XVR Crisis Media

XVR Crisis Media was used as simulator of (fictive) news channels and as e-mail system simulator during the DRIVER+ Final Demo.

The news channels were updated during the evolution of the scenario to show who the simulated crisis of a wildfire in a fictive non-EU country was developing. This information was used by the participating RescEU module commanders, EUCPT and the ERCC to create situational awareness in the first 24hrs of deployment and to update their information management position in the following days.

The simulated e-mail was used as a fully controlled and monitored version of real e-mail as used in current crisis management procedures for communication amongst RescEU modules, EUCPT and ERCC. Next to these e-mails amongstparticipants, also staff (i.e. response cells) used the simulated e-mail to role-play communications with the local emergency management authorities, UNDAC and other non-participating crisis management actors.

XVR Crisis Media was used to create news browdcasts on the fictive flooding crisis and as e-mail system simulator. 3 news browdcasts were prepared about (1) the incoming storm, (2) the morning directly after the flood had happened and (3) approx. 32 hrs after the flood occured. The e-mail system was used a simulator of the currently used e-mail system amongst emergency services, critical infrastructure and other role-played crisis management actors.

In the Major Maritime Emergencies course provided by Smit Salvage, XVR Crisis Media is used to simulate news messages, shipping company internal information management systems and to e-mail with role-players. This course is aimed at training shipping company crisis teams in how to effectively manage an incident/crisis with one of their ships involved.

During the Full-Scale eXercise (FSX) of the CPEx IRONORE, the Austrian Red Cross - Styria used XVR Crisis Media to simulate fictive news channels and social media to provide information on the staged earthquake scenario. By using XVR Crisis Media, this nformation was only available to the participants of this exercise.

Participating first responders, both from local, Styrian services and from EU Civil Protection modules, could read this information. They could even respond to the social media messages or reply to news articles, although accoprding to their own procedures they should not do so.

This exercise lasted for 3 full days, at which the XVR Crisis Media ran full-time, day and night.

A combination of XVR On Scene and XVR Crisis Media was used by the Austrian Red Cross - Styria during the Discussion Based Exercise (state-of-the-art table-top) of the EU Civil Protection eXercise IRONORE 2019.

A 3D virtual reality model was made of the earthquake striken village of Eisenerz and made available in XVR On Scene. This 3D environment was used for reconnaissance and establishing situational awareness by the EU CP Module commanders and their assistants participating in the DBX. They were able to fly over the village by helicopter and drive/walk through it, to observe the damaged sites and to coordinate which team was working where and where each team's base would be set-up.

XVR Crisis Media was used to simulate local, national and international news channels reporting on the earthquake. Next to these, fictive social media channels were created on which role-played inhabitants of the Eisenerz region posted messages on the effects of the earthquake, about people lost and retrieved and to comment on the response by the participating EU CP Modules. Furthermore, a simulated e-mail system was created in XVR Crisis Media in which all participants could contact each-other and role-played organisations.

Several Dutch Safety Regions have used a combination of XVR On Scene and XVR Crisis Media in regional system tests, in which the region's emergency response procedures for large-scale incidents and crises are tested. This combination of XVR modules is used to simulate the incident scene, news coverage thereof, handeling of social media interactions and the use of (organisational internal) communication and information management procedures.

Contact the Dutch Safety Regions within the XVR user community or one of XVR's account managers to acquire more details on the use of XVR in such regional system tests.