Page 10 - Disaster Management: The Standards Perspective

Executive Summary

The Report highlights the collaborative efforts of the International Telecommunication Union
(ITU), World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) in advancing the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) for natural hazard management through
the Focus Group on AI for Natural Disaster Management (FG-AI4NDM). This Focus Group
aims to strengthen global disaster resilience by establishing best practices and frameworks for
applying AI technologies to predict, respond to, and recover from natural hazards.

With the increasing frequency and severity of disasters, the integration of AI has become
essential tool across the disaster management cycle, from mitigation and preparedness to
response and recovery. AI can be leveraged to forecast disasters, assess risks, and optimize
resource allocation. However, challenges such as data privacy, algorithmic biases, and the need
for specialized expertise underscore the importance of international standards to ensure the
reliability, transparency and acceptability of AI systems.

FG-AI4NDM has made significant strides through its activities, including the development
of a glossary of over 500 terms to provide insights into disaster management terminology
and a Standards Roadmap to identify key gaps. The group has also produced three key
reports focusing on AI applications for data management, spatiotemporal modeling, and
communication systems. These reports provide best practices for managing data, modeling
disaster scenarios, and implementing AI-driven communication solutions. Additionally, FG-
AI4NDM has organized a series of meetings, workshops, and hackathons to foster collaboration
on the use of AI applications for disaster management, which have been crucial for refining
strategies and addressing challenges.

There continues to be the need for international cooperation and the development of standards
to enhance disaster preparedness and resilience to ensure improved data flow, coordination,
and integration of emerging technologies to mitigate the impact of disasters. To further build
on the outcomes of FG-AI4NDM and to drive further standardization, the Global Initiative on
Resilience to Natural Hazards through AI Solutions was announced during the AI for Good
Global Summit in 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland.

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