Developments in artificial intelligence and digital technologies provide important opportunities in many areas such as disaster prediction, post-disaster damage detection, rapid response and aid coordination. Saying that the use of technology for effective disaster management has become a necessity, the Founder and Chairman of the Board of Cerebrum Tech, a new generation technology company, Dr. Erdem Erkul said, “With the help of artificial intelligence, all scenarios can be studied before disasters occur. Decision support systems created from satellite images and analysis of data from the field can guide managers. Vital decisions such as directing the field teams according to the needs can be taken in a much shorter time. Disaster management systems can be customized under different headings such as flood, forest fire, earthquake.
According to the figures of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, droughts and forest fires deeply affect the lives of 160 million people every year. The severity and frequency of natural disasters that cause loss of life and property damage is expected to increase further in the coming years due to the global climate crisis. For this reason, disaster management systems to be established at local, national and international levels against natural disasters are of great importance. Advances in artificial intelligence applications and digital technologies in recent years open the door to effective solutions in disaster management. Founder and Chairman of the Board of Cerebrum Tech, a new generation technology company operating on artificial intelligence, cyber security, metaverse and smart cities technologies with a focus on sustainability. Erdem Erkul said that for an effective disaster management, technology should be utilized at the maximum level and artificial intelligence applications are increasing rapidly in the world in pre-disaster and post-disaster processes.
Studies are underway for early warning systems around the world.
Giving information about the usage areas of technology and artificial intelligence before and after the disaster, Dr. Erdem Erkul said, “Using innovative technologies provides very important gains in terms of reducing risk before the disaster as well as after the disaster. Disaster
AI-supported systems for pre-processing can enable the establishment of early warning systems by analyzing large amounts of data from various sources such as satellite images and weather forecasts. Early warning systems that can work successfully against natural events such as floods, hurricanes, landslides and tsunamis have also become the subject of studies for more sophisticated natural events such as earthquakes. There are case studies in China and Israel that analyzed fluctuations in electrically charged particles in the ionosphere. In Europe and Japan, there are systems that can give warning 10-15 seconds before an earthquake occurs. In this way, it is possible to direct people to safe areas and to exclude risky structures such as power plants, at least for a while.”
All disaster scenarios should be prepared with artificial intelligence.
Emphasizing that disaster management processes have a complex and dynamic structure, Dr. Erkul said, “In the disaster management process, rapid planning, decision-making and implementation of the right practices are of critical importance. The possibilities provided by technology are needed for the storage, processing, mapping and evaluation of data. With the help of artificial intelligence, all scenarios can be prepared and worked on before disasters occur. Possible action plans against these scenarios are kept ready. In addition, the officials who will take an active role in these systems can be trained in the metaverse environment with the help of virtual simulations. Decision support systems created from satellite images and analysis of data from the field can guide managers. Disaster management systems can also be customized in different topics such as flood, forest fire, earthquake,” he said.
The speed of artificial intelligence should be used in the post-disaster process
Underlining that the area where artificial intelligence is most effective is the search-rescue and logistics phase, which is competing with time after the disaster, Dr. Erkul said, “We can quickly determine the extent of the damage by processing satellite image data with artificial intelligence algorithms. Thus, the required arm strength and material needs can be mobilized quickly. With the mapping to be created on this data, priority locations for search and rescue teams can be determined. Artificial intelligence-based systems can determine the fastest route by analyzing the condition of roads and bridges after the disaster. At the same time, the stock status of the materials in the emergency warehouses can be monitored and the missing materials can be completed as soon as possible. By collecting social media data, people can be located. This type of work was implemented, albeit limitedly, after the 6 February earthquake in Kahramanmaraş, which stunned us all with great loss of life and destruction. As Cerebrum Tech, we supported the analysis and mapping of satellite images as much as we could.”
Robots are the most important helpers in reaching the wreckage.
Underlining the need to benefit from technologies such as drone imaging and robotics in search and rescue efforts, Dr. Erkul said, “We started to see more examples of robots in post-disaster studies around the world. It is possible to reach areas that the teams cannot reach with robots and provide materials such as first aid and food under the debris. There are different versions of these robots that work on land, air and water. Sound and heat sensitive imaging systems also play a very important role in detecting the existence of living things under the debris. These are equipments that are known but not widely used in our country.
USA and China are leaders in technology use in disasters
Although awareness of the necessity of using information technologies in the face of disasters has increased around the world recently, it is seen that the applications are not at the expected level. In a statistical study conducted in 2020 on this subject, it has been determined that the rate of utilizing the opportunities of technology in order to reduce disaster risks is 14-15% in the USA and China, and this average cannot exceed 3-5% in many countries. As a country that has been hurt by disasters, I think it is very important that we increase our technological investments in disaster management with our state institutions, private sector and universities, so that we do not experience the same pains again in the future.
Cerebrum Tech:
Turkey’s new generation technology company, Cerebrum Tech, which offers effective and sustainable solutions for digital transformation, was founded in 2021. Cerebrum Tech with its expert staff; Web3 develops innovative and global standards applications in the fields of smart cities, metaverse, sustainability and cyber security, as well as artificial intelligence, data security solutions and consulting. Its operating sectors include games, smart urbanism, education, health, industry, automotive and defense industries. While Cerebrum Tech advances with the vision of being a reliable and leading technology company, it continues its activities in offices located in Silicon Valley, Istanbul, Seoul, Ankara, Netherlands, Malta and London. It aims to be an international technology hub that believes in the potential of young people.
The Rise of Global E-commerce: New Opportunities and Challenges
Sustainability and Economic Growth: Business Opportunities for the Green Economy
