The Information day was kindly hosted by the UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). This meeting had the aim to disseminate the Call, provide a more in depth view of the needs related to TEWS, and enable EU and non-EU potential partners to engage in networking activities.

The aim was to develop, validate and demonstrate advanced systems and services to manage geo-physical risks, with a focus on developing an early warning and alert capacity for improved disaster prevention and preparedness in coastal zones. The objective was to establish operational prototypes for tsunami detection, early warning and alert relevant to the main tsunami-prone regions in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, and Indian Ocean. Additional support measures include; technology transfer between EU and tsunami-prone countries and regions bordering the Indian Ocean, for sharing best practice, promoting standards and adapting these to local needs and conditions; Collaboration with specialised institutes in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea with the aim of promoting a harmonised approach to tsunami early warning and alert for the Mediterranean basin.

Target countries:
Mediterranean partner countries, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri-Lanka, Japan, USA, Canada, New-Zealand

IST-EC2 attended this Infoday

Canada is one of the countries mentioned in the list of target countries. The EC is looking forward to Canadian partners joining R&D projects submitted under this strategic objective as they may offer their technical expertise in GEOS (GLobal Earth Observing System) for the benefit of implementing a global tsunami early warning system.

Please read the presentation of Dr Karen Fabbri, DG Information Society and Media, EC.


The IST-EC2 Coordinator Sandrine Roche from GET in Paris attended this Infoday, she reports on the following feed-back from the EC:

The focus of the call is not on infrastructure but on "finding generic solutions tested somewhere (i.e. within the STREP framework) and valid anywhere"

The international dimension of the call is of foremost importance (and will be an essential factor for the evaluation of the project): A balance between EU and other target countries (Mediterranean partner countries, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Sri-Lanka, Japan, USA, Canada, New-Zealand) should imperatively be established either in terms of number of partners or distribution of funds.

Instruments: STREPs, SSAs and CAs - Indicative budget: 5 M€

Only ONE STREP with a total budget of around 4.5 M Euros  of a total budget of 5 M will be financed. This STREP will have to deal with the whole activity chain from Tsunami detection, early warning to citizen alert  - which leaves  0.5 Mio for a CA or a SSA. The strep should last around 3 years.

For further information contact Sandrine Roche

Related Conferences

Special “topical” sessions about "Tsunami early warning systems” will take place in the Oceans'O6 conferences:

1. Oceans’06 – Singapore: (May, 16-19)
http://www.oceans06ieeesingapore.org  

2. Oceans’06 – Boston: (September, 18-21)
http://www.oceans06mtsieeeboston.org/