Safety and security

Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft

© Fraunhofer/Bernd Liebl

Saving lives with disaster and crisis management

Extreme weather, major accidents, forest fires, terrorist attacks – in the event of a disaster the rescue services need reliable information. Intelligent analysis and information systems help rescue personnel to do their job. In modern situation centers, equipped with video walls or monitors, all the information they need is made available at a glance.

Projects

  • An accurate way of predicting landslides

    A landslide can seriously injure or even kill people. Now, a new early warning system will be the fi rst to employ geological data in tandem with the latest weather forecasts to provide a concrete warning in emergency situations.

  • Robot reconnoiters uncharted terrain

    Link: Download Picture

    Mobile robots have many uses. They serve as cleaners, carry out inspections and search for survivors of disasters. But often, there is no map to guide them through unknown territory. Researchers have now developed a mobile robot that can roam uncharted terrain and simultaneously map it – all thanks to an algorithm toolbox.

  • Simulating firefighting operations on a PC

    Link: Download Picture

    Firefighters often put their lives at risk during operations, so it is essential they have reliable tools to help them do their job. Now, a modular simulation kit is set to help develop new information and communication technologies – and ensure they are tailored to firefighters’ needs from the outset.

  • KATWARN – Catastrophe Warning for Every Eventuality

    KATWARN

    People can only be protected from dangerous situations, extreme weather and forest fires if they are alerted at the right time at the right place. Using separate warning systems for each of those catastrophe cases and each situation is too expensive. KATWARN is aimed at creating affordable and comprehensive warning systems.

    • more infoKATWARN

  • MobiKat technology from Fraunhofer enhances safety at the Women’s Soccer World Cup in Dresden

    Glücksgas-Stadion Dresden

    Research scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Transportation and Infrastructure Systems IVI in Dresden have developed an emergency management and planning system which is being used at the Women’s Soccer World Cup in Dresden. The MobiKat (German acronym for mobile information, command and tactical) technology uses modern scientific methods to combine the practical knowledge of the fire, disaster protection and rescue services on site and ensures the safety of spectators and players.

  • Preparing for the unexpected

    Intuitives Arbeiten an der Videowand im SmartControlRoom.

    How can you plan for an emergency the nature of which you don’t know? Several Fraunhofer institutes are working on strategies and technologies that would help to predict and improve the response to crises.

  • Locating avalanche victims with pinpoint accuracy

    Test of the new avalanche rescue navigator

    In future, a new positioning system developed by researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute of Material Flow and Logistics IML will make it possible to find skiers who get caught up in an avalanche more quickly – provided, of course, that they’re carrying a cell phone or avalanche transceiver.

    • more infoCell phone and avalanche transceiver save lifes

  • Mini helicopters as disaster helpers

    Ein Forscher testet einen Mini-Hubschrauber

    In the aftermath of an earthquake or chemical incident, every minute counts: the rescue team has to quickly gain an overview. Mini helicopters can help in future, investigating collapsed buildings from the inside, singly or as a swarm.

  • The electricity grid as a test bed for crisis management

    Blackouts are rare events in Germany, but when they happen, people are unprepared and the outage causes considerable damage. In the case of a blackout information and communication are decisive factors in restoring power supply. For this reason the INFOSTROM project, which focuses on learning information infrastructures for crisis management and uses the electricity grid as a test bed, develops a security platform that connects all relevant actors, e.g. electricity companies, emergency task forces, fire departments and police.

    • more infoFraunhofer FIT Infostrom

  • Car horns warn against natural disasters

    Link: Bild zum Herunterladen

    In the past, sirens howled to warn the population against floods, large fires or chemical accidents. Today, however, there is no extensive warning system in Germany, as most sirens were dismantled after the Cold War. Researchers of the Fraunhofer Institute for Technological Trend Analysis INT in Euskirchen want the population to be warned by car horns in the future.

Further information

  • Fraunhofer Group for Defense and Security

    This group has been formed by Fraunhofer institutes as a means of coordinating their research activities and defining common goals in the area of »Defense and Security«.