Artificial intelligence can boost early warning systems

Current and developing technologies can be key to avoiding or minimizing damage caused by natural disasters and extreme weather eventsagreed the experts gathered at the World Meteorological Congress to talk about the potential of companies in the sector in early warning systems.

Since last May 22, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is the headquarters in Geneva of that conclave, which will end on June 2 after a series of discussions that seek that all countries, especially the Least Developed and Small Island Developing States, be more resilient against the onslaught of weather, water and other environmental phenomena.

According to the vice-president of the Thematic Group on artificial intelligence and natural disaster management – made up of the WMO, the International Telecommunication Union and the UN Environment Program -, adapting to evolving technologies is critical and, at the same time, address the changing needs and priorities in this field.

Elena Xoplaki explained that the objective of this Group is to support the Early Warnings for All initiative, especially in the vulnerable regions and climate change hotspots.

“To achieve this, we will expand our scientific efforts with specific research on areas and hazards based on needs and priorities,” he explained.

Xoplaki said a new project will provide novel solutions to ensure timely, accurate and feasible financial and impact forecasting of extreme weather events and natural hazards.

Such a project would provide high-quality data with a forward-looking approach to understand future needs.

Artificial intelligence and weather forecasting

Experts from the Group pointed out that machine learning and artificial intelligence can greatly benefit developing countries, as they do not require a massive supercomputer. “They are an opportunity for collaborative efforts, from a global to a local level, to improve weather forecasting on a global scale,” they said.

They added that machine learning is vital to improve now and near-term forecasts because it allows the automatic detection of features and offers various applications, such as the evaluation of air quality.

In this context, they asserted that the private sector, specifically the category of technology companies, can play a leading role in achieving Early Warnings for All.

An example of what can be achieved with artificial intelligence and high-resolution satellites is mapping populations at risk and assessing damage after a disaster, such as the earthquake in Turkey this year.

Task of the public and private sectors

WMO Secretary General Petteri Taalas said that a growing number of big tech companies are interested in contributing to those warning systems.

“The challenge of natural and man-made disasters and anthropogenic climate change and impacts on water resources should be approached as a joint venture from the public and private sectors,” Taalas emphasized during a high-level session that brought together the meteorological community with IT and mobile telephony giants.

The head of the UN agency specified that the next strategic plan for 2024-2027 incorporates cutting-edge elements of artificial intelligence to drive rapid progress in science and technology.

Taalas highlighted that one of the crucial aspects under study is the implementation of a pilot project for nowcasting, which would provide invaluable support for early warnings in various domains.

Committed companies

Participating companies included Microsoft, which committed to improving the speed and accessibility of the Internet and ensuring that browsers and desktop platforms can deliver reliable and timely alerts national meteorological and hydrological services.

Google, for its part, would cooperate with the WMO in the information to stay safe in extreme heat situationsin addition to advising during floods in a pilot set of countries.

The giant Amazon said it will harness the power of the cloud for global early warning systems and support the new WMO information system that offers a framework for the exchange of data from terrestrial systems.

Other big tech companies committed to early warning systems are Meta and Alibaba, the first with security verification alerts, crisis pages, community help, information from first responders and non-profit fundraisers; and the second supporting the withdrawal of fishing vessels in times of typhoon and the cleaning of rivers during floods in Asia.