Implementation of a Decision Support System (DSS) to guide local and regional administrations in the mitigation of impacts due to Multi-(hazards)

Within the framework of the European project titled “Multi-hazard and risk informed system for Enhanced local and regional Disaster risk management” MEDiate (Grant agreement ID: 101074075), one of the main expected outcomes is a platform where a robust decision support system is implemented. The latter is intended to assist the responsible administrations in taking actions to mitigate the impacts of extreme natural events. The MEDiate platform effectively serves as the container for the project results to make them available to stakeholders.
The MEDiate DSS is calibrated for four European testbeds, even if the platform implements a modular framework to achieve a replicable and scalable solution. Tools for uploading data for new areas are also provided. The MEDiate platform can be conceived as divided into two modules. The first module is designed to calculate damages and losses on the exposed asset. This module considers one hazard at a time, the combination of multiple compound (temporal and spatial) hazards, and the combination of hazards that trigger others. The second module is dedicated to mitigation actions. In this module, with the assistance of artificial intelligence, the list of mitigation actions is defined. These actions are then processed by adopting the Multi-Criteria Decision Method (MCDM) to ultimately identify the most effective action.
This research presents the structure of the DSS platform developed in MEDiate and its applications for the hazards considered within the project: compounding coastal and riverine flooding, extreme heat and drought, extreme wind and precipitation, and extreme precipitation and landslides—in four European testbeds: Oslo (Norway), Nice (France), Essex (UK), and Múlaþing (Iceland), respectively.