A holistic approach towards the first responder
of the future
Dimitris Vassiliadis – Project Coordinator
EXODUS S.A.
Contents of the Presentation
The eSPONDER project: profile, objectives and key activities
Working with the Security Work-programme – Answering the Call
Consortium formation – Assigning roles to partners
Writing of the Proposal
The Coordinator
The Hearing and preparation phases
eSPONDER at a Glance
Project Overview
The eSPONDER
New Generation First Responder
Operations Support Platform
Training platform for First Responders
Logistics of First Responder
Operations
Regulation Framework of First
Responder Operations
Demonstration and validation of
eSponder in full-scale field trials
Holistic approach
Technology Development
Regulations and Logistics
Training of first responders
Who we are
Consortium at a glance
15 partners from 9 countries
8 SMEs, 2 Universities, 1 Company,
1 NGO, 1 Public body, 1 Research
Organisation, 1 Small Company
Project information
Duration: 48 months
Budget: 12,595,983 €
EC Funding: 8,791,544 €
Project Overview
The First Responder Unit
FRU Wearable Computer
Integrated Navigation and Positioning Module
Outdoor: GPS/DGPS, Indoor: LPS,
microwaves, ultrasonic and/or laser)
The eSPONDER helmet and wearable user terminal
Communications Component
BT, Wifi, 3G, Mobile WiMax, LTE, GSM
The system consists of a helmet mounted microphone and
ear speaker assembly that easily snaps onto the user's fire
helmet.
Application Specific Sensors
measure physiological parameters in real-time
Textile Integration
FRU local network for unobtrusive operations
Project Overview
The eSPONDER MEOC
Provincial Government Response Coordination
Coordination of Ministry Responses
Municipal and National Support
Coordination of local support efforts
The eSPONDER MEOC - Operator Terminals and Internal View
Image courtesy of PANOU S.A.
Communications Interoperability
BT, Wifi, 3G/UMTS, WiMax, WSN, WPAN,VHF,
UHF, Tetra, Satellite
In situ Base of Operations
Manage locally dispersed first response resources
Incident Monitoring and Reporting
high-resolution cameras on 13-meter masts with
close-ups at up to 10km distance
Project Overview
The eSPONDER EOC
Data Fusion and Mediation
Portal and Back-Office Applications
Real-time Communications Server
Wifi, 3G/UMTS, WiMax, VHF, UHF, Tetra,
Satellite
3-D GIS platform
Static geographic and environmental information
Emergency Response Planning - Execution
Overall command of processes and resources
The eSPONDER EOC
Sharing a common operational picture.
Project Overview
eSPONDER in practice
2 Major Pilot Events
3 Simulated Scenarios covering end-to-end
activity of first response work
Simulated events cover both normal and
abnormal types of crisis
Total of 150 First Responders
participating
eSPONDER-based Training to involved
personnel
Working with the Security Call
Working with the Security Call
eSPONDER was an idea initially conceived and submitted in the Joint Call of
ICT and Security lines in November 2007.
Although evaluated above all thresholds, the proposal did not get funded.
When the Second call was published we saw it as a great opportunity to make
another effort.
SECOND SECURITY CALL FOR PROPOSALS
SEC-2009.4.2.1: First Responder of the future
Consult the material from the Relevant Information days – both National
(PRAXI) and International. Information days provide very useful insight at all
cases.
Always make the best of the “three Bibles”:
Work-programme
Guide(s) for Applicants
Guide for Submission and Evaluation of Proposals
Consortium formation
Assigning roles to partners
Consortium - Putting together the puzzle
The steps we followed in putting together the eSPONDER team were:
1. Identified the subject of interest
2. Generated a 3-page abstract identifying key objectives and partners
sought
3. Circulated the abstract to 3 partners that we consider as core members
and then contacted potential partners on a confidential basis
4. For each potential partner we created a set of requirements on which we
negotiated their participation – proposed potential role and involvement for
each partner
5. We generated a roadmap with specific deadlines and progress milestones
that all partners should abide to
6. Held 3 progress telcos involving all partners during the last 5 weeks before
submission
7. Held weekly discussions with all partners separately and with groups of
partners involved in the common activities (activity lines, work-packages)
Consortium Overview -1
Organisation
Organization
type
Country
Activity
Role in the project
(main activities)
EXODUS S.A.
