All-Russian Center for Monitoring and Forecasting of Emergencies of the EMERCOM of Russia (Center "Antistikhiya")

All-Russian Center for Monitoring and Forecasting of Natural and Man-caused Emergencies of the Russian Emergencies Ministry - Antistikhiya Center was established on 1 July, 1999, and has become the assignee of the All-Russian Center for Monitoring and Laboratory Inspection of the Emergencies Ministry of Russia.

The main tasks of the Center:

• Monitoring of the environment, emergency situations and their sources;
• Forecasting of occurrence and development of emergencies caused by humans, nature and biological and social events and their consequences;
• Creation of specialized geoinformation systems, running of emergencies monitoring data base, its consequences and other informational and software products in the field of monitoring and forecasting of emergency situations;
• Provision of urgent, mid-term and long-term forecasts of emergency situations for the NationalCrisisManagementCenter;
• Guidance management and coordination of activities of the system for monitoring and forecasting of emergencies (SMFE), as well as observation and laboratory control network (OLCN) in order to improve efficiency of such systems; 
• Laboratory control aimed at detection and indication of radioactive, chemical and biological (bacteriological) contamination of the environment, foodstuffs, drinking water, food and forage materials;
• Informational and expert and analytical support of activities of the National Crisis Management Center;
• Boosting of efficiency of approaches and technologies for emergencies monitoring and forecasting, guidance of SMFE and OLCN through introduction of modern scientific achievements.

In accordance with the entrusted tasks the Center implements the following functions:

• Gathers, processes and analyses information coming from organizations included in the Single State Disaster Management System, SMFE and OLCN divisions, mass media and citizens, about sources of natural, man-caused and biological disasters;
• Runs the monitoring and emergencies forecasting database;
• Develops urgent, short-term, medium-term and long-term forecasts for natural, man-caused and biological disasters in the Russian Federation;
• Organizes and conducts urgent radiation, chemical, biological (bacteriological) and epizootic control in emergency zones in the Russian Federation;
• Organizes information exchange and coordinates monitoring and emergencies forecasting centers of the Emergencies Ministry’s territorial bodies;
• Takes part in assessing ways and methods of determining contamination of the environment, food, drinking water, food and forage raw materials with radioactive, poisonous or biological substances in the Russian Federation;
• Carries out scientific studies in the field of monitoring and emergency forecasting;
• Controls preparedness of OLCN in the Russian Federation;
• Participates in implementation of Ministry’s scientific programs aimed at improvement of SMFE;
• Takes part in pursuing and implementation of the single technological policy aimed at development and introduction of means and approaches to monitoring and forecasting of emergency situations;
• Takes part in development of projects for state and international standards in the field of monitoring and forecasting of emergency situations;
• Takes part in planning and carrying out of drills in the field of monitoring and forecasting of emergency situations in accordance with the comprehensive plan for main activities of the Emergencies Ministry;
• Organizes and conducts methodology and academic gatherings, conferences and lessons with the specialists of organizations, included into the SSDMS in accordance with the comprehensive plan for main activities of the Emergencies Ministry;
• Organizes professional training of specialists in the field of monitoring and emergency forecasting for monitoring and emergency forecasting centers of the Emergencies Ministry’s territorial bodies;
• Participates in international cooperation in monitoring and forecasting of emergency situations in accordance with the Emergency Ministry’s international cooperation plan.

Based on processing of monitoring information, specialists of the Center develop short-term (urgent warning, daily and decade forecast), medium-term (monthly) and long-term forecasts (seasonal and annual forecasts) of natural and man-caused emergencies and their social and economical consequences.

In order to provide timely response and make necessary managerial decisions ensuring early warning, localization and mitigation of emergencies, the Center prepares and presents forecasts to the management of the Ministry, departments and divisions of the Emergencies Ministry’s Central Office.

There is a stable exchange of monitoring and forecasting information between the Center and regions with the system of “continued technological cycle of forecasting” where each next kind of forecast makes the previous one more precise.

The Center actively participates in development of normative legal documents for creation and functioning of the monitoring system, laboratory control and forecasting of natural and man-caused emergencies.

Specialists of the Center provide guidance to governing bodies in the constituent territories of the Russian Federation, solve important tasks to organize operation of territorial monitoring centers, laboratory control and forecasting of natural and man-caused emergencies.

The «Antistikhiya» Center with the assistance of representatives of the federal executive authorities, the RussianAcademy of Sciences and a number of other interested organizations has held annual academic conferences dedicated to “Problems in Forecasting Disasters”.

Specialists of the Center regularly take part in all-Russian and international exhibitions and forums, such as the Saint-Petersburg Ecology Forum (Saint-Petersburg), the Saint-Petersburg International Economic Forum (Saint-Petersburg), the Intergrated Safety Exhibition (Noginsk), the Russian Emergencies Ministry's Board meetings, the Belarusan Emergencies Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior of Kazakhstan meetings, the Interstate Council for Emergency Situations (CIS), Emergency Response Commission working groups, the Arctic Council (EPPR), the Russian-Chinese Flood Mitigation working group.