€1.85 million of EU funding helped the researchers to explore how dozens of databases from different organisations can be linked via peer-to-peer technology to improve response time and avoid duplication of efforts in cases of emergency.

WORKPAD, an EU-funded ICT research project, has developed software applications that allow emergency teams responding to natural disasters to coordinate and communicate with each other quickly and efficiently. Coordination and communication is especially important when emergency teams from many different agencies, civil authorities and NGOs are on the ground at the same time.

One central dispatch point that receives and sends out information to all emergency teams can help save more lives in a quick and efficient way. The technology has already been tried successfully in Southern Italy and is available to be used anywhere in the world.

The WORKPAD research project developed a network that can link those different back-office systems. Then, via a central coordination and dispatch point, front line helpers can communicate with each other through their handheld devices (mostly personal digital assistants - PDAs).

Last year, the European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment, Civil Protection Unit, launched a call for proposals with the aim of preparedness projects to improve the effectiveness of emergency response. The call relates to preparedness and prevention projects in the field of civil protection for this year 2010.

WORKPAD has also developed software that can define tasks, assign roles, and provide step-by-step instructions to rescue workers. It can be updated in real time, so if a more urgent need arises, workers can be called to a new task. The research results of WORKPAD have been successfully tested in Southern Italy, a region which suffers every year from forest fires, and sometimes earthquakes, that require emergency responses. The technology developed by WORKPAD is ready for use. The Czech Republic and the Italian region of Calabria are considering deploying it.

€1.85 million of the total cost of € 3.16 million was financed under the Commission's research funding programme (Sixth Framework Programme 2001-2006).

More EU-funded ICT research success stories will be presented at ICT 2010, Europe's largest ICT research event, in Brussels from 27 to 29 September 2010.