idw – Informationsdienst Wissenschaft
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
Nachrichten, Termine, Experten
idw - Informationsdienst
Wissenschaft
On November 6, 2024, the Global Initiative on Resilience to Natural Hazards through AI Solutions held its inaugural meeting at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center. The Initiative marks a significant step forward in developing standards to support the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in disaster management. It is chaired by Dr. Monique Kuglitsch, Innovation Manager at the Fraunhofer Heinrich-Hertz-Institut (HHI).
As AI becomes integral to disaster response, establishing transparent and responsible standards is essential for safety and interoperability. The Global Initiative is committed to creating adaptable AI standards to meet this demand. In collaboration with five UN agencies – the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), UN Environment Programme (UNEP), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and Universal Postal Union (UPU) – the Initiative aims to make these standards accessible in all UN member countries. In addition to the crucial UN support, the Initiative’s members come from research, government, and industry sectors.
“Our work builds on over three years of progress by the ITU/WMO/UNEP’s Focus Group on Artificial Intelligence for Natural Disaster Management,” says Dr. Monique Kuglitsch, chair of the recently completed Focus Group and the new Global Initiative. ”We aim to provide special support to UN members most vulnerable to the accelerating frequency and magnitude of natural disasters. That’s why supporting capacity building is one of our top priorities.”
The Global Initiative is evaluating use cases to reflect the diverse applications of AI in disaster resilience. These include projects detecting landslides from SAR satellite imagery in combination with deep learning, improving real-time rainfall observation in developing countries using commercial microwave link data and geostationary satellite imagery, and early detection of earthquakes and tsunamis using AI.
Additionally, the Global Initiative is utilizing proof-of-concept projects to explore the potential of AI and refine best practices that will form the basis for future standards. For example, alongside experts from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Initiative is exploring how AI can contribute to fire fuel monitoring and what best practices should be applied.
The Initiative is vice-chaired by Dr. Elena Xoplaki (Justus-Liebig University of Giessen), Dr. Rakiya Babamajji (National Space Research and Development Agency of Nigeria), Dr. Stefan Uhlenbrook (World Meteorological Organization), Dr. Sanjay Agrawal (DoT of India), and Dr. Muralee Thummarukudy (UN Convention to Combat Drought and Desertification).
Dr. Monique Kuglitsch
Innovation Manager
+4915125350499
monique.kuglitsch@hhi.fraunhofer.de
Global Initiative on Resilience to Natural Hazards Through AI Solutions
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