Project - SUPER -- Connected Real-Time Information

Overview

The SUPER (Social sensors for secUrity Assessments and Proactive EmeRgencies management) project addressed the growing impact of social media in emergencies, exploring how online platforms can support civil protection agencies and security forces before, during, and after crisis situations. Funded under FP7, SUPER developed a holistic framework that combined social media analysis, behavioural modelling, and real-time event detection to improve situational awareness, decision-making, and public communication in emergency and security scenarios.

Within this context, IN2 contributed its expertise as a social media aggregator and platform provider and interaction specialist, bringing hands-on knowledge of how people create, share, and consume content during critical events. IN2’s work focused on enabling real-time participation, geo-located content sharing, and social interaction through its FollowThePlace platform, which acted as a key data source and experimentation environment for the project’s social sensing technologies.

IN2 supported the integration of user-generated, location-aware multimedia content into the SUPER framework, helping translate raw social media activity into actionable insights for emergency management. This included supporting event detection, community awareness, and public feedback loops, ensuring that citizen contributions could be analysed, visualised, and trusted within operational security contexts.

A key contribution from IN2 was the development of a Community of Practice, which aggregated social media content from related EU-funded security and emergency projects into a shared, continuously updated hub. This community space enabled cross-project visibility, knowledge exchange, and collaboration, making it easier for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to follow developments, identify synergies, and share best practices across the European security research landscape.

By bridging social media infrastructures with emergency management needs, IN2 helped demonstrate how participatory platforms can function as “social sensors”, complementing traditional systems and improving responsiveness, transparency, and communication. This contribution reinforced SUPER’s vision of using social media not just as an information source, but as an active channel for coordination, awareness, and engagement during crises.

Alongside IN2, the following organisations formed the consortium:

• Vitrociset Spa, Italy (Coordinator)
• University of Glasgow
• Institute of Communication and Computer Systems - NTUA, Greece
• Sensing & Control Systems S.L., Spain
• Civil Protection Service of Campania Region, Italy
• Fundació Barcelona Media - Yahoo! Research, Spain
• SENSAP Swiss AG, Switzerland
• Inspectoratul General al Politiei Romane, Romania