The Arab region is increasingly vulnerable to a spectrum of natural and anthropogenic hazards—earthquakes, floods, droughts, sandstorms, sea-level rise, and more. Rapid urbanization, climate variability, and fragile ecosystems further amplify these risks, making it imperative to adopt forward-looking, technology-enabled solutions for disaster risk reduction and resilience building.
This workshop, titled “Smart Horizons: AI & Emerging Technologies for Multi-Hazard Disaster Resilience in the Arab Region,” is convened under the umbrella of the ARICA Project— “Enhancing Disaster Resilience in Arab Countries through Multi-Hazards Modelling and Mapping Using Machine Learning and IoT Sensors.” The session is held as part of the Arab Conference for Astronomy and Geophysics (ACAG), emphasizing the strategic importance of geoscientific and astronomical data in regional risk mitigation efforts.
Objectives:
- To explore the integration of AI and emerging technologies in multi-hazard modeling and early warning systems
- To showcase real-time monitoring using IoT-enabled sensor networks deployed in hazard-prone regions
- To demonstrate the role of big data analytics and cloud computing in improving forecasting accuracy and disaster response
- To promote cross-disciplinary collaboration between geoscientists, data scientists, urban planners, and decision-makers
- To discuss ethical, technical, and policy challenges in deploying AI for disaster mitigation in diverse Arab contexts
Key Topics:
- AI-Powered Multi-Hazard Risk Modeling: Predictive analytics and pattern recognition for forecasting compound hazards.
- Big Data for Resilience: Integration of diverse datasets—satellite imagery, crowdsourced reports, historical event databases—for dynamic risk assessment.
- Remote Sensing & Satellite-Based Mapping: Leveraging Earth Observation data and GIS tools for hazard zoning and impact projection.
- Machine Learning in Early Warning Systems: Enhancing timeliness and accuracy of alerts through adaptive learning algorithms.