Loughborough University has praised the performance of the ResilienceDirect network during the Covid-19 pandemic but said there is scope for improvements.
It has published a report on the network, set up in 2014 by the Cabinet Office as a platform for emergency response agencies to exchange information, saying it proved a crucial technology in responding to the challenges of the Covid outbreak.
“If ResilienceDirect had not existed many users would have faced serious challenges in securely and reliably sharing information between multiple agencies,” it says.
But it also identifies some shortcomings, such as the platform not supporting live data editing and streaming, some features not being widely used, and a ‘restrict by default’ attitude towards information sharing by some users.
This prompts the university team to make 10 recommendations, including the development of a more intuitive user interface, the production of guidance on standardised folder and file structures, guidance on trust and information sharing to promote a ‘share by default’ mindset, and a campaign to promote greater awareness of the network.
It would be underpinned by ResilienceDirect being the primary technology to share information in the response to an emergency. Local resilience bodies should use it even if that duplicates local arrangements.
Critical infrastructure
Dr Daniel Sage and Dr Chris Zebrowski, who authored the report with support from Dr Nina Jörden, said: “Covid-19 has demonstrated that technologies such as ResilienceDirect can become a critical piece of national infrastructure underpinning emergency planning, response, and recovery activity.
“However, ResilienceDirect will need to continue to adapt to fulfil this function in the years ahead.
"Covid-19 has provided an opportunity to better understand and assess the UK’s capacity to respond to complex emergency events. We hope this report provides valuable insights that bolster our capacity to respond to pandemics and other complex events in the future."
ResilienceDirect has over 95,000 users, having gained 25,000 during the pandemic.
Research for the report was carried out through a survey of users, interviews and a review of policies and documentation.
