INTEC, Civil Defense, and the National Council of Necessities (CNE) hold a workshop on tools for flood prediction using artificial intelligence.
Organized by the UNESCO Chair on Climate Change, Resilience and Complex Systems of INTEC, its mission is to generate knowledge, build capacities and promote innovative solutions to address the challenges of climate change in the Caribbean region.
SANTO DOMINGO. - The UNESCO Chair on Climate Change, Resilience and Complex Systems Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo (INTEC), in coordination with the Civil defense and National Emergency Commission (CNE), organized a workshop artificial intelligence tools for prediction de floods.
The event, funded by Global Support and Development (GSD) and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT), within the framework of its project ASER-IA, its mission is to generate knowledge, build capacities, and promote innovative solutions to address the challenges of climate change in the Caribbean region.
Ulises Jauregui, a research professor at INTEC, indicated that the activity seeks to generate collaboration between academia, state and private institutions, civil society, and the international community, with the goal of making resilience a cornerstone of addressing flooding issues.
“The importance of these issues for the country and the Caribbean is evident: we are one of the most vulnerable regions on the planet to the impacts of climate change, and flooding is one of the most frequent and costly threats to our communities. Incorporating artificial intelligence and emerging technologies into risk management is not an option for the future; it's an urgent need of the present,” he explained.
Carlos Sanlley, director of research at INTEC, highlighted the need to incorporate systems that support flood mitigation and prevention. "The city of Santo Domingo is a special case due to its extremely disorganized and rapid growth and a deficient sewage system," he said.
Jerry Chandler, director of health and innovation at GSD, reiterated the NGO he represents' willingness to continue supporting these types of initiatives that have a national and regional impact.
“Rainfall is one of the most common problems we face in the disaster management sector, and in the Dominican Republic, we see how the current rainfall causes flooding, landslides, and other problems. Therefore, it's a good place to start harnessing the power of AI,” he said.
Juan Hernández, Secretary General of the Dominican National Commission for UNESCO, expressed his gratitude for the invitation and congratulated the institutions attending the workshop. "The fact that we, from academia and public and international institutions, are looking at everything related to this type of prevention in the country is a brilliant step, especially when it comes to taking advantage of the benefits that disruptive technologies are offering us."
Yanelba Abreu, principal investigator of the Preparados project (IRECLIVA), shared her concern about the problem and encouraged collaboration to address it. “Today we have a unique opportunity not only to receive training within the framework of the Preparados project, but we also have the opportunity to share experiences and pool resources to begin a collaboration that can change the course of our country. Together, we can apply technological tools and AI that serve as a driver of change for the actions we are taking,” she said.
About the workshop on tools for flood prediction with AI
Within the framework of the workshop, the speakers addressed advances in AI-based simulators to support decision-making in disaster scenarios, a project funded by the Coalition for the Development of Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) which continues to be supported by FONDOCYT.
In turn, low-cost sensors and monitoring networks for water quality estimation and early risk detection; Internet of Things applications and machine learning algorithms for human flood prediction; and data management and analysis, essential for planning and climate resilience, are projects funded by FONDOCYT.
At the end, they held a practical session where they demonstrated how AI tools can strengthen the Climate Residency Index for Housing and Settlements (IRECLIVA), a project funded by GDS.
The workshop's speakers included Juan Luis Ramírez from Germany; Antonio Torres from Cuba; Arturo Aranguren from Spain; and Ricardo Reynoso, Edián Franco, and Yanelba Abreu from the Dominican Republic.