The Territori Aperti Disaster Preparedness Toolkit is a dynamic tool that capitalises on already-implemented experiences to provide recommendations and procedures for public bodies/institutions and citizens, aiming to strengthen disaster prevention, make post-disaster actions more effective and structured, improve disaster response, reduce critical issues across all phases, and help avoid repeating past mistakes.
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Territori Aperti Toolkit
General information
The Territori Aperti Disaster Preparedness Toolkit is a dynamic tool that gathers existing experiences and transforms them into useful recommendations and procedures for public bodies and citizens.
It stems from the need to map critical issues in disaster management and highlight good and bad practices to improve prevention, response, and reconstruction. It is structured into sheets with standard fields, practical examples, and focuses on three phases: emergency, post-emergency, and reconstruction. It integrates a digital system (Gateway/Catalogue) and extensive use of data and GIS tools to support planning and governance.
The Toolkit was created from the need for an instrument able to map critical aspects of disaster management and to collect good and bad practices so that future similar situations can be handled better.
Status
Purpose
Topics For Preparedness
Hazard Type
Geographical Scope - Nuts
Geographical Scope
Population Size
Population Density
Needs Addressed
Lack of a structured, reusable way to capture lessons learned, translate them into practical guidance, and support both immediate post-disaster decision-making and pre-disaster planning.
Information on it is not available.
The document highlights a governance approach based on multi-level / multi-sector coordination (civil protection planning coordinated with other territorial strategic planning) and the need for shared knowledge and co-planning rather than rigid sectoral planning.
The Toolkit is positioned for pre-disaster planning and preparedness (Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning and pre-disaster planning actions), rather than only ad-hoc response.
The Territori Aperti documentation/research setup includes: a Gateway (open research infrastructure) with a Catalogue of datasets and methods for analysis (e.g., emergency planning optimisation, knowledge to guide reconstruction), connected to the European research infrastructure SoBigData; a results dissemination site with modules for training, documentation, and the Toolkit itself.
The Toolkit promotes information-sharing and stronger interaction between public administration and citizens, so that knowledge is not restricted to officials and the population can participate more consciously in planning choices. (The text does not explicitly label the engagement as “consultation” or “partnerships,” but it clearly pushes beyond one-way communication). To enable shared territorial knowledge and allow the population to participate in planning decisions with awareness, through broader access to data, analysis, and governance strategies.
Information on it is not available (beyond the general approach of sharing information/data and making it available for consultation/download).
Information on it is not available.
The Toolkit contributes to capacity building by offering a structured framework of recommendations, procedures, and lessons learned (good/bad practices) that can be reused by public bodies and citizens to improve prevention, response, and reconstruction.
Long-term empowerment is supported by the creation of a "Knowledge System" and the use of digital/data tools (including GIS) to make territorial knowledge more accessible and shared, promoting more informed decisions over time.
Vulnerable Groups
Governance
Emergency Preparedness
Infrastructure Readiness
Engagement Level
Empowerment Level
Implementation
- A structured, standardised “sheet” format with predefined fields, recommendations (including success measures), and real-world “in practice” experiences across emergency / post-emergency / reconstruction phases.
- Emphasis on GIS-oriented tools, correct data collection/integration, and making local data available at broader scales.
- Integration potential with a research catalogue connected to SoBigData for broader visibility and reuse.
Italian; English
Among the actors cited in the Toolkit's experiences, the Abruzzo Region Civil Protection Office stands out, in collaboration with the University of L'Aquila for civil protection/DRM planning activities and the development of a "Knowledge System" and digital platform (SIM) to support the Regional Plan.
The Abruzzo Region appears as an entity connected to territorial knowledge tools (e.g., CLeP) based on multidisciplinary indicators and shared database data to support planning.
The University of L'Aquila also serves as a research/documentation provider for pre-disaster planning and solutions in the post-emergency/reconstruction phase.
In the experiences reported in the Toolkit, the implementing organization (e.g., the Abruzzo Region Civil Protection Department, also in collaboration with the University of L'Aquila) demonstrates experience in Disaster Risk Management, especially in civil protection planning and in the development/use of a "Knowledge System" and a digital platform (SIM) to support analysis, risk governance, and integration with other territorial planning tools.
Examples of actors explicitly mentioned in the Toolkit’s documented experiences include Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, Regione Abruzzo, and Protezione Civile Regione Abruzzo (with the University), as well as broader references to public administrations and citizens.
- Collect and map critical aspects of disaster management; identify good/bad practices.
- Structure content into sheets with predefined fields + recommendations + “in practice” experiences (with sources).
- Maintain the Toolkit through ongoing implementation and work toward better codification and integration into the Catalogue.
Information on it is not available.
The Toolkit is described as constantly being implemented. It also organises content by three operational phases: Emergency, Post-emergency, and Reconstruction.
Experience of the Implementing Organisation in DRM
Target Audience
Resources Required
Timeframe & Phases
Participation Results
The Toolkit notes that some of its contents may later populate the Catalogue, becoming a resource for other researchers, and that future work includes improving the codification system and how sheet information should be shaped to be effectively inserted and used in the Catalog.
A key challenge identified is that Italian planning systems are often rigid and stable, whereas the proposed approach requires flexibility and dynamism; the Toolkit recommends stronger data integration, shared databases, and GIS-oriented tools to support improved governance and planning.
Information on it is not available.
Risk & Mitigation Plan
Scalability and Sustainability
The Toolkit does not describe an "operational" sustainability model (e.g., governance, budget, ownership, maintenance), but sustainability is primarily conceived as a structured and reusable knowledge management, given that the Toolkit is constantly being implemented and some content is designed to also feed the Catalog/Gateway. In addition, the default fields for the cards include "SDG Codes," which classifies each card according to the 17 SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda (so you can enter the SDG codes directly there, card by card).
The Toolkit is designed to be replicable in different contexts because it capitalizes on experiences already implemented and translates them into useful recommendations/procedures for managing similar situations in the future, reducing the risk of repeating errors.
The standardized tab structure (predefined fields + recommendations + case studies) facilitates adaptation: relevant tabs can be selected and updated with local data/assets.
However, an operational scaling plan (replication criteria, costs, timelines, governance for adoption) is not described.
Technology is central: GIS-oriented approaches, structured data collection/integration, a digital knowledge infrastructure (Gateway + Catalogue), and planned integration/visibility via SoBigData.
INFO NOT AVAILABLE
Information on it is not available.
The Toolkit notes that some of its contents may later populate the Catalogue, becoming a resource for other researchers, and that future work includes improving the codification system and how sheet information should be shaped to be effectively inserted and used in the Catalogue.