Antequera Town Council uses Mission Track in a simulation exercise and successfully safeguards the most valuable jewels of its cultural heritage
On 16 November 2022, the city of Antequera in Malaga took a qualitative leap in emergency management, abandoning manual management and opting for Mission Track, an innovative and accessible technological support – unique in the world – to manage any catastrophe or emergency, improving the three key parameters in the response: speed, efficiency and safety.
From very early in the morning until midday, Antequera became a great stage for a multiple drill involving the two great jewels of its cultural heritage: the Museum and the Municipal Archives, and in which Mission Track was deployed. After a whole morning’s work, the most precious objective was achieved: in record time, the most valuable pieces of the museum and the municipal archive were brought to safety and in a good state of conservation.
More than fifty members of the Civil Protection, security, emergency and health services, as well as heritage technicians, participated in the simulation of an earthquake, fire and flood, and were able to do so with the most cutting-edge and innovative response management system available on the market. Mission Track enabled the digitisation of real-time management from the outset: the emergency was notified immediately, as quickly as pressing a button, the system searched for the person responsible for activating the response and the intervention of all the teams could be managed more quickly.
Fernando Tejedor, CEO of Mission Track, in statements to Canal Sur Radio (link) highlighted as keys to success the fact that each evacuation team had received a personalised evacuation plan, and knew without error which works should be evacuated as a priority, where they should take them and how they should make the move. He also pointed out that, thanks to the geopositioning of the teams, the operation can be monitored at all times.
According to the Mayor of the city, Manuel Barón, the results of the drill “are totally satisfactory”, describing it as “an example of coordination and collaboration between the different agents involved” and constituting a clear example of how to be prepared and aware in the event of any kind of catastrophe.
Each evacuation team received a personalised evacuation plan: which construction sites should be evacuated as a priority, where they should take them and how they should be moved.
The success of this simulation exercise in Antequera is in addition to the one carried out last July when Mission Track was used in the Fine Arts Museum in Valencia, also coordinating more than a hundred personnel.
The RESILIENT-TOURISM#SIMULACRO-MUSEO-ARCHIVE drill is an exercise included in the R+D+I RESEARCH CHALLENGES PROJECT: “New technologies applied to the prevention and management of emergencies in cultural heritage and emergency response in pandemic conditions”, funded by the Junta de Andalucía and coordinated by the Pablo de Olavide University whose objective is to research and develop protocols based on Artificial Intelligence, Best Management Practices, Geographic Information Systems and Information and Communications Technology for the protection and conservation of Cultural Heritage in scenarios that integrate multiple hazards, for decision-making by local governments and managers on preventive conservation that allows prioritising strategies and emergency preparedness in the face of possible disasters.
In addition to the Antequera City Council, the simulation involves the participation of the Pablo de Olavide University (UPO), the Andalusian Institute of Historical Heritage of the Andalusian Regional Government, the Valencian Institute of Conservation, Restoration and Research (IVCR+i), the Official College of Doctors and Graduates in Fine Arts of Andalusia and the company that provides the technological support Mission Track.