World Meteorological Organization: Leveraging AIEmerging Tech for Enhanced Disaster Management

As we witness a surge in natural disasters clming countless lives and causing significant economic losses, the World Meteorological Organization WMO is embracing digital transformation by exploring the integration of innovative technologies like drones, the Metaverse, Digital Twins, Internet of Things IoT, and more into its hydrological operations. Over the past two decades, disasters have tragically taken over 1.23 million lives, disrupted economies, and destabilized societies worldwide. Floods have become alarmingly prevalent, ranking as one of the most common causes of disaster, while droughts, with their long-term impacts on ecosystems, poverty, food security, and biodiversity, continue to devastate communities.

The WMO has collaborated with the International Telecommunication Union ITU and United Nations Environment Programme UNEP through the Focus Group onfor Natural Disaster Management. This initiative leveragecapabilities in predicting and supporting disaster risk reduction efforts effectively. A notable project within this group is MedEWSA, which usesto enhance early warning systems for natural hazards across Europe and the Mediterranean region.

Early Warning Systems EWS are indispensable tools in mitigating disasters such as floods and droughts, given how climate change affects weather patterns and intensifies extreme events. As a result, existing EWS may struggle with detecting and responding to these threats effectively due to their complexity. However, emerging technologies offer potential solutions that could revolutionize disaster management by strengthening the pillars of the Early Warnings For All initiative.

On this year's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, a webinar titled Disaster risk reduction in the digital transformation age: Leveraging emerging technologies, hosted by WMO, ITU, and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNCCD, explored how various cutting-edge technologies can improve disaster management. The discussion showcased practical applications of drones, IoT, and immersive technologies like Digital Twin and Metaverse.

During the webinar, panelists highlighted several real-world use cases demonstrating the effectiveness of these technologies in different stages of disaster management. Microsoft-led Project Sunny Lives employedand to assess vulnerability by classifying dwelling types in low-income settlements using satellite imagery processed through a U-net-based neural network model. This data was combined with inundationto create risk assessment systems for vulnerable areas.

In addition to technologies like drones, IoT sensors, and remote sensing are being utilized to provide water level information and citizen science data to pilot parametric insurance products at the village level in South Asia. Drones have been used to generate high-resolution images for hazard mapping and locating survivors using thermal imaging during emergencies.

A holistic disaster management strategy would benefit from integrating multiple technologies such as drones, IoT devices, Digital Twins with predictive. As , Finland's Tampere City is leveraging XR exted reality, generative connectivity through 5G6G technologies to build smarter and more sustnable urban solutions, including a cognitive city within the Metaverse for informed decision-making.

These emerging technologies offer hope in enhancing disaster risk reduction and global preparedness. While the potential of the Metaverse for identifying disaster risk solutions remns largely untapped, its impact on digital transformation is significant.

Following the webinar, attees expressed enthusiasm to learn more about these initiatives and engage with WMO's capacity-building programs through trning sessions and workshops focused on leveraging emerging technologies in their work. The Standing Committee on Hydrological Services has orsed setting up a Working Group on Digital Transformation in Hydrology and Water Resources. WMO invites its Member States to contribute by nominating national experts to participate in this group's activities and enrich the committee with diverse perspectives.

This collaborative effort underscores the importance of harnessing technology for a more resilient future, where advanced tools can predict disasters, provide timely warnings, and mitigate their impacts on societies around the globe.
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