The MEDIGRID project aims to create a distributed framework for multi-risk assessment of natural disasters. In order to achieve the above strategic objective several parallel tasks must be accomplished and a number of particular objectives to be addressed. The project will integrate in the above framework models of forest fire behaviour and effects, flash floods and landslides, developed in frame of previous EC projects. These models will be upgraded to web applications in order to be able to run remotely as web services over the internet. A distributed repository with EO data, combined with field measurements from countries that have suffered important forest fires during the last summer will be created by the project partners. Such data will be defined according to the requirements of the models that will be integrated and tested within MEDIGRID. The data structure and organization will be designed in order to comply with the concept of respective EC initiatives (INSPIRE, EU-MEDIN, ESPON) for data standardisation. The individual models in the context of a models validation framework will use these data. The entire system of models and data will be shaped further as a multi-risk assessment and decision support information platform.

Problems to be solved
The project shall contribute to the definition of the needs of multi-risk management related to forest fire triggered disasters such as post-fire run-off and flash floods, soil erosion and debris flow. Furthermore it will contribute towards the formalization and organization of datasets that can be used for the validation of risk assessment models as well as for integrated risk management.

Scientific objectives and approach
The main objectives of the MEDIGRID project are:

• The definition of a multi-risk assessment platform based on distributed data and models
• The contribution to the standardization of the structure of data sets that can be useful for model testing and multi-risk assessment
• The establishment of a framework to validate risk models developed in the context of previous R&D projects
• The management of distributed disaster data networks and
• The development of web based risk assessment models, using distributed disaster data

The achievement of these objectives can be verified, linked to the following outputs planned to be available at the end of the project:

• multi-risk assessment information platform
• distributed repository of disasters spatial information with data sharing capability
• front end regarding spatial/digital data search and retrieval and
• web services corresponding to previously developed risk assessment models

Expected impacts
The project will provide a significant impact to the post-fire management of the Mediterranean landscape of the EU since it will make available data, provide knowledge and practice that hasn't been made available to the land developers, politicians and researchers in the past.

The contribution of the project towards the investigation of the mechanisms that govern the initiation and the severity of related hazards will be a significant adding to the existing scientific knowledge in this field, This approach can support management and political decisions for solving societal problems such as land use and development, and reinforce civil protection planning.

MEDIGRID is innovative from different viewpoints. Major innovations are related to

• the creation of a distributed data repository with disaster data that will be available to the public after the end of the project
• the creation of web services for running disaster risk assessment models
• the validation of post fire risk assessment models and
• the definition of a generic multi-risk management model.

The project aims to create a distributed repository with data of areas in South EU that suffered devastating fires during the last summer. A number of models dealing with the risk assessment of post fire hazards will be used for (model) validation purposes by assessing the situation in comparison to observations that will be made in the context of the area monitoring plan. A generic multi-risk management framework will be designed and evaluated within the context of the project.