CBRNe and vulnerable citizens: co-creating an app for that

Abstract

A wide range of emergency preparedness and disaster response smartphone applications (commonly referred to as “disaster apps”) are currently available on various app stores. These disaster apps allow for the efficient spreading and collecting of information during disasters. However, few existing disaster apps address the issue of CBRNe (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive) threats. Recent CBRNe incidents, such as the Salisbury, UK nerve-agent poisoning on 4 March 2018 demonstrate the importance of providing apps to the public that also deal with CBRNe. The EU H2020 project PROACTIVE (PReparedness against CBRNe threats through cOmmon Approaches between security praCTItioners and the VuleranblE civil society) will address this gap by co-creating together with citizens, including vulnerable groups, a disaster app able to be used during CBRNe incidents. This article lays out the methodology PROACTIVE will employ in order to create and validate the disaster app.