LINKS - Strengthening links between technologies and society for European disaster resilience
LINKS aims to improve disaster resilience in Europe by strengthening links between technologies and society with a focus on the use of Social Media and Crowdsourcing in disasters.
Description
LINKS ‘Strengthening links between technologies and society for European disaster resilience’ is a project funded by the European Commission under the Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme. The aim of LINKS is to consolidate knowledge on the uses of Social Media and Crowdsourcing (SMCS) for disaster risk management. The results feed into a strategic Framework with useful products for creating more disaster resilient communities.
LINKS sets out to achieve a number of core objectives:
1. Understanding of the uses of smcs in disaster risk management
2. Consolidating that diverse knowledge into a strategic framework
3. Establishing a community to use and further develop the framework within disaster risk management practices
The outputs of the LINKS project feed into the development of the LINKS Framework.The Framework is a knowledge resource for disaster management organizations and other relevant stakeholders, to guide them in application of SMCS in disasters. It consists of different products such as libraries on technologies, guidelines, and use cases for applying SMCS in disaster risk management.
The LINKS Community Center (links.communitycenter.eu) is the online interface for stakeholders to access and contribute to the resources in the LINKS Framework. Through the Community Center, stakeholders can be guided on strategic learning paths based on themes (e.g. engaging volunteers through social media and crowdsourcing) or freely explore the knowledge and resources in the Framework. They may also engage with other multidisciplinary stakeholders to exchange knowledge and experiences as part of the LINKS Community.
The LINKS consortium brings together the wide range of experience and expertise in the areas of disaster management and governance from 15 participating organizations and 2 associated partners across Europe (Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands) and associated (Bosnia & Herzegovina, Japan).
Did the Sendai Framework change or contribute to changes in your activities/organization? If so, how?
LINKS is both guided by and contributes to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.
LINKS particularly contributes to Priority 1, 2 and 4 of the Sendai Framework through its activities to strengthen links between technologies and society for improved European disaster resilience. These activities contribute to understanding disaster risk, strengthening risk governance, and enhancing preparedness.
What led you to make this commitment/initiative?
What was your position before making this Voluntary Commitment / prior to the Sendai Framework?
In recent years, social media and crowdsourcing (SMCS) have been integrated into crisis management for improved information gathering and collaboration across European communities. The effectiveness of SMCS on European disaster resilience, however, remains unclear owing to the diversity among disaster risk perception and vulnerability (DRPV), disaster management processes (DMP) and disaster community technologies (DCT) across Europe today.
Deliverables and Progress report
Deliverables
Deliverables are the end-products of the initiative/commitment, which can include issuance of publications or knowledge products, outcomes of workshops, training programs, videos, links, photographs, etc.
The LINKS Community Center, is an online platform providing user-friendly access to links results and means to exchange knowledge and experiences. You can access the LCC and join our LINKS Community at: https://links.communitycenter.eu/
The LINKS Framework helps disaster management professionals focus on what is important when applying Social Media and Crowdsourcing in disaster management processes. It consists of different products such as libraries on technologies, guidelines, and use cases for applying Social Media and Crowdsourcing in disaster risk management. Ovearll the Framework supports strategic planning for improving Engagement with Citizens and Communication Processes in all phases of disasters in the following key areas:
- Mobilising citizens and volunteers
- Targeting communication
- Ensuring the credibility of information
- Making information accessible to all
- Collecting and analysing information
The Framework can be accessed through the LINKS Community Center at: https://links.communitycenter.eu/index.php/User_Guidance
Disaster management organisations and policy makers continue to deal with several challenges when it comes to inclusive communication through social media with diverse groups, including the most vulnerable and disadvantaged. They face difficulties ensuring that the information they share on digital channels is accessible to all parts of the population, that it is understandable and actionable (meaning that people can take the necessary actions based on the information), and that information and knowledge sharing is multi-directional.
These challenges can be overcome by targeting accessibility issues in all phases of the disaster cycle (i.e. before, during, and after). This policy brief is based on the LINKS outcomes and provides evidence-informed recommendations for more accessible and inclusive uses of social media to improve disaster communication.
This policy brief is based the research and outputs from the LINKS project, and was developed to promote recommendations for targeted communication practices in disaster risk management. Populations in disasters are often assumed to be homogenous. However, targeting communication for different groups of citizens based on their individual needs and capacities allow for efficient disaster risk management. Targeted communication is also important in the context of increased use of digital technologies such as social media and crowdsourcing to manage disasters. In order to be effective, communication should be inclusive and consider specifically vulnerable populations.
In a changing technological landscape to address disasters, and with increasing diversity of stakeholders in disaster risk management, we need to develop new pathways of using social media and crowdsourcing more effectively. Going forward, there is a need to deepen our understanding on the role of SMCS in disasters in various socio-political contexts and the intra-organisational dynamics. Further, there is a need to focus on more people-centred SMCS research; and a strong need to fill the gaps on ethics, privacy and normative issues; and efforts must focus on all aspects of disaster risk management.
This report is based on LINKS findings and addresses:
➜ How are European disaster management organisations applying social media and crowdsourcing in disaster management processes?
➜ What are the limits and potentials of this application associated with institutional resilience?
➜ How can the application of SMCS in disaster management processes be further strengthened?
This document aims to provide decision-makers and stakeholders with relevant, evidence-informed policy recommendations on how to increase the level of resilience to disasters in European communities. Specifically the document focuses on improving engagement and strengthening communication among citizens and authorities in Disaster Risk Management (DRM).
The document is based on the outcomes from 9 Research and Innovation projects as part of the Societal Resilience Cluster, an initiative supported by the Crisis Management Innovation Network Europe. The recommendations in this document are the result of co-production processes involving experts, scientists, practitioners, and decision- makers from over 100 organizations.
Organizations and focal points
Implementing Organization(s)
- Veiligheidsregio Zuid-Limburg
- Sitech Services Of Chemelot
- Safety Innovation Center gGmbH
- Provincia Di Terni - Servizio Protezione Civile
- Link Campus University
- Hovedstadens Beredskab
- German Police University
- European Organization for Security
- Federation of the European Union Fire Officer Associations A.S.B.L.
- Frederiksberg Kommune
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- University College Copenhagen
- Save the Children - Italy
- University of Copenhagen
- University of Florence