Technology is transforming disaster management by adopting numerous technological innovations such as artificial intelligence, big data, robotics, and blockchain.
FREMONT, CA: Around the world, floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes, and landslides frequently occur, and they pose a significant threat to lives and livelihoods. There is scope to implement certain mechanisms in order to create a robust disaster management system, which can help reduce risk and loss of life to a large extent while not being completely preventable. During disaster relief, these mechanisms must be adapted to various situations.
Technology's role: If emerging technology is successfully integrated with existing infrastructure, disaster management can be transformed. AI, the Internet of Things, Big Data, and blockchain technologies can improve disaster response and relief capabilities as they become more sophisticated. New advances in disaster management can be made when powerful ideas and sophisticated machinery are combined.
Some of the technology trends transforming Disaster management are listed below:
The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): Predictive analytics can be used to forecast disasters and hasten recovery and response times using AI-based algorithms. Using AI-powered image recognition, damaged buildings, and roads can be identified, as well as flooding. By integrating different streams of data, it can also generate heat maps. High call volumes to emergency hotlines can also be dealt with more effectively with AI-based chatbots or voice response systems.
The Robotics industry: Today, robots are extremely advanced and equipped to support and complement human actors or rescue animals thanks to advances in computing technology. They can be extremely valuable to NDRF units, especially in challenging terrain and life-threatening operational environments. It is possible for robots to save victims' lives without endangering rescuers.
Analyzing big data: As digitalization and smartphones spread across various demographics, the amount of data generated has risen at a meteoric rate. When analyzed intelligently, this data can provide powerful insights. Big Data analytics has grown as a result of this opportunity.
There is also a role for this in disaster management. Social media communications, financial transactions, and mobile phone activity can be monitored during and after a disaster to help track people's movements.
The Internet of Things (IoT): IoT has emerged as a result of cloud computing and broadband technology.
Carbon dioxide levels, moisture, and temperature can be measured by IoT sensors to detect potentially dangerous situations, earth movements, and forest fires. In addition, they can be used to detect flooding by monitoring river levels.
The blockchain: In relief efforts, organizations often face challenges related to trust, transparency, and measurability and making sure resources are used for the intended purposes. Misinformation can often cause derailment and danger in such situations.
With blockchain technology, these concerns can be mitigated, and reliable data can be collected and managed quickly. Blockchain-encoded data can be used to automate routine decision-making in high-pressure disaster environments through smart contracts. Decisions can be made faster, and rescuers can be relieved of pressure.
