General Information

Admin ::: Jul 28, 2006 ::: 2319 Reads

Background and Objectives of the Project

General Information

For risk-management and early-warning purposes monitoring is indispensable for risk evaluation and successful risk management. Prevention of damage has to be correlated with land-use planning. The methodological basis of preventive measures are provided by risk analysis:

MONITOR uses an integrative approach, considering the viewpoints of all relevant groups, which can be seen as an important baseline for risk communication. The most important stakeholders identified are politicians, administration, experts, directly affected population and media.

MONITOR uses synergies of existing knowledge and communication potentials and integrate activities at different organisational levels for interdisciplinary risk management. It will improve methodology of risk-analysis and regulations for risk communication and thus support the whole process of risk evaluation and especially risk communication by participatory approach and leading to trans-nationally accepted standards.

MONITOR aims at

• Integration of risk management activities at different national and organisational levels based on inter-disciplinary and participatory approaches for supporting spatial planning and disaster management management work-flows;


• improving the methodology of risk-analysis and risk communication;


• supporting the whole process of risk evaluation and especially risk communication by increasing transparency and participatory approaches, leading the way to trans-nationally comparable standards.

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Main Activities and expected Results

The activities of MONITOR outline the project’s field of work. Analysis of risk perception and state of risk management in a comparison study provide the base work within MONITOR. Comparison of risk monitoring methods, differentiated by risk quality and risk quantity as well as by differing legislative and organisational environments are covered by another working step. This contains best-practice methods for the implementation of monitoring methods on the basis of criteria of costs, reliability, quality, physical stability and re-usability as well as adaptability to other applications. To optimise the information flow in co-operation with the responsible institutions, evaluations of instruments of risk communication will be adjusted to different target groups. Another important activity consists of the generation of information material and tutorials as well as organisation of training courses. Finally implementation of the defined methods for risk prevention will be tested.

As a basic result, reports and documentations about hitherto methods dealing with existing risks in endangered regions will be developed.

Constitutionally a regional hazard matrix, showing the relation between hazard potential and actual land use activities in a qualitative way is generated. Within this matrix, risk-combinations between several hazard processes versus exposition structures can be displayed.

During the project´s periode a practitional thesaurus will be developed to guarantee a common approach in risk apprecation and risk related terms.

• evaluation reports and best practice - models of terrestrial and remote sensing risk monitoring tools,


• definition of information requirements and data collection processes and


• improvement of temporal measurements in the way of risk management (evacuation, blockades) will complete the project´s output.

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Types of Action

• Planning activities (transnational studies and strategies, land use plans, etc.): Testbeds will be initialised to investigate applied processes of risk analyses (monitoring, tools, data collection practises, etc.) and risk management methods. Practical guidebooks, recommendation papers and instruction materials will apply to transnational strategies and studies.


• Networking: The project carries out activities directed to develop a network of endangered regions to improve, implement and evaluate considered results of MONITOR.


• Pilot actions: Regional product development by re-innovation based on traditional products and indigenous knowledge potentials.


• Information, training, awareness raising: MONITOR improves the information flow within the risk management cycle. For that purpose instruction materials and studies concerning risk communication and processes within risk assessment, risk exposure and risk management are created

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MONITOR’s added value

Compliance with the European Spatial Development Policy (ESDP)

• Development and conservation of the natural and the cultural heritage through wise management. Preservation and deepening of regional identities and maintenance of the natural and cultural diversity of the regions and cities of the EU

• Limiting the impacts of the natural disasters.


• Developing access to information and knowledge.


• Reducing environmental damages.


• Enhancing and protecting natural resources and natural heritage.

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Contribution to Spatial Development

Regional development is supported by systematically addressing causes of structural weaknesses of rural areas:

• Hazard zone mapping,


• Integrated spatial planning management considering endangered areas by natural hazards


• standardised strategies of catastrophic service (Monitoring systems, hazard maps, protection concept)

All these actions spatially integrate different sectors like regional planning, education, infrastructure tourism and administration, public.
The project serves as a best practice model for regionalised know-how transfer and for enabling economically diversified rural development.

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