Solid Preparedness and Resilience for Robust Operations during Disaster Wilderness (SPARROW)

The SPARROW project, officially known as Solid Preparedness And Resilience for Robust Operations during Disaster Wilderness, is a cutting-edge initiative to advance the preparedness and resilience of critical infrastructures and communities in response to digital breakdowns during emergencies.

In today’s highly interconnected world, the increasing dependence on digital technologies has created vulnerabilities that must be addressed, particularly in times of crisis. The core mission of SPARROW is to develop innovative tools and strategies to ensure the continued operation of essential services, infrastructure, and communication systems during natural disasters, cyberattacks, and other disruptive events that may compromise digital networks.

The overarching goals of the SPARROW project include enhancing crisis communication capabilities, improving the resilience of critical infrastructures, and fostering collaboration among emergency responders, public authorities, and key infrastructure managers.

The project will achieve these goals through the development of several innovative solutions, including:

• City Digital Twin, a 3D virtual representation of urban environments for testing vulnerabilities and simulating crisis scenarios;
• Emergency Communication Mobile App (ECOMAPP), which will assist citizens in self-assessing and receiving guidance during digital breakdowns;
• Dynamic Critical Asset Management System to support real-time decision-making and resource allocation during crises.

Additionally, the project will incorporate ethical, legal, and societal considerations, particularly in data management, led by the Law and Internet Foundation (LIF) as legal and ethics partner of SPARROW's consortium, ensuring compliance with data protection regulations and human rights standards.

The project spans 36 months, from September 2024 to August 2027, and involves a consortium of leading institutions from multiple European countries. These include academic and research centers, private sector partners, and public institutions. Key partners are the University of Cyprus’ KIOS Center of Excellence, which leads the project, alongside organizations such as EXUS (Greece), PLAN4ALL (Czech Republic), and FESU (France). The international cooperation and the shared interdisciplinary expertise of the partners guarantees the high quality of the project implementation and the success of the set goals.