Company
Greece
Information Technology and
Communications
Project Coordinator.
Responsible to run the
managerial scheme and quality assurance plan.
University of
Modena and
Reggio Emilia
University
Italy
Education
Contribution to the architecture system definition, to
the study and definition of MEOC and EOC.
Investigation and setup of a robust, secure and
resilient ICT platform, capable of supporting First
Responders quickly and effectively.
CrisisPlan BV
SME
The
Netherlands
Crisis management consultancy
and training
Formulation of conceptual design of the project.
Leader of user Participation, responsible for
training activities and Pilot demonstrations.
PROSYST
Software
GmBH
SME
Germany
Specialized in the development of
open end-to-end solutions for
residential gateways,
infotainment/telematic systems
and mobile devices
Provision of service packages for supporting
different communication protocols (e.g. EHS, EIB,
LON, Bluetooth) as well as generic services, such
as a Java based GUI-library and a HTML-Browser
for embedded devices.
IMMERSION
SME
France
Specialized in the development of
Virtual reality systems and
Intelligent Command and Control
Centers
Responsible for the implementation of the
MEOC/EOC hardware infrastructure and provision
of support in the pilot demonstrations.
ROSE VISION
Small
Spain
Standardization;
ICT
Strategic
Consulting;
ICT
Technology
applications to industry and
Services
WP 6 and WP2 Leader; Partner and active
participant in all WPs, specially on WP5; Contact to
the end-users group of Spanish Government.
Consortium Overview - 2
Organisation
Organization
type
Country
Activity
Role in the project
(main activities)
TELCORDIA -Poland
SME
Poland
Telecommunication
Responsible for the design, development
and
implementation
of
the
telecommunications
services
and
protocols necessary to perform the links
between the FRUs, MEOC and EOC
CENTRE SUISSE
D’ELECTRONIQUE ET
DE
MICROTECHNIQUE
S.A.
Research
Organisation
(RES)
Switzerland
R&D activities in micro- and
nano-technologies, information
technologies
and
systems
engineering.
Realization
of
prototypes
for
application
specific systems, for validation
and industrialization.
Responsible for the development of of the
FRU system (sensors, hardware, signal
processing,
embedded
application
software). Active participation to the
specifications,
architecture
definition,
system design and development, tests,
integration and verifications. Workpackage leader of WP8 and WP9.
SMARTEX
SME
Italy
R&D activities in protective and
specialised garments
Responsible for the integration of the
sensor and computing elements to the first
responder garments.
TECHNISCHE
UNIVERSITÄT
DRESDEN
University
Germany
Science and education
TUD develops a LPS for indoor positioning
with high accuracy based on ultrasonic
waves or microwaves (using FMCW or
UW radar), which is optimized for first
responder requirements. ASICs will be
design to improve the performance,
decrease the size, costs and weight of the
LPS system.
YellowMap
SME
Germany
Mapping applications, data and
GIS
Design and development of the GIS backoffice system and the mapping on the First
Responder Devices
PANOU S.A.
SME
Greece
Experts in Homeland Security
Systems
Responsible for the Development of the
MEOC
Consortium Overview - 3
Organisation
Organization
type
Country
Activity
Role in the project
(main activities)
Telcordia Applied
Research Centre
Taiwan Company
SME
Taiwan
Applied research and
consulting for Telematics
technologies and total
solutions
Provide software supports and knowhow of Multi Interface Management
Module (MiMM) for FRUs. Research and
analyze MiMM deployment in FRUs,
especially in mesh networks and mobile
ad hoc networks (MANETs).
Institute for
Information Industry
NonGovernment
Organization
Taiwan
Supporting Taiwain’s ICT
development and global
cooperation
Develop and integrate Multi Interface
Management Module (MiMM) software
into FRU communication module.
Research and evaluate the requirements
of MiMM deployment.
Centre D'Essais et de
Recherche de
l’Entente
Public Body
France
Expert Civil Protection
Organisation – Research Centre
Responsible for the management of the
end-user groups and the coordination of
the dissemination activities.
