The collaborative project PUMA-X was unveiled yesterday morning (22 September 2022) on the premises of Thales Alenia Space, in the presence of Françoise Bruneteaux, Deputy Mayor of Cannes, Regional Councillor for the South of France and a supporter of the project from the outset, and David Lisnard, Mayor of Cannes and Chairman of the Cannes Lérins Conurbation, the area hosting the first PUMA-X trial. A real technological breakthrough to better protect people from increasing risks.

PUMA-X, a solution to the increased risks caused by global warming

On the one hand, the risks to the population are many and everywhere, and global warming is only going to increase them. Secondly, the way in which we currently manage risks and crises has certain limitations.

Today, the local authorities and organisations responsible for managing risks to the public no longer have the optimum tools to carry out their mission, given the technological developments within our reach.

- Pierre Salmona, spokesman for the PUMA-X consortium and Chairman of Jipe.

PUMA-X: a consortium of experts

7 private-sector players (ciitélécom, Predict Services, Prysm, JIPE, IGO, Jaguards) and academics (IMREDD / Université Côte d'Azur), all experts in the sector and already members of the Safe Cluster competitiveness cluster, set about completely rethinking the approach.

Faced with numerous heterogeneous solutions that are difficult to integrate or deploy and often dedicated to one type of risk, we need to offer a single, interoperable, modular and scalable platform to deal with all forms of risk (climatic, industrial, safety, health, etc.).

An innovative platform

Easy to deploy (thanks to SaaS mode) and accessible from anywhere in the cloud, it becomes the single repository of shared data for all those involved in a crisis, with a simple interface tailored to its users.

Its innovations are based on :

• Porting the solution to the cloud
• Real-time processing of structured and unstructured data as a decision-making aid
• The 3D geographic information system with digital twins of the territory
• Dynamic 3D Communal Safeguard Plans
• A hypervision module to sort data and aid decision-making
• Precise targeting of alerts

First tests soon in Cannes

Launched in mid-2021, the project will be fully operational by early 2024. But the first full-scale tests are already under way in Cannes.

Our city is likely to experience almost every possible risk, apart from volcanic eruptions and avalanches. Through anticipation, digital twin modelling of the territory, planning and artificial intelligence in particular, it is possible to reduce their impact. This is what PUMA-X is all about, and it represents a truly ground-breaking technology.

— David Lisnard

A public-private logic

Beyond the general interest, PUMA-X represents a real industrial and economic opportunity, particularly for our regions, in terms of skills and employment. This new approach could make France a world leader in population protection.

- Françoise Bruneteaux

Private and public players have therefore agreed to co-finance the €3.8m of R&D investment required in equal measure.

PUMA-X is supported jointly by the French government, under the Future Investment Programme, and the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Occitanie regions, as well as by the Aix-Marseille Provence metropolitan area, and has been accredited by the Safe Cluster, France Water Team and Aqua-Valley clusters.

The solution is also designed to help local authorities control their budgets and keep pace with ongoing technological developments.

The business model will be based on an annual subscription and licence system, calculated according to the size of the user organisation and the modules subscribed to. «PUMA-X will significantly reduce the integration and deployment costs currently incurred by local authorities in implementing their multiple tools.» explain the people involved in the project.

This first generation of PUMA-X is set to be enhanced by new partnerships that will provide complementary technologies and solutions (e.g. means of communication in the event of an Internet breakdown, etc.).

The players in the Puma-X consortium :

Ciitélécom, France's leading provider of public alerting solutions.

Predictive Services supports individuals, businesses, local authorities and crisis management services in their decision-making before, during and after risk events.

Prysm, publisher of software dedicated to global supervision and access control for buildings.

JIPE, a consultancy specialising in emergency response management.

IGO, an expert in 3D geographic visualisation of territories.

Jaguars, publisher of electronic accounting and operational management software (SGO)

Université Côte d'Azur – IMREDD, Institut d'innovation et de partenariats, is constantly experimenting with innovative solutions in the fields of energy, mobility, risks and the environment, to create a smart, sustainable and resilient region.

Photos: Thales Alenia Space