CIMA Research Foundation is the Competence Center (Official Gazette No. 220, 19/09/2013) and National Operative Structure (Article 13 paragraph 1 point c Legislative Decree 1/2018) of the National Civil Protection. As part of the framework agreement stipulated with the Civil Protection Department, CIMA Research Foundation carries out activities to develop knowledge, methodologies, technologies and advanced training for the implementation of national systems for forecasting, monitoring, prevention and surveillance in the field of hydrogeological risk, forest fires and, more generally, natural risks of meteorological origin. It also provides support for what concerns the legal aspects related to the responsibilities of Civil Protection.
CIMA Research Foundation collaborates with the Civil Protection Department in different ways: from the creation of tools for the extreme events forecasting and monitoring, to operational support through the Situations Room which is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year. Moreover other activities range from the aspects of criminal responsibility linked to extreme events up to the part of dissemination, awareness and teaching of good practices through the participation of citizens in civil protection actions. Finally, CIMA Research Foundation, at the request of the Civil Protection Department and under its coordination, participates in international missions to assess the needs and risks of different countries and the preparation and implementation of cooperation programs on civil protection activities.
Tools and technological products for the prediction and real time monitoring of floods and forest fires.
The researchers of CIMA Research Foundation in synergy with the ACROTEC Foundation’s technicians have developed over the years modelling tools that allow the forecasting and monitoring of extreme events, floods and the corresponding effects on the ground. In particular, they are specialized in hydrology and its connection with meteorology. These models are able to estimate the soil moisture from satellite data. Physical hydrological models transform rain into flow rates (water in rivers) and there are models also for the evolution of the snowpack.
One of the products developed specifically for the Civil Protection Department is the Dewetra platform, a system for real-time monitoring of natural hazards that allows Functional Centers to synthesize, integrate and compare data and models necessary for instrumental monitoring, supervision and shared assessment of risk scenarios and their possible evolution. CIMA research foundation manages the platform 24 hours a day, 365 days a year through its “Sala Situazioni Franco Siccardi“.
Another product managed by the CIMA Research Foundation in real time, 24 hours a day and 365 days a year on behalf of the Civil Protection Department is FloodCAT. It is a sort of “event register”. It collects the databases of the national alert system for weather-hydrogeological and hydraulic risks. This system, created by the Department in collaboration with ISPRA, contains, pursuant to Directive 2007/60 / EC – Legislative Decree 49/2010, information relating to the spatial and temporal location of flood events and the associated adverse consequences. CIMA Research Foundation has also implemented and maintains the reporting system (Web Alert) used daily by all functional centers to produce, distribute and share its critical issues.
A further product of CIMA Research Foundation is RISICO (Fire Risk and COordination). It is a constantly updated mathematical model that transforms the weather variables into information that helps predict the behaviour that could have a fire after the ignition.
CIMA Research Foundation is also involved in producing data thematic maps such as flooded areas, damage maps and other maps to support emergency management and coordination actions. The data used for this purpose come mainly from the COSMO-SkyMed satellites of the Italian Space Agency and Sentinel of the European Space Agency and allow an update of the situation almost in real time.
This type of activity is carried out with particular attention, especially on the occasion of national and international emergencies, in order to observe the evolution of the phenomena in progress and to estimate and map any damage. The publication of data and products generated by the observation of the earth by the satellites takes place on the DEWETRA platform.
Criminal liability of civil protection operators
The Civil Protection activities and the responsibility of the subjects involved have been and still are the subject of many judgments. The sentences are matters for both criminal law and the relationship between law and science. The delicacy and complexity of these subjects determine the need for a specialized and multidisciplinary approach. CIMA Research Foundation makes available to this area its experience for the examination of critical issues in civil protection assessment and decision procedures, but also those of the subsequent judicial review.
CIMA Research Foundation is interested about criminal liability enough to give life to the series “Civil Protection and Responsibility” that collects interventions and conference proceedings on this issue and promoted by the Foundation itself in collaboration with the Department of Civil Protection.
Participated planning models and the “Io non rischio” communication campaign.
CIMA Research Foundation believes so deeply in the value of participatory decision-making processes that it has created a research area on this topic. Furthermore, it promotes local emergency planning models capable of integrating the economic-social aspects with those of territorial risk management. The goal is to develop a more effective and efficient governance and a greater resilience of the communities.
CIMA Research Foundation provides technical-scientific support to the “Io non rischio” national campaign. Its role ranges from the training of volunteers, to support during events in the squares to the activity of real coordination of the campaign itself.