Development for uncertain times: FIT VUT is involved in the iKryty app

The Faculty of Information Technology is currently involved in an interesting project with implications for the field of security. It also has a specific potential impact on the Czech public. Its aim is to map and plan makeshift shelters within the city of Prague, which could be used to shelter residents in the event of an armed conflict.

A Memorandum of Partnership in the field of crisis management and civil protection was recently signed between the City of Prague, the Prague Fire and Rescue Service, the University of Defence, the Brno University of Technology and Tomáš Baťa University in Zlín. One of its aims is to utilise the iKryty app, developed by the Faculty of Information Technology at Brno University of Technology and the University of Defence. “A significant benefit of this collaboration will also be the exchange of experience regarding the practical use of the app in the Czech Republic’s largest city. This experience will subsequently be used to further develop and improve the application,” said Associate Professor Tomáš Zeman, the project’s principal investigator based at the University of Defence.

The map and database application iKryty is designed for local authorities to plan and register buildings and spaces that can be used as so-called improvised shelters. It also serves to assess their protective properties. Improvised shelters are spaces within buildings that are not currently intended primarily for sheltering the population. However, they possess sufficient protective properties to be used for this purpose following certain structural modifications – particularly in the event of an armed conflict. Very few such improvised shelters have been planned in the Czech Republic to date. The app simplifies the process of planning and registering shelters, thereby aiming to contribute to a significant increase in their numbers in our country. To this end, the iKryty app can be used free of charge by all local authorities in the Czech Republic. “The software is currently being used by the cities of Brno, Pardubice and Písek. The research team is ready to provide municipalities with the necessary support during the implementation of the app,” said Dr Ondřej Klíma, project lead at the Brno University of Technology.

If you are interested in using the iKryty app for the planning and registration of improvised shelters within your municipality, please contact: iklima@fit.vut.cz

The application was developed as part of the security research project ‘Planning and Recording of Improvised Shelters’ (VK01030082), which was funded by the Ministry of the Interior under the OPSEC programme.