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Abstract
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Artificial intelligence can enhance our ability to manage natural disasters. However, understanding and addressing its limitations is required to realize its benefits. Here, we argue that interdisciplinary, multistakeholder, and international collaboration is needed for developing standards that facilitate its implementation.
Acute events of natural origin (e.g., atmospheric, hydrologic, geophysical, oceanographic, or biologic) can result in disruption and devastation to society, nature, and beyond1,2. Such events, which disproportionately impact certain regions (e.g., least developed countries3) and populations (e.g., women and children4), are often referred to as natural disasters by experts in the geoscience and disaster risk reduction communities, as reflected in the scientific literature and in Sustainable Development Goals 11.5 and 13.1.
Recently, interest has grown in leveraging innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to bolster natural disaster management5. In many fields, such as medicine and finance, AI has gained traction due to advances in algorithms, a growth in computational power, and the availability of large data sets. Within natural disaster management, it is hoped that such technologies can also be a boon: capitalizing on a wealth of geospatial data to strengthen our understanding of natural disasters, the timeliness of detections, the accuracy and lead times of forecasts, and the effectiveness of emergency communications...
Language: en |