BuildERS · Project

Vulnerability Maps and Data Tools That Help Emergency Services Reach the Right People First

otherTestedTRL 5Thin data (2/5)

When a flood or earthquake hits, rescue teams often don't know where the most at-risk people actually are — the elderly, people with disabilities, migrants who don't speak the local language. BuildERS figured out how to combine mobile phone location data with social vulnerability maps so first responders can prioritize who needs help most urgently. Think of it like a GPS layer that shows not just where people are, but who is most likely to need help. The project tested these approaches across 10 countries with 17 partner organizations.

By the numbers

consortium partners validating the approach

countries where methods were tested

total project deliverables produced

demonstrated tools including vulnerability maps and data fusion methods

EUR 4,946,900

EU investment in disaster resilience research

The business problem

What needed solving

When disasters strike, emergency services waste critical time because they lack real-time data on where the most vulnerable people are located. Traditional emergency plans treat populations as uniform, missing elderly residents, people with disabilities, migrants, and other groups who face the highest risk. This information gap costs lives and increases liability for agencies responsible for public safety.

The solution

What was built

The project delivered maps of severely vulnerable populations, a data fusion method for prioritizing rescue operations, and mobile positioning tools that use telecom data to track population dynamics during emergencies. Across 37 deliverables, 4 were demonstrated tools ready for further development.

Audience

Who needs this

National civil protection agencies upgrading their emergency response targetingInsurance and reinsurance companies refining catastrophe risk modelsGovTech firms building crisis management or emergency alert platformsMunicipal governments developing urban resilience and evacuation plansHumanitarian organizations operating disaster response in diverse populations

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Emergency Management & Civil Protection

enterprise

Target: National or regional civil protection agencies and emergency operations centers

If you are a civil protection agency struggling to allocate rescue resources during disasters — this project developed maps of severely vulnerable populations and a data fusion method for rescue prioritization. With 17 partners across 10 countries validating the approach, these tools help you direct field teams to the people who need help most, reducing response time and casualties.

Insurance & Risk Assessment

enterprise

Target: Property and casualty insurers or reinsurance firms with disaster exposure portfolios

If you are an insurer trying to price disaster risk more accurately — this project produced population vulnerability maps and mobile positioning data methods that reveal where concentrations of at-risk populations actually are. Built from field surveys and comparative research across 10 countries, these datasets can sharpen your catastrophe models and help you assess community-level exposure beyond simple property values.

Smart City & Public Safety Technology

mid-size

Target: GovTech companies building emergency alert systems or urban resilience platforms

If you are a technology company developing emergency notification or crisis management software — this project created methods to fuse mobile positioning data with vulnerability indicators for more precise hazard responses. With 37 deliverables including 4 demonstrated tools, these methods can be integrated into your platform to deliver targeted alerts and guide evacuation planning for the populations that need it most.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to license or implement these vulnerability mapping tools?

The project was publicly funded with EUR 4,946,900 under Horizon 2020 as a Research and Innovation Action. Results from RIA projects are typically available under open or negotiable licensing terms. Contact the coordinator VTT (Finland) to discuss specific access and integration costs.

Can these tools scale to cover an entire country or region?

The project validated its approaches across 10 countries with diverse disaster contexts, suggesting the methodology is designed for cross-border scalability. The mobile positioning data methods were specifically built for population-level coverage. However, scaling requires access to local telecom data and vulnerability indicators specific to each region.

Who owns the intellectual property?

IP from Horizon 2020 RIA projects typically stays with the consortium partners who generated it. VTT (Finland) coordinated the 17-partner consortium. Specific licensing terms for the vulnerability maps, data fusion methods, and mobile positioning tools would need to be negotiated with the relevant partners.

Does this comply with GDPR when using mobile positioning data?

The project operated under EU research ethics requirements and involved partners from 10 EU/EEA countries, so GDPR compliance was built into the research design. The mobile positioning data methods were developed with privacy considerations for emergency use cases. Specific data processing agreements would be needed for operational deployment.

How long would it take to integrate these tools into existing emergency systems?

The project ran for 3 years (2019-2022) and produced 37 deliverables including demonstrated vulnerability maps and data fusion tools. Based on available project data, integration timelines would depend on your existing infrastructure, but the demonstrated tools suggest a foundation ready for pilot testing rather than starting from scratch.

Can these tools work with our existing crisis management software?

The data fusion approach for rescue prioritization and mobile positioning methods were designed as analytical layers, not standalone platforms. Based on the 4 demonstrated deliverables, the outputs (vulnerability maps, population dynamics data) can feed into existing GIS-based emergency management systems as additional data layers.

Consortium

Who built it

The 17-partner consortium spans 10 countries (Belgium, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Norway, Sweden, USA), giving it unusually broad geographic validation for disaster resilience methods. The team is research-heavy: 7 universities and 4 research organizations drive the science, while only 2 industry partners and 2 SMEs (12% industry ratio) handle applied development. VTT, the Finnish national research centre, coordinates — a strong technical institution but not a commercial entity. For a business looking to adopt these tools, the low industry involvement means you would likely need to do integration engineering yourself, but the multi-country validation adds credibility to the methodology.

TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OYCoordinator · FI
TARTU ULIKOOLparticipant · EE
STIFTELSEN THE STOCKHOLM ENVIRONMENT INSTITUTEparticipant · SE
TRANSPORTOKONOMISK INSTITUTTparticipant · NO
UNIVERSITETET I STAVANGERparticipant · NO
GEONARDO KORNYEZETVEDELMI TERINFORMATIKAI ES REGIONALIS PROJEKTFEJLESZTO KORLATOLT FELELOSSEGU TARSASAGparticipant · HU
UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI TRENTOparticipant · IT
POLIISIAMMATTIKORKEAKOULUparticipant · FI
EBERHARD KARLS UNIVERSITAET TUEBINGENparticipant · DE
PROVINCIA AUTONOMA DI TRENTOparticipant · IT
STOCKHOLMS UNIVERSITETparticipant · SE
Positium OUparticipant · EE

How to reach the team

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland — search for BuildERS project lead at VTT for direct contact

Order a report on this consortium See TEKNOLOGIAN TUTKIMUSKESKUS VTT OY profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want a tailored brief on how BuildERS vulnerability mapping tools could fit your emergency management or risk assessment needs? SciTransfer connects businesses with EU research teams — contact us for an introduction.

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