Update on JRC tool development to support the EU PSA initiative

As part of the EU Counter-Terrorism Agenda, the Commission supports EU member states with advice on vulnerabilities of major, high-risk events, taking place at public space locations or involving critical infrastructures. The EU Protective Security Advisor (PSA) initiative based on a permanent EU pool of experts, made up of nearly 100 dedicated and specially trained EU member state and Commission experts, leads these vulnerability assessments.

How does the JRC support EU PSA experts with advice and relevant tools? 

Various JRC tools can support EU PSA missions in the field. Some are already available, while others are still under development. The JRC offers access to its tools to interested stakeholders on a need-to-know basis, following a ‘Software as a Service (SaaS) approach’, making it easy and convenient for authorized users to access them whenever needed, without worrying about compatibility, installation, maintenance or other constraints. Controlled access is conveniently provided via the ‘EU Login’ account.

Already available tools

Vulnerabilities related to potential VAW attacks are important to identify in order to provide guidance on potential mitigation measures for Hostile Vehicle Mitigation. Following the identification of potentially vulnerable locations to VAW, it is important to understand the potential threat more in detail, assessing accessibility for the type of vehicle and its potential velocity at a specific location. This is generally done through a Vehicle Dynamics Assessment. This process has been automated in the Vehicle SPEed Evaluation and Dynamics Assessment (V-SPEED) application.

The Blast Load Assessment and Damage Evaluation tool (BLADE) tool allows a preliminary assessment of the expected consequences following an explosion on structures, structural components and persons. Results are based on a combination of Pressure-Impulse (P-I) curves and empirically derived blast parameters. The tool can help in the pre-design of physical protective measures but also provide indications on safe distances for persons with regard to a specific charge size. While already available, the JRC is currently working to incorporate additional features.

Access requests for these tools can be made via: https://counterterrorism.ec.europa.eu/.

Under development

JRC is working on the transformation of the EU Vulnerability Assessment Checklist into a mobile application for tablets, further simplifying its use in the field. Main features of the application are now functional and a testing session in April 2024 will involve key users from the PSA expert community. A first glimpse at the application was provided during the PSA expert training session.

Regarding blast, an advanced simulation tool for urban environments is taking shape that creates semi-automatically a blast damage assessment of a selected area (in Open StreetMap), specifying only the charge size and location. The objective of the tool is to make complex blast assessments accessible to non-experts.

Finally, JRC is also working on a Line of Sight Analysis tool specifically geared towards law enforcement authorities.