The EXTRACT Project will be taking part in this year’s Smart City Expo World Congress, hosting a side-event panel titled:
From Crisis to Action: How AI and Data Technologies Are Closing the Reaction Gap at “Moment Zero.”
Co-organised with the CREXDATA Project and in collaboration with PROCICAT, this panel will explore how AI, digital twins, and predictive tools from projects like EXTRACT and CREXDATA are transforming emergency response in cities such as Venice, Dortmund, and Barcelona.
The speakers
- Dr. Eduardo Quiñones, Senior Researcher at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center and Principal Investigator of the EXTRACT Project. His research involves integrating state of the art technology like AI, data mining and high performance computing into real world applications, like urban management. Dr Quiñones has led European and national funded projects in Barcelona, Florence, Modena and Venice.
- Dr Xavi Llort, M.Sc. in Maths and Ph.D. in Civil Engineering. He joined the CRAHI-UPC in 2002, where he did his dissertation on the error structure of radar rainfall and its errors. Until May 2011, he worked as the Development Head of CRAHI-UPC. Since June 2011, he has been enrolled as Head of R&D and now CPO at HYDS. His interests include precipitation estimation with focus on applied solutions: design, development, operation and maintenance of Early Warning Systems and Decision Support Systems for organisations involved in emergency management at all levels.
- Mr Rafael Prades, Head of Civil Protection in Terres de l’Ebre. He has a degree in Translation and Interpretation, and he has been part of the General Direction of Civil Protection for 15 years. Previously, he worked as a supervisor of 112, an emergency centre. He has a long history in emergency management, including the fires in Empordà in 2012, the floods due to the overflow of the Garonne River in 2013, the terrorist attack in Barcelona, Cambrils and Alcanar in 2017, or the fires in Paüls in August 2025. He has also participated in several European projects in risk protection.
About Smart City Expo World Congress
Since 2011, the Smart City Expo World Congress has been the world’s largest and most influential event for urban innovation. Held annually in Barcelona, it brings together leaders from global companies, governments, and strategic organisations who are driving real change.
By uniting visionary minds with cutting-edge technologies, the congress is helping shape a new urban paradigm—one that is more sustainable, efficient, and human-centred.