Project MONITOR

Protection against disastrous events is an increasing challenge for society. Until the middle of the last century commonly built protection measures were in use to prevent disasters. The increase of damage events during the last years led to a broader controversy of the population with disastrous events and the understanding, that there is a necessity for a more holistic way of dealing with hazard potentials. Accompanied with that, there is a change in paradigm from just averting a danger to interdisciplinary crisis and disaster management, which focus on preventive measures. The InterregIIIB project MONITOR was called into action, to put research and international cooperation in this field of expertise forward. For a preventive crisis management and a directed early warning it is important to have monitoring tools and simulation models respectively, which provide necessary information for detailed risk assessment for a successful risk management. To prevent damages effectively, results of a modern risk assessment must be integrated into the planning methods of the spatial planning procedures. The goal of MONITOR is an interdisciplinary risk management, which means, that existing knowledge potential of the member states of the European Union is used to develop best-practice-examples and to provide them to everyone interested. That means for Lower Austria as example to find methods of risk analysis, risk communication, contingency planning and new monitoring systems from other countries and to integrate them into its own applied methods.

For Lower Austria is a matter of course to support this field of international expertise with its expert knowledge. It is a great honour to provide an international platform in form of this three day conference to make this important bilateral transfer of knowledge possible.

Further information on MONITOR: www.cadses-monitor.org