DRI at SPARROW General Assembly in Vienna

Members of the DRI team attended the second general assembly of the SPARROW project, which took place in Vienna on 25-26 November 2025. The meeting provided an opportunity for project partners to take stock of recent progress and plan ahead.

The highlight of the meeting was a table-top exercise that simulated large-scale flooding in Nicosia. Lights in the room were switched off to give the impression of a blackout caused by a natural disaster.

Partners were split into groups and had to describe which SPARROW technologies they would use to deal with the emergency.

These tools are:

• CITWIN: a simulation platform capable of integrating other tools to provide a shared digital ecosystem

• Cascading Effects Scenario Builder (CESER): provides an interface to build training scenarios for first responders and notify relevant units

• Dynamic Critical Asset Management Recommendation Engine (DYCAMARE): provides automated recommendations for scenarios created in CESER

• Vulnerability Assessment Synoptic Engine (VASE): shows fragility curves for grid infrastructure (electrical towers) and calculates indirect losses (measured in GVA) from digital breakdowns

• Critical Infrastructure Simulator (CIS): models interdependencies and cascading effects in critical infrastructures

• Emergency Communication Mobile App (ECOMAPP): allows citizens to conduct a self-assessment and get personalized recommendations during emergencies

• RoadTwin: a platform for re-routing traffic for first responders during emergencies

• TRIAGE ePLS: an electronic triage system for assessing patients in mass-casualty incidents

• EMER-5G: a self-powered, ruggedized mobile 5G network for emergency communication provision

• Signal Expansion Drones (SEDs): a flying mobile 5G hotspot for disaster zones that can fly autonomously from the base station

• Hub4Everybody: a platform built by Plan4All to host SPARROW data and manage hackathons

DRI will support training for stakeholders in Cyprus, Trikala and Pilsen on how to use these solutions to improve emergency response.

In addition, DRI will support co-creation hackathons in the three pilots.

The first event will be in Pilsen on 13-14 February 2026. Participants will develop creative solutions in response to a challenge: what happens when the world suddenly stops? What about public transport, intersections, and traffic jams? Who will direct autonomous trams and keep electric vehicles moving? The best solution will receive a cash prize.

>> Learn about the Pilsen hack.