Switzerland sees AI playing key role in earthquake resilience
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Switzerland sees AI playing key role in earthquake resilience
The risk of earthquakes was a key topic at this year's Civil Protection Conference in Biel. The conference focused on how Switzerland could use artificial intelligence, big data and drones for earthquake prevention and management in the future.
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In his speech in Biel on Tuesday, Swiss Defence Minister Martin Pfister emphasised that the current security policy challenges are considerable. There is a significant deterioration in the security situation worldwide. Switzerland is affected in all cases by an escalation of conflicts in Europe. He added that civil protection is of central importance in terms of security policy.
A central theme of this year’s conference was the risk of earthquakes. Big data and AI tools can be used to recognise imminent earthquakes in advance, making it possible to issue early warnings, it was said. Robotics could help locate victims and people trapped in rubble, while digitalisation could contribute to a better assessment of the condition of buildings after an earthquake.
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Near-record amount of earthquakes noted in Switzerland in 2023
Blaise Duvernay, Head of the Federal Coordination Centre for Earthquake Prevention, explained in an interview with the Keystone-SDA news agency that major earthquake events in Switzerland generally only occur every 50 to 150 years. However, simulations show that the consequences are so great that this risk ranks among Switzerland’s top 5.
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Switzerland is not yet sufficiently prepared, for example, to care for a very large number of injured people in the event of a disaster or to find a solution for tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of homeless people.
Translated from German by DeepL/jdp
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