Working on the Proposal
Proposal Writing
Some and hints and tips for proposal writing:
1. Generate the proposal template at the beginning of the process and
include detailed instructions regarding what each section is about and how
each partner should contribute to it.
2. Make sure that your aspirations are in line with the call’s objectives and
feasible within the duration of the project and the requested EC
contribution.
3. Objectives in your proposal should be SMART:
Specific,
Measurable,
Attainable/Achievable,
Realistic,
and Time-bound
4. Don’t say what you would like to do. Say what you can and will do and
how you will do it eventually.
Proposal Writing
5. All partners have to contribute to the composition of the proposal. Partner
complementarity and individual expertise is made obvious to the expert
evaluator and is a bonus!
6. Pay attention to standards, security, regulations and legal aspects
e.g. use of anonymised data for demonstration purposes
7. Ensure the participation of SMEs and define a strong user group.
8. End-users have to be active in the proposal setup. They will provide
different viewing angles of the same aspect, that will have a positive effect
on the proposal’s content.
9. Have two iterations in the proposal writing process. It will help with covering
all parts of the proposal with content of equal quality.
10. Pay extra attention to the sections of Impact and Exploitation.
The Coordinator
Coordinator’s Role
The Coordinator is the driving force in the proposal setup phase.
1. Monitors and controls the entire process.
2. Defines roles and assigns tasks to all partners. Ensures consortium’s
complementarity and coherence of all partners contributions. Forms groups
of partners that may work together for specific work-packages or subprojects (in the case of an IP)
3. Performs overall quality control of the proposal. Ensures well-balanced
description of all aspects tackled by the proposal.
4. Sets up and controls the proposal’s EPSS portal. Forms A1, A2 and A3 as
well as PART B.
5. Manages the financial aspects of the proposal ensuring normal budget
distribution according to individual effort requirements per partner.
6. Establishes regular communications with all partners through email and
telephone (telcos are necessary).
7. Pushes for excellent contributions and keeps a contingency plan in the
case of e,g late contributions or withdrawal of a partner.
The Hearing and Negotiation
Phases
The Hearing
Once the proposal is positively evaluated the consortium (coordinator + 2
more representatives max.) is invited for a hearing.
In order to prepare for the hearing one must:
1. Be a master of all issues relevant to the proposal and its contents
2. Prepare to address all questions listed in the Evaluation Summary
Report (ESR)
Be careful: Grade and ranking of the proposal is only finalized after the
hearing
During the hearing make sure that you provide sound answers to all questions
and get ready to support your opinion with valid arguments
The Negotiations Phase
So everything has gone as planned and now you are invited for Negotiations.
1. The EC sends an official letter (Negotiation Mandate) inviting you to the
Negotiations Phase.
2. Assigns your Project Officer and Legal/Financial Officer that will be your
contact points through the Negotiations Phase as well as during the actual
project.
3. The PO sets up the NEF Portal, an easy to use web-based platform for
uploading all information relevant to the consortium and the proposal
(based on Parts A and B of the proposal).
4. All partners need to obtain a Partner Identification Code (PIC).
5. All partners will need to define the relevant contact points for all project
issues (technical, administrative, financial).
The Negotiations Phase
5. The Coordinator leads the preparation of the Description of Work that will
be the Technical Annex to the Grant Agreement. The DoW is based on
Part B of the proposal but is modified according to the Negotiation Mandate
and comments of the expert evaluators.
6. The Coordinator will prepare and circulate the Consortium Agreement
that will be the “house rules” of the Consortium.
7. One negotiation meeting is arranged approximately 10 days after the
submission of the first draft version of the DoW.
8. The entire Grant Agreement preparation phase can last up to 3 months.
Conclusions
Idea Definition
I hope this presentation has been helpful.
If you still need help:
Consortium Formation
Proposal Writing and Submission
Evaluation
Hearing
Negotiations
Contact your National Contact Point!
www.cordis.europa.eu/fp7/get-support_en.html
CONTRACT
PRAXI: http://www.help-forward.gr/
Thank you for your time!
E-SPONDER
Project Coordinator: Dimitris Vassiliadis
Email: dvas@exodus.gr
Tel.: +30.210-7450321