ Conference is planned for October in Kuala Lumpur and aims to start a collaborative approach for disaster risk reduction in Malaysia.

MOBILISE is also funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund.

Original article: https://www.salford.ac.uk/news/articles/2018/mobilise-builds-global-partnership-against-natural-disasters

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The MOBILISE project will be involved with organising several key workshops at this year’s annual Geomatics & Geospatial Technology Conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Taking place between 3 & 5 September at The Park Royal Hotel, the three-day event will focus on Geospatial and Risk Management.

Professor Terrence Fernando and Dr Che Zulkhairi Abdullah from the University of Salford’s THINKlab will present a workshop on Disaster Risk and Resilience as part of the opening day. Professor Fernando will also chair two further forums, which include senior panelists from government, environmental and educational organisations.

The second day will see Professor Fernando deliver a keynote speech which overviews the MOBILISE project and the wider stakeholder engagements in Sri Lanka. Dr Abdullah will be part of an invited talk to discuss A Concept for Smart City Systems.

The events which support this year’s conference themes will introduce the MOBILISE project to a wider audience, as well as strengthen and update their current understanding. A larger Director Generals’ Conference is planned for October in Kuala Lumpur and aims to start a collaborative approach for disaster risk reduction in Malaysia.

Read more about the Geomatics & Geospatial Technology Conference agenda.

MOBILISE Director Generals’ Conference in Sri Lanka

THINKlab’s £1.2M research project MOBILISE, which is developing a digital infrastructure that can offer intelligence to a range of agencies to work together to reduce the impact of natural disasters on communities, recently held a high profile Director Generals’ Conference in Sri Lanka.

Funded by the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) and The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, the project focuses on Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Pakistan and is led by Prof Terrence Fernando. The objective of the event was to agree on an approach to strengthening multi-agency collaboration for disaster risk reduction.

The two-day round table conference involved senior government officials who discussed a collective way for implementing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) priority one (Understanding Risks) and priority two (Risk Governance).

Held at the Mount Lavinia Hotel on 20 and 21 June 2018, a variety of presentations and panel sessions focused on the nature of a shared disaster risk platform a collaborative multi- agency platform that can be used for building resilient communities in disaster-prone areas, as well as on joint approaches for risk modelling, assessment, mitigation, preparation and response.

Designed as a team building exercise, the first day welcomed senior officials and project partners. Prof Terrence Fernando summarised the project and discussed the aims and objectives, as well as the challenges faced by the three low-middle-income countries.

Day two opened with a discussion on Understanding Disaster Risks with the aim of defining the nature of a multi-agency shared platform for capturing and establishing a common understanding of disaster risks. Prof Fernando presented ideas for creating such a digital platform to capture risk information (one which can establish a mutual understanding of risks and possible interventions for mitigation).

A presentation on a pilot case study was given (set in Kaduwela, Sri Lanka) followed by a discussion on the best ways to establish and prove the feasibility of a multi-agency shared platform in a chosen location.

The final session, Risk Governance, analysed collaborative risk assessment, mitigation, preparation and response using the shared platform. A business scenario was used to present the challenges, possible solutions and value and also the key stakeholders that could install the platform along with the required KPIs. The presentation concluded by looking at a six-step risk assessment currently used in New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

The successful event culminated with a unanimous agreement regarding the importance of collaboration and a stated willingness to support the MOBILISE team with developing an advanced digital approach for Sri Lankan disaster risk reduction.

The project team is very grateful to everyone who came together and agreed to support the MOBILISE project in the future. A similar activity will take place in Kuala Lumpur in October 2018 to initiate a collaborative approach for disaster risk reduction in Malaysia.

To understand more about the event and read the full summary, click here.