Evaluation of emerging technological opportunities for improving risk awareness and resilience of vulnerable people in disasters

The main contribution of this research is the evaluation of emerging technological opportunities for improving risk awareness and resilience of vulnerable people in disasters. The evaluation considered a survey, end-user evaluation, and co-creative workshops on technologies and was targeted to estimate the innovation potential, usefulness, importance, applicability, risks for vulnerable people, and ethical acceptability. The capabilities of the Mobile Positioning Data tool (1) to increase risk awareness in rescue planning and emergency management in cyber-hazard situations and (2) to help in locating and evacuating tourists and other vulnerable people in disasters was evaluated. The capabilities of the Trasim tool to help in crisis communications training for improving preparedness and tackling mis/disinformation through simulated responses was evaluated. The evaluation indicated that there are a lot of innovation potential and useful technical enablers for improving disaster risk awareness and resilience, but there are also ethical challenges, and risks for misuse. The digital divide between people in the unequal distribution of skills and access to technological means and tools remains an essential future challenge, especially with vulnerable people in a crisis. Issues of fairness and inclusivity need great attention in the application of these technologies in crises or disasters in order not to overlook such vulnerable people. The failure in critical infrastructures (e.g., energy and communications) seems to increase risks and exacerbate the situation of vulnerable people in crises. However, the potential of technological opportunities for improving operation in disasters is so essential that significant investment in research and development is recommended.

Automated summary

The main contribution of this research is the evaluation of emerging technological opportunities to improve risk awareness and resilience among vulnerable populations in disasters. The evaluation identified potential innovative and useful technologies, but also highlighted ethical challenges, risks of misuse, and the digital divide. Fairness and inclusivity must be prioritized when applying these technologies to avoid overlooking vulnerable populations.