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Department of Spatial Planning

SysKa - Simulation Game for the Validation of Security Solutions for Bochum within the Research Project SysKa

© Marius Ehrmann​/​IRPUD
Simulation game in Bochum

Since 01.07.2021, IRPUD has been working together with the Municipal Crisis Management of the City of Bochum on a joint research project funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of SifoLIFE, a competition to demonstrate innovative, interconnected security solutions in real world applications. The joint project "SysKa - Integration of Systemic Criticality in Disaster Management Planning" helps the city of Bochum to improve the handling of chain reactions that can occur when important infrastructures fail. Within the framework of the project, these so-called systemic cascade effects of critical infrastructures were identified for the scenario of a heavy rainfall event with subsequent power outages. With the participation of Bochum stakeholders, suitable safety solutions were selected.

On 18 August 2022, a simulation game took place in Bochum with the active participation of those stakeholders who would potentially be affected by the scenarios developed and who could contribute to preventing or dealing with the consequences of cascade effects. Among the participants were the responsible head of department, the municipal crisis management, the fire brigade, representatives of two hospitals, radio amateurs, the Bochum public utility company, the Bochum-Gelsenkirchener Straßenbahnen AG as well as the various aid organizations, the police, the Bundeswehr and finally the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK). The participants discussed in an interdisciplinary manner the proposed security solutions to better cope with cascading effects in the event of a critical infrastructure failure in the Bochum urban area. A large-scale civil protection exercise, newly installed and digitally integrated sensor technology, redundant radio systems and the integration of spontaneous helpers were confirmed as good solutions and further suggestions for improvements were made. These will now be refined and presented in a strategy concept, which will also form the basis for the implementation and continuation phase. The SysKa project is applying for this second phase; the deadline for submission is the end of November 2022.

SysKa-projectpage