ADRIAtic integrated RADar-based and web-oriented information processing system NETwork to support hydro-meteorological monitoring and civil protection decision

Information and communication technology (ICT) has proved to be an essential tool to develop and finalize applications of public usefulness due to its capability to handle complex scenarios and integrate inhomogeneous components. In this respect, hydro-meteorological hazards, like convective outbreaks affecting the Adriatic areas mainly due to easterly fronts and leading to torrential rain and flooding, represent a dramatic threat which needs to be faced by resorting to robust data measuring and processing ICT infrastructures. Flooding causes the greatest loss of life among all natural hazards, whereas convective storms, often accompanied by strong surface winds, can cause significant impacts particularly in coastal areas. Thus a growing demand for improved forecasts and timely warnings of such hazards in order to protect lives and properties. The main difficulty to disseminate prompt information about hydro-meteorological severe events to the end-users, such as civil protection agencies, is to set up near-real time monitoring integrated systems, able to ingest precipitation data from distributed sensors and models and to perform forecasting of the evolving hydro-meteorological scenario. This flux of data and information needs to be handled with advanced web-based access tools in order to provide a scientifically-based and user-friendly support to the decision makers as well as receiving feedback from the civil protection managing system. In this respect the ADRIARadNet objective is to set up an integrated web-based scalable-flexible-interoperable ICT infrastructure, based on a network of low-cost microwave scanning weather radars, satellite radiometers data receivers and available rainfall ground sensors, to be integrated with web-oriented geographic information systems, regionally-tuned numerical prediction models and decision-support systems for civil prevention and protection within the Central and Southern Adriatic regions. The ADRIARadNet project is involving within its team both applied research centres, hydro-meteorological services and civil protection agencies in order to share, export and fertilize the ICT know-how and expertise from the research/development step to the procedural/pre-operational stage. The involved territories include Central Italy, Croatia and Albania and aims at exchanging and training cross-border partner staff about ICT capabilities to handle data and processes for hydro-meteorological risk prevention and assessment. The 4 main components to be developed within the ADRIARadNet project are: 1) monitoring module ADRIARadObs, based on X-band low-cost mini-radar system networks deployed in 2 pilot areas and integrated with satellite-based precipitation data processing and ground raingauge networks; 2) nowcasting and forecasting module ADRIARadMod, based on coupled hydro-meteorological numerical modelling and observational data assimilation, tuned to the local territory; 3) data sharing module ADRIARadWeb, based on web-platform able to ingest heterogeneous data, represent data layers and disseminate information through internet and other media; 4) managing module ADRIARadApp, including the design of a support decision system for hydro-meteorological risks and the development of common best practices and guidelines for civil protection managers. Two pilot areas (Marche/Abruzzo regions and Croatia/Albania territories) are identified as test-bed areas where experimenting the integrated ADRIARadNet decision support system and automatic procedures in support to civil protection agencies. In these areas low-cost radar-based infrastructures will be installed and integrated with existing precipitation sensor network in order to be exploited after the ADRIARadNet project accomplishment. The web-based data and information platform will be optimized in such a way to be open to new sensor integration, new developments of data processing algorithms and flexible decision support criteria.