Resilient crisis communication: Advertising Pillar 4.0 in Darmstadt issues warnings in an emergency

The classic advertising pillar, known for over 170 years, is experiencing a renaissance as a warning disseminator. The idea: if other communication media such as mobile phones, the internet or television fail during a long power outage, the energy-autonomous Advertising Pillar 4.0 can continue to provide people with information. On Thursday, the LOEWE Centre emergenCITY, the Technical University of Darmstadt and the media company Ströer launched the prototype developed in a joint research project at Riegerplatz in Darmstadt. In addition to the technical testing, scientific studies are to be carried out to show how the people of Darmstadt perceive the warning pillar.

The Advertising Pillar 4.0 is an upgrade for existing advertising pillars in which the existing capital is replaced by a new top piece that is equipped with three LED displays that can show information and warnings from the authorities. The digital display is powered by a methanol fuel cell. Two photovoltaic modules on the roof ensure that the receiver is on standby, which the fire brigade can control by radio. In the event of a power failure, the advertising pillar can be operated for up to 72 hours. In the future, the new warning disseminator should also be integrated into the federal government’s modular warning system.

Since 2020, researchers at the LOEWE Centre emergenCITY have been working on the question of how resilient information and communication systems can help to better prepare people for disasters. Blackouts, i.e. large-scale, long-lasting power failures, are extremely rare. However, critical infrastructures in particular are vulnerable in the face of increasing threats from natural disasters or geopolitical conflicts, and from increasing digitalisation and networking. If the power outage lasts longer, neither mobile networks, landline telephony, the internet, nor television can be adequately supplied with emergency power. They would no longer be available for crisis communication. 

While searching for suitable media, architect and emergenCITY scientist Dr Joachim Schulze came across a classic of exterior advertising: the advertising pillar. “The evenly distributed pillars in cities offer a number of advantages. They’re part of the urban landscape – there are 155 of them in Darmstadt alone, and around 65,000 throughout Germany. Unlike other forms of digital exterior advertising, they’re located in residential areas, just 300 metres’ walk from the city centre,” said Schulze, who is also the initiator of the Advertising Pillar 4.0. In a research collaboration that has been in place since October 2023, emergenCITY researchers worked with Ströer to develop the prototype. Other partners such as the City of Science Darmstadt, Darmstadt Marketing GmbH and the Darmstadt Fire Brigade were also involved. 

“The advertising pillar is a piece of urban furniture with a very long history, a high level of acceptance among the population and an unmistakable presence in our cities. The function of the advertising pillar has always been to inform citizens about official announcements or important and urgent news. The new option of digitally displaying the motifs means that out-of-home media can communicate in real time. They are therefore taking on more and more additional tasks and, thanks to their connection to the warning system of the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance, they now form part of the warning and security infrastructure in public spaces. Many thousands of screens throughout the country are already connected to the system and can be interrupted by warning messages – from the local crisis management teams, for example – to inform the population in real time and with a high level of coverage,” says Alexander Stotz, CEO of Ströer Media Deutschland GmbH.

Over the next six months, scientists from emergenCITY and the Transferzentrum Digital Resilience Xchange, which is also affiliated with the TU Darmstadt and currently being established, will initially investigate how the Advertising Pillar 4.0 is accepted by city residents. To this end, surveys, censuses and human-computer interaction studies, among other things, are planned. Further tests are being carried out together with Ströer, the fire brigade, the Darmstadt Science City, and the Darmstadt Marketing GmbH, which are also partners of the project. 

About the LOEWE Centre emergenCITY

How can digitally networked infrastructure ensure that cities remain functional even in the event of a disaster? The LOEWE Centre emergenCITY has been conducting research into resilient infrastructures that protect digital cities from crises and disasters since 2020. The solution concepts include modern information and communication technology, cyber-physical systems, and the historical, legal, social and structural aspects of crisis and disaster management. More than 90 scientists work together in four networked programme areas and six research missions.

emergenCITY is an interdisciplinary and cross-location cooperation involving the partner universities of Darmstadt, Kassel and Marburg. The associated partners include the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) and the City of Science Darmstadt. The research is funded by the LOEWE research funding programme of the federal state of Hesse. LOEWE stands for State Offensive for the Development of Scientific and Economic Excellence (Landes-Offensive zur Entwicklung wissenschaftlich-ökonomischer Exzellenz).

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