Example of outputs from the Rapid Flood Mapping layer in EFAS, showing predicted flooding along the Vjosa, Seman and Shkumbin rivers during November 2017.
Example of outputs from the Rapid Flood Mapping layer in EFAS, showing predicted flooding along the Vjosa, Seman and Shkumbin rivers during November 2017.

Richard Alpfjord Wylde, SMHI

European Natural Hazard Scientific Partnership, also known as ARISTOTLE, is a project financed by the European Commission’s DG-ECHO that delivers world leading multi-hazard advice to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels. The consortium is made up of 12 expert institutions within the hazard areas of severe weather, flooding, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis. 24/7 expert advice is delivered by the consortium for events across the globe.

The operational component of the flooding hazard in the partnership is delivered by the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The current remit for flooding is within Europe only, and here the EFAS system is used. Later the service will provide global coverage – partially via the Global Flood Awareness System (GloFAS) – with assistance from Centro Internazionale in Monitoraggio Ambientale (CIMA) in Italy.

All reporting and decision making within ARISTOTLE is impact based. To do this, the Rapid Impact Assessment tool within EFAS is used to produce information about:

  • Potentially flooded areas
  • Affected urban areas (%) and population counts
  • Critical infrastructure affected
  • Potential monetary damages and comparison with historical data, from the European Environment Agency

The latest phase of the service began in October 2018 and has so far provided detailed assessment reports on tropical cyclone Usagi in Vietnam, tsunamis in New Caledonia and Indonesia, volcanic eruptions in Italy and Guatemala and severe weather and flooding in Lebanon, Italy and Bosnia Herzegovina.

Training sessions for the ERCC operational staff will be held during February 2019, building on previous training delivering during the previous pilot project (2016-2018).

Visits to the ERCC operational center during the previous pilot project (2016-2018).
Visits to the ERCC operational center during the previous pilot project (2016-2018).