A MULTI-MILLION pound project to develop 3D simulations of national emergencies as a training tool has got under way at the University of East London (UEL).

The £3.3m Pandora programme is led by UEL Dean of computing Professor Muhammed Dastbaz and is based at UEL's Docklands campus.

The aim of the project is to create a 3D virtual control room where decision-makers are presented with scenarios and their performance in dealing with them assessed.

Professor Dastbaz, who is also the Project’s Principal Investigator, said: “Our project is also trying to use emergent technologies to simulate real life scenarios.

“For example, in a national emergency such as if another terrorist attack happens in London and the transport system shuts down, what critical choices do the relevant decision makers need to take in co-ordinating with the other key decision makers, such as the police, with very limited time? We are trying to improve and learn from similar scenarios in the past.”

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