October 22 – 24, Heraklion, Crete, Greece
The Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (ICCS) at the National Technical University of Athens is proud to announce the acceptance and presentation of groundbreaking research on citizen-centric health crisis management at SafeHeraklion 2025.
Conference presentation
The ICCS’ research team successfully presented their paper titled “A Citizen-Centric Mobile Application for Health Crisis Preparedness and Response: The PREPSHIELD Approach” at the 11th International Conference on Civil Protection and New Technologies (SafeHeraklion 2025), held October 22–24, 2025, in Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
The paper was authored by a distinguished team of researchers from ICCS: Vasiliki-Georgia Bilali, Eirini Varia, Athanasios Douklias, Lazaros Karagiannidis, Konstantinos Stavrou, Giannis Mytis, Eleftherios Ouzounoglou, Angelos Amditis.
Key Innovation Highlights
The PREPSHIELD mobile application features:
- Inclusive Design: Special focus on reaching vulnerable and non-compliant populations
- Trusted Information: Real-time alerts and guidelines from verified sources
- Two-Way Communication: Anonymized feedback channels between citizens and Crisis Management Teams (CMTs)
- Educational Content: Static and dynamic materials promoting health preparedness
- Engagement Features: Gamification elements including badges, surveys, and personalized insights
- GDPR Compliance: Privacy-preserving architecture with anonymization layers
About SafeHeraklion 2025
SafeHeraklion 2025 brought together scientists, public officials, risk management agencies, and innovative companies to strengthen cross-sector cooperation and harness new technologies, particularly Artificial Intelligence, in disaster prevention and management. The conference featured 26 thematic units covering critical areas from natural disasters to cybersecurity.
About the Research
The PREPSHIELD project addresses critical challenges in health crisis management by introducing an innovative mobile application designed to bridge the gap between citizens and crisis management authorities. The research demonstrates how digital tools can strengthen communication, enhance accessibility, and combat misinformation during health emergencies.
Co-Creation Approach
The application is developed through extensive collaboration with stakeholders including citizens, NGOs, healthcare practitioners, and crisis management teams. Through four internal design workshops, the team extracted 41 requirements and translated them into nine targeted features, ensuring the app meets real-world needs.
Impact and Future Directions
The research demonstrates how citizen inputs can be transformed into actionable insights for authorities, helping them adjust communication strategies, detect emerging issues, and improve decision-making during health crises. The dual role of the application, serving both citizens and authorities, creates a valuable bridge between community needs and institutional responses.
Future pilots across Europe will further test the application’s usability and scalability, contributing to stronger preparedness cultures and more resilient societies.
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