Improving Future Crisis Management Training

The project CriseIT 2 "Implementing Future Crisis Management Training" has successfully completed its first project year, but much of the foundation for the project was established during the first project effort "CriseIT" where the key insights, tools and methods were identified. CriseIT 2 takes these aspects one step further and maximizes their development potential. Now, CriseIT2 is in an exciting phase where they are testing, refining and further developing tools and the methodology in order to be able to implement an easily accessible, cost-effective and flexible crisis management concept.

Both CriseIT projects have contributed to the digitalization of crisis management as well as increased transborder crisis management collaboration, in particular in the border region of Värmland in Sweden and Hedmark in Norway. CriseIT 2 is a collaboration between CNDS affiliate the Centre for Societal Risk Research at Karlstad University as well as the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Information Systems at Karlstad University, The Norwegian Directorate for Civil Protection (DSB), AppieMode AB, the County Governor of Hedmark, The County Administrative Board of Värmland, EON Reality AS, the municipalities of: Arvika, Årjäng, Hamar and Våler; and Strategisk Respons AS.

More about CriseIT

The project's vision is to develop an easy to use, cost-efficient, and flexible crisis exercise concept which promotes safety in Inner Scandinavia now and in the future. It aims to develop tools, methods, and educational materials which support this vision. New forms of training support will supplement traditional exercises by adding virtual tools that make it possible to practice crisis management “anywhere and anytime” via computers, tablets, and smartphones. This will provide the conditions needed to practice more often, with different persons, and in shorter sessions.

The goals of the project are to provide:

• an analysis of needs and prerequisites for IT-based crisis training
• software to support the entire process from the defining of needs for crisis training to bringing back the experiences into the organizations
• a website offering tools for exercises and individual training
• a method that supports an effective application of the IT tools for analysing, planning, conducting, and evaluating exercises
• educational material that facilitates the use of the method and tools

More information about CriseIT is available on the project website here.