From floods to festivals – how digital helpers can support

Emergency services from all over Germany are helping in the flood-hit areas. Rescue services, fire brigades and the Federal Agency for Technical Relief are involved in major operations. Municipalities and authorities have to provide fast help for those affected – ideally without heavy bureaucratic effort. The flood disaster has once again exposed the deficits in digitalisation.

Digital support usually begins long before a specific event. For example, MR.KNOW can carry out surveys or data collection in advance, or be on hand at a festival to provide specific information in different languages. If required, MR.KNOW can also be integrated into existing websites or apps.

In an actual emergency, too, the digital helper can lend support. When a call comes in to the emergency control centre, MR.KNOW guides staff through the operational guidelines, so that emergencies are documented in an audit-proof way and the data is passed on quickly and error-free to the relevant offices. If the operational guidelines change, MR.KNOW does not have to be laboriously reprogrammed – adjustments can be implemented easily by specialist staff using a descriptive procedure.

Another possible use is deployment in municipalities: during reconstruction, many of those affected wonder how they can quickly access emergency flood aid. With MR.KNOW, an easy-to-use interface can be created and built into existing portals. As a digital colleague, it supports citizens in processing all their entries and requests, handles the procedure independently and forwards it to the responsible staff.