SOTERIA – Online and Mobile Communications for Emergencies

The project studies the use of social media in emergencies. The properties and characteristics of social media and mobile technology can be useful in crisis communications and crisis management. New tools and services can help to turn the authorities’ traditional approach to communications, which is based on the one-way dissemination of information, into a two-way dialog between the authorities and citizens. For example, citizens at the scene of an accident or incident can provide the authorities with up-to-date information on the progress of events. However, the procedures of security and rescue authorities do not currently support the active use of social media in crisis communications. The aim of this project is to examine the operating models of different organizations and their possibilities of using social media in their line of work, and draw up recommendations on how social media could be linked to emergency communications.

Timescale: September 2014 – February 2017

Partners: The project coordinator is Tekever (Portugal). The project consortium consists of 17 partners from 10 countries: Finland, Ireland, UK, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Poland, France, Germany, and Turkey. The consortium includes universities, small and medium-sized enterprises, research and technology institutes, as well as end users and experts.

Funding: just over EUR 5 million in total from the EU’s Seventh Framework Program, of which the Police University College’s share is just over EUR 100 000

Contact persons at the Police University College: Project Manager Terhi Kankaanranta. Email addresses: [email protected]