CBRN crisis management: Architecture, Technologies and Operational Procedures (CATO)
The CATO project is an international project funded by the FP7 Research Development Programme of the European Union, running from January 2012 to December 2014. CATO focuses on terror crises involving CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear) material. The goal is to build a dedicated community of user organisations and stakeholders concerned by CBRN preparedness and resilience, such as policy makers, ethics experts, emergency management agencies, first responders and CBRN experts.
CATO contributes to preparedness for crises of a more threatening kind that may be used in terrorism or that form a threat without actual use. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks there were envelopes with anthrax sent, but also fake powder letters by members of the public made people feel unsafe. Communication is important in such situations.
The University of Jyväskylä, Department of Communication, was asked to join the consortium because of their previous experience in developing a crisis communication scorecard to improve preparedness of authorities and knowledge on social media. The consultancy Inconnect adds knowledge of communication strategies and practices, including expertise in working with public authorities. There is close cooperation with the University of Greifswald. CATO is coordinated by NESS and facilitated by Arttic.
- Brochure on the project CATO (download)
- Website of the project CATO
The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2011–2014) under grant agreement n° 261693.