Crisis management: Innovation pioneer Matthias Falk on the importance of resilience and an innovative mindset

27.08.2024

Heavy rain events are occurring more and more frequently and represent a growing risk for companies. They not only threaten infrastructures, but also economic existence. In such a situation, both technological solutions and an innovative and resilient mindset are required. The company Spekter - a leader in the field of heavy rain risk management - has set itself the task of supporting companies in overcoming these challenges. But how did the idea behind Spekter come about? And what role does a positive mindset play in times of crisis? Matthias Falk, CTO of Spekter, answers these questions.

Your managing director had to experience first-hand what it means when storms cause business damage. That's why you developed an innovative solution, right?

Matthias Falk: Exactly. In 2007, there was a heavy rainfall event in the north of Erlangen in the town of Baiersdorf. In this area, there are a lot of plains that can fill up with water during heavy rain. And the event back then was so severe that there was water on the A73 highway, so people had to be taken out of their cars in boats. Our current Managing Director, Rainer Brodrecht, was the civil engineer responsible for planning a new development area at the time, which was located exactly where the flooding happened. There were houses there that had only been occupied for two to three months and were then completely under water. The question arose: What can be done better? Can something like this be seen earlier? Are there measures that can perhaps be taken?

How does this early warning system actually work?

Matthias Falk: Firstly, the early warning system consists of sensors that are installed on the ground. The system is called Ground Truth, i.e. a "truth on the ground". We also have weather data from radar systems, e.g. from the German Weather Service or other meteorological institutes, which we can also use. However, this data reflects what is happening on a large scale, but not exactly what is happening on a small scale. You can't use this data to monitor city districts or work at street level. Instead, you can only really look at everything as a whole. That's why we work with sensors on the ground. We have precipitation sensors and water level systems that can measure the level of the nearest body of water, for example a river or stream. We also have sensors in the sewer network to see what the condition of the sewer system looks like in real time. This data is transmitted in real time.
Then there are also the forecast reports from the weather services, and all of these data sources are integrated. All of these sources are analyzed and, in the end, proper alerts are issued. These warnings are then distributed to citizens, emergency services and administrations via SMS, push notifications and other channels. Building yards, for example, also play an important role here.

What crucial role does real-time data play here?

Matthias Falk: Real-time data is important. It forms the basis of the entire system. We want to be able to issue alerts quickly and register, process and then warn of flooding conditions in a matter of seconds.
What was it like in the past? That's an interesting story. I was in contact with an employee of the water management office in Nuremberg who is responsible for the water levels. He told us how water levels used to be monitored. There was someone there who measured and recorded them. The measurements were filed in a folder and then taken to the control center for evaluation. We've come a long way since then. We can now transfer data in milliseconds using technologies such as NB-IoT, and perhaps soon via satellite.

Does this mean that data and data rooms actually save lives?

Matthias Falk: Absolutely. They play an important role in the whole concept of early alerting and early warning. The basic technologies are there today and we can fall back on them and use them. In 2007, they probably weren't there yet or perhaps only in their infancy. Now you can use them, now you even have to use them.

Are there any points that you would like to improve as a team?

Matthias Falk: I think there is always room for improvement and there is always room for improvement. We can improve sensors, improve our algorithms in the cloud services and we can warn even faster here and there. That's all possible. What I personally really enjoy is the fact that you can really make an impact here. I've worked in a lot of software companies before, I've seen a lot of companies and I've also helped to found something. But I think what I'm doing at the moment can create a bigger impact every day. Here I really see that we can help people and ultimately really save lives. Yes, we don't save lives directly, that's the emergency services on the ground, but we can support them in their work. This point is crucial for us as a company and I think every one of us in the team has this mindset. Everyone knows that if our systems work great, then it can really make a difference.

How would you describe your team's mindset in one sentence?

Matthias Falk: I think I know my colleagues so well that I can say that we have a mindset of really making an impact every day and helping to save people's lives.

You don't act completely alone. How important are the network and the partnerships "in the background"?

Matthias Falk: Partnerships are very important. We work very closely and exclusively with large telecommunications companies such as Deutsche Telekom. However, we also work with smaller start-ups that may have only launched a year ago but are good in a niche. We have various joint ventures in the different federal states. In Switzerland, for example, we work with Swisscom, which is also a very large partner of ours. Partner networks are the be-all and end-all. The whole thing wouldn't work without a partner network.

One network in which you are very active is the Mobility Data Space, which is also connected to Bayern Innovatv. How has it helped you?

Matthias Falk: The Mobility Data Space and the colleagues there are truly a unique constellation in Germany. What does the Mobility Data Space do? In a nutshell: We collect a lot of data there and make it available via a standardized interface, a kind of marketplace.

I can say that the Mobility Data Space has already helped us a lot, for example with the water levels from the water management office. This data was not available via an interface and it was not possible to obtain this data in a standardized way or via the official channels.

The Mobility Data Space can implement something like this. This is particularly important for weather data or vehicle data. We have a research project in Markt Ergoldsbach, for example, which is also supported by the Bavarian government. The aim is to see what impact cars have on weather forecasts and the prediction of heavy rainfall events. The cars collect a lot of data while driving and, thanks to the Mobility Data Space, we can also access vehicle data from BMW or Audi, for example. And that's a great thing.

Does this mean that your innovative solution would not have been possible without Mobility Space?

Matthias Falk: That's right. We have a lot of isolated solutions in Germany, including in the area of public authorities. Every federal state, every district builds its own solution. The Mobility Data Space is a solution that is not an island, but a large port for data with standardized structures. Networking for a larger cause. It's not just data from Germany either; we also work with a company from Sweden, for example, which offers special weather data that is calibrated again using special sensors.

What does resilience mean to you and what advice do you have for SMEs on how they can become more resilient?

Matthias Falk: Resilience is very important in our business. Our climate is changing, which means we all have to create resilience. I think we do that with the solutions we can offer our municipalities at Spekter. What does resilience for SMEs mean to me? The environment is changing, just as the climate is changing. You can see that we have many trouble spots in Europe right now, from wars to the economic situation in Germany. However, SMEs and start-up ecosystems in particular have an extreme opportunity here to really gain a foothold, be successful and bring new solutions to the market.

What tips would you give SMEs regarding crisis management?

Matthias Falk: I don't want to pre-empt our partners in the fire department or the disaster control authorities in the municipalities, but what is the best way to manage a crisis? The most important thing is preparation. A good example is the municipality of Adelsdorf, which was one of the first municipalities we supported. They are now training their fire department and emergency services in a crisis team. They have addressed the issue of heavy rainfall. The fire departments didn't really have that in the past either. Every building has fire alarm systems and emergency plans that explain what to do in the event of a fire. The situation is similar in the event of a traffic accident. There was simply nothing comparable for heavy rain. The fire department in the municipality has drawn up these plans and thus done really good groundwork.

So what is my tip? I think that every municipality definitely needs to prepare for the event of heavy local flooding caused by heavy rainfall. The climate is changing and our weather is changing as a result. Hence the topic of resilience: we have to adapt.

So it's about always being vigilant with the help of methods?

Matthias Falk: Exactly, so vigilance is of course an important thing. And thanks to things like an early warning system, you no longer have to be on site every day like the water level warden at the water management authority. Nowadays, there are systems and technology that are alert 24/7, support people and really create an impact.

The interview was conducted by Dr. Tanja Jovanovic, Head of Marketing and Innovation Management, Member of the Management Board, Bayern Innovativ GmbH, Nuremberg.