ICT for Disaster Risk Reduction

This set of case studies on the use of information and communication technology (ICT) discusses the ways in which ICT has positively impacted the various phases of disaster management, including preparedness, response, and mitigation. The second in the United Nations (UN) Asian and Pacific Training Centre for Information and Communication Technology for Development (UN-APCICT/ESCAP or APCICT)'s series of case studies on ICT, this document shares the lessons learned by those disaster management and disaster risk reduction (DRR) practitioners who have deployed ICT in response to disasters in Bangladesh, China, Sri Lanka, and Haiti, as well as lessons from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and others.

The document explores the potential of ICTs to instantaneously connect large networks of individuals and organisations across great geographic distances, and to facilitate fast flows of information, capital, ideas, people, and products. "With the new ICTs, in particular computers, the Internet and mobile phones, the constraints on the place and time for interaction have eased considerably. They have become essential tools for cooperation and collaboration...." They are used for innovation - transforming government services through efficiency, transparency, and accountability - and reducing transaction times and redundant layers of bureaucracy. They also are applied to reducing disaster risk through early warning, coordinating and tracking relief activities and resources, recording and disseminating knowledge and experiences, and raising awareness. "The challenge is gaining commitment to incorporate ICT tools effectively...", providing favourable political, social and economic conditions for identifying, enabling, and applying a mix of ICTs.

The document highlights the different digital technologies and their use to reduce disaster risks. They include: mobile technology, the internet and Web 2.0 tools, space-based technologies such as geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing and satellite communications, and different types of radios, including amateur radio and satellite radio.

• The ubiquity of mobile phones in some countries has prompted humanitarian organisations to explore their usage for DRR, in particular for early warning. For example, the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Centre (DMC) developed an SMS (text message)-based tsunami warning system. However, mobile networks became jammed after the alert for the 2007 tsunami was issued, due to the high volume of voice calls. The Sri Lankan telecommunication authority now insists that subscribers only use SMS messaging (not voice calls) during national emergencies, so as not to overburden the networks. A cell-broadcast (CB)-enabled network, which includes pre-identified individuals such as government officials, media representatives, the military, police officers, and village chiefs who can broadcast the message by local means, was established to receive a single broadcast message. While SMS is a one-to-one and one-to-a-few service, CB is a one-to-many geographically focused messaging service and is not as affected by mobile traffic load. Other uses of mobiles include the organisation of disaster relief efforts, raising funds, and DRR awareness raising and education.
• Different types of radio have been regarded as an effective communication technology throughout all phases of DRR. Volunteer amateur ("ham") radio operators are affiliated with the International Amateur Radio Union (IARU), which has a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and assists in mobilising volunteer amateurs to operate radio communication networks in support of relief efforts. For example, a town adjacent to the epicentre of the 2008 Sichuan, China, earthquake, had lost all communication means, so a team of radio amateurs walked from Chengdu to Hanwang to set up an amateur repeater and distributed some handheld transceivers. This became the primary channel for coordinating local response. Broadcast radio has been used to disseminate early warning messages, as well as for awareness raising and community education. Also, satellite radio is being pilot tested in Asia - countries such as Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Thailand - for use during emergencies. The Worldspace Addressable Satellite Radios for Emergency Alerting (AREA) system can issue hazard information directly to communities at risk. Global positioning system (GPS) technology incorporated into the radio receiver set, along with the unique code assigned to every receiver, allows for hazard warnings to be issued, in text and audio formats, to sets that are within a vulnerable area or just to radio sets with specific assigned codes. Space-based technologies, including GPS, play an increasing role in improving performance during all phases of the DRR cycle, particularly for remote sensing, mapping, and communication.
• The internet has been widely used in the response phase to report casualties and damages, and to coordinate relief. An example is the India Disaster Resource Network (IDRN). The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) provides near-real-time alerts about natural disasters around the world and tools to facilitate response coordination, including media monitoring, map catalogues, and the Virtual On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (Virtual OSOCC). The Virtual OSOCC provides users with tools to create disaster alerts by email and SMS that are automatically sent to subscribers. There are also tools for impact estimations, and through this system, the UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Team can be mobilised. Another online platform is AlertNet, which tracks all emergencies and provides essential tools for relief workers and journalists in response operations. Also a tool for tracking disasters, the Global Public Health Intelligence Network, developed by Health Canada in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), is a secure internet-based multilingual early-warning tool that has been programmed to continuously search global media sources, such as news wires and websites, to identify information about disease outbreaks and other events of potential international public health concern. There are also online portals and communities that focus on knowledge sharing for longer-term recovery, preparedness, and mitigation processes.
• Social media provides user control and interactivity, including interconnectivity with mobile computers and phones. It can inform and attract volunteers and funding, as well as publish on-the-spot citizen reporting. It can be used for DRR information access both for relief workers and for victims. As stated here: "Community forums where people can dialog with one another provide a very important resource for coping." Social media are being used as awareness raising and education tools.
• Others - Landline telephone and television are also technologies available in emergencies. Like radio, these do not require the receiver of information to be literate. In addition, local adaptations for communication are necessary: "Nonetheless the use of ICT devices and systems is still limited in many countries and alternative models are needed to provide connectivity in low- and no-bandwidth environments. For example, one of the case studies ...looks at the role of the Community Tsunami Early-warning Centre (CTEC), established in Peraliya, Sri Lanka, after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, which is equipped with some ICT tools such as radios, telephones, a satellite television, computers and Internet access. One of its activities includes the involvement of community volunteers in monitoring seismic activity and other natural disasters on the Internet. Any relevant information online is then translated and posted on notice boards. CTEC also holds public awareness events on DRR. One of the activities involved showing videos of community-based disaster risk management activities in other countries to prompt discussions among the community.... A methodology called ‘participatory video’ has been used in which a group or community is involved in producing a video from developing the storyboard, to interviewing people and operating the camera. The rationale for investing in participatory video is based on its huge potential to change human behaviour - the key element of reducing disaster risks and adapting to climate change. Videos’ audiovisual ability can portray the human-side of technically complex issues, and effectively capture people’s experiences and emotions in ways that can inspire and motivate change.”

The need for journalism and media development is recognised, including the following example: “Inter-Press Service Asia-Pacific had a special series on the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami that invited applications from journalists residing in Tsunami-affected countries to report on another Tsunami-hit nation, to produce stories linking the two and learning from each other’s DRR experiences.” The document recommends tapping the potential of e-learning, distance education, open learning, or online learning tools that make use of the internet and multimedia technologies (combining video, sound, animation, text, and graphics) to impart DRR knowledge.

Key lessons learned include:

1. Incorporating ICT for DRR as part of sustainable development efforts
   
2. Providing an enabling policy environment
3. Communicating with at-risk communities - "...by giving vulnerable people the right information, they can take greater control of their own lives. Instead of imposing definitions and solutions on people considered vulnerable, their perception and knowledge of risk, and existing coping strategies should be discussed. ICT for DRR interventions should focus on strengthening capacities to address any gaps and challenges that communities have identified themselves."
   
4. Introducing appropriate technologies
   
5. Advancing ICT accessibility
6. Advancing information accessibility
   
7. Creating locally available statistical and analytical skills
   
8. Ensuring interoperability, encouraging standardisation
   
9. Supporting free and open source software and open standards
   
10. Incorporating gender dimensions in ICT for DRR
    
11. Sustaining efforts and building capacities - including local capacity of maintenance, repair, and use
12. Promoting public-private partnerships
    
13. Giving priority to regional efforts