Simone Wurster

The development of the public safety standard TETRA: lessons and recommendations for research managers and strategists in the security industry

In this article we describe the European standardisation of Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA) and try to draw lessons for European research managers who participate in national civil security research programmes and wish to develop standards related to their security-specific R&D results. This study challenges the findings from Weiss and Sirbu (1990), which suggest that the political skills of the sponsors of a technology are not significant for its adoption in a standardisation process. TETRAs establishment was shaped by specific people, specific skills and specific strategies. Our study shows the importance of political skills, as well as the relevance of multiple lobbying and negotiation activities in influencing the standardisation process. Specific national strategies in forging alliances, as well as lobbying on the European level were crucial, and their realisation offers lessons to learn from. Moreover, given the indisputable multinational dimension in many security issues, our article contains suggestions regarding dual national-European level standardisation strategies needed, for instance, in the context of the European security standardisation Mandate M/487. The TETRA case illustrates how to pursue such a dual level standardisation strategy successfully.

Development of a Specification for Data Interchange Between Information Systems in Public Hazard Prevention: Dimensions of Success and Related Activities Identified by Case Study Research

Standards and specifications for public security are missing in many technical aspects as well as the areas of communication protocols and security management. Several research gaps related to these fields exist, particularly regarding R&D stage standardisation. Sherif et al. (2007) offer a framework to investigate project management aspects leading to successful standardisation. Its applicability for R&D stage security standardisation was examined and mainly proved by a recent InfraNorm survey in the German security research program. The German project InfraNorm aims at initiating the development of standards and specifications for the protection of transportation infrastructure. This article gives insight into the development of such a specification based on R&D results. Besides providing practical examples for activities related to Sherif et al.’s (2007) framework, the article suggests its extension. Standardisation challenges and solutions are also unveiled. The article finishes by outlining key aspects which may influence the adoption of the specification and by giving a short overview of current results. Application fields of the findings include, in particular, fast track standardisation procedures with voluntary implementation of the results, standardisations of R&D results and standardisation projects from small groups.

Certified Video Surveillance Systems for More Resilient Urban Societies

Resilience and security are prominent elements of twenty-first century European and international political agenda. The focus on resilient systems that are able to respond to threats, as well as to anticipate and recover, plays an important role in this regard. Increasingly sophisticated video surveillance systems form a part of security and disaster response mechanisms. In addition to technological advancement of surveillance systems, there are also concerns about the potential trade-off with human rights and freedoms of citizens. Thus, there is a need for means that allow for the protection of freedoms and human rights, while also ensuring security. One such solution, which deals with the potential of a new pan-European certification scheme for video surveillance systems, is presented in this chapter. This scheme focuses on evaluation according to the social dimensions of Security, Trust, Efficiency and Freedom infringement (S-T-E-Fi). Based on a description of the evaluation methodology and its criteria, two scenarios and how the methodology would be used for the purposes of evaluation of installed video surveillance systems operating within these scenarios are presented. The article finishes by outlining the future development of this scheme as well as further research needs.

High impact — Low probability incidents at a coastal metropolis: Flood events and risk mitigation by crowd-tasking systems

The 21st century is facing a paradigm shift in disaster risk mitigation and the importance of crowd-tasking systems is rising. This paper presents a concept to estimate the benefits of crowdtasking systems in the context of high impact, low probability incidents in a coastal region with more than 1.7 million inhabitants.

Assessing the Impact of Crowd Tasking Apps on Resuscitation Success: The Case of Sudden Cardiac Arrests in Germany

Sudden cardiac arrest SCA is among the three most prominent causes of death in industrialized nations. Therefore, experts are calling for solutions, including IT-systems to mobilize volunteers. SCA emergencies require immediate action and advanced first aid skills. As of today, emergency services are often unable to arrive at the victim in time, and laypeople on the scene frequently fail to conduct resuscitation properly. One approach to solve this problem is to rely on skilled volunteers, who are alerted by smartphone apps. Among others, German researchers are currently developing a crisis response system with a crowd tasking app. It aims to help reduce the effects of large-scale events, but also of ad-hoc incidents including SCA. This paper describes an approach to determine the potential of the system to increase the survival rate of SCA illustrated based upon data from Germany. Its concept was analyzed by experts and benefited from their feedback.

Ethics and Privacy Issues of Critical Infrastructure Protection – Risks and Possible Solutions Through Standardization

Recent studies propose a paradigm shift in standardization strategies and research and the use of ethical aspects as an additional factor to explain standardization success. This article goes one step further. It focuses on specific ethical and privacy standards and introduces privacy as a new dimension of the interplay between standards and innovation in the fields of civil security and the protection of critical infrastructures. Based on a survey, it represents mainly German and European perspectives. The article finishes by giving recommendations for new privacy standards which may help to raise acceptance for several new security solutions.