ARISTOTLE-ENHSP Project: a multi-hazard scientific expert assessment service for the EC Emergency Response Coordination Center

The ARISTOTLE (All Risk Integrated System TOwards Transboundary hoListic Early warning) - ENHSP (European Natural Hazards Scientific Partnership) project delivers a flexible and scalable 24/7 multi-hazard impact-oriented advice service at global level to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations Directorate (DG ECHO). This service responds to the needs of the ERCC to coordinate very rapidly the delivery of assistance to disaster-stricken countries within EU Civil Protection Mechanism both within and outside the European Union (global scale). ARISTOTLE harnesses operational expertise from nationally mandated scientific institutions and international agencies across Europe to provide multi-hazard, timely and authoritative scientific assessment on natural disasters related to volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunami, severe weather, flooding and wildfires.

The service provided by ARISTOTLE operates in three modes; i) emergency (ERM), ii) routine monitoring (ROM) and iii) scientific expertise  on-demand (SEOD) service. The ERM provides a comprehensive scientific assessment and advice to the ERCC within three hours from the activation. The ERM report can be full or lite depending on the specific nature of the hazard assessed; in both the cases, the weather conditions are always reported. The ROM is designed to provide a day-to-day, global scale, scientific assessment of the developing natural hazards. This service is provided three times per week and it is important for the prompt identification of critical areas (e.g., hurricanes, major floodings, major wildfires). Lastly, the SEOD service stems from the experience of the Consortium personnel and it serves the ERCC to have direct scientist support in the case of major critical situations. This service is offered through various means and modalities both in presence at the ERCC headquarters and remotely.

As examples of success, ARISTOTLE i) has supported the ERCC during the 2023 M7.8 and M7.6 Türkiye earthquakes and their sequence providing both earthquake assessment reports plus a daily meteorological support for their field deployment; ii) provided specific adjournments on the weather conditions in Ukraine with the outbreak of the 2022 war; iii) an ARISTOTLE wildfire unit is seasonally deployed in person in Brussels during the summer period and embedded in the ERCC’ Wildfire Support Team.

ARISTOTLE includes 23 partner institutions from 14 EU and non-EU Countries and from European international organizations operating in the Meteorological and Geophysical domains. To our best knowledge, ARISTOTLE is the first 24/7 virtual emergency room for multi-hazard assessment operating at global scale. ARISTOTLE remains a unique and world leading service and there is truly nothing internationally which even comes close to replicating a multi-national partnership which provides 'actionable' advice for operational purposes.