The DISARM (Drought and fIre ObServatory and eArly waRning systeM) project aims at developing an integrated set of services to support prediction and promote prevention of drought & wildland fires. Bringing together Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus, the overall objective is to deliver an innovative, integrated observatory platform and an early warning system that will serve as a key tool for protecting the environment, thus promoting sustainable development in the region.
Employing state-of-the-art approaches, DISARM will contribute to the prediction of drought and wildland fire risk in Balkan-Med area, as well as to the assessment of the risks under a changing climate. A rapid-response system for the short-term prediction of wildland fire behavior will be also developed, while an observatory for near real-time monitoring of wildland fire activity will be established. The system will be based on the use of high resolution meteorological forecasts, forest-fire spread models, satellite data for the detection of fires and the estimation of biomass, surface observations and monthly forecasting systems. Moreover, DISARM will include a desktop and mobile application that will be used for disseminating the project outputs, increasing thus public awareness with respect to drought and wildland fires. This application will also provide users with a simple tool for reporting forest fires, as well as the presence of dead biomass, that is of great importance for the ignition of a fire.
Regional authorities could directly benefit from DISARM system, in setting up/programming preparatory actions. Civil protection agencies and fire services will increase their capacity to combat forest fires, by using the system. The general public and private sector stakeholders will benefit from DISARM through the use of the interactive mobile application. This approach provides the citizens with useful information but also involves them actively in the process of the information generation.
DISARM addresses the problem of provision of accurate and timely observations and forecasts on drought and fire risk through a holistic and transnational approach. The interaction between the two hazards, coupled with the estimation of vulnerability for periods ranging from the present to the distant future, will provide a comprehensive prevention and mitigation framework. The transnational approach is necessary as it allows the exploitation of each partner expertise and the sharing of available resources. Interaction with end-users/stakeholders over the Balkan-Med region will allow for testing/evaluation of the system for various and different needs, which could not be achieved if every partner was working individually. Concluding, the added-value of the project comprises of the build of an integrated framework that goes beyond existing practices, uses smartly modern technologies and includes civil protection services and the general public in the acquisition and sharing of information.