Technology Innovation in Disaster Management and Climate Resilience November 2022
Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Registered offices Bonn and Eschborn, Germany Under Sector Network TUEWAS Innovation Fund B5/2 Safdarjung Enclave New Delhi 110029, India T: + 91 11 49495353 F: + 91 1149495391 I: www.giz.de/india As at November 2022 Responsible Dr Teresa Kerber, Project Director, Sustainable Urban Development Smart Cities II (SUDSC II) GIZ Author Monika Bahl, Senior Advisor, SUDSC II GIZ Shweta Dua, Technical Advisor, SUDSC II GIZ Hrishikesh Mahadev Rayadurgam, Technical Advisor, SEIP GIZ In collaboration with Urban Innovation Lab Team Leader: Ram Khandelwal (CEO & Founder) Team Members: Aditi Khandelwal (Principal) & Karthik Girish (Associate) UIL INNOVATE URBAN GIZ is responsible for the content of this publication. On behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) 02
1. Executive Summary 1. 2. Introduction 2. 3. Disaster Management Scenario in India 3. 4. Understanding Blockchain Technology 4. 5. Applications of Blockchain in Disaster Management 5. 6. Blockchain Use-Cases in Disaster Management 6. 7. Case Studies 7. a. Bhopal: E-Gov Blocks for Emergency Response System 8. b. Nepal: Sikka for Digital Assets Record-keeping 9. c. Pakistan & Bangladesh: Building Blocks by World Food Programme 10. d. United Kingdom: Visibility and Trust in Medicine Supply Chains 11. e. Italy: Donations and Insurance through e-Wallets 12. f. Haryana: Land Registries for Disaster Response 13. 8. Strategic Direction 14. 9. Annexure 1: Industry Consultations 15. 10. References 16. 04 06 11 15 18 21 27 28 30 32 34 36 38 40 46 47 03
Blockchain and other emerging technologies have become increasingly popular. It has potential to revolutionize development sector by providing a secure, decentralized way to store and manage data. New applications for the technology are currently being sought out in areas such as humanitarian aid, land management, energy management, and governance. Disaster management is a unique form of operations management. Massive amounts of data are produced as a result of the service transactions that take place to help support society. Blockchain can address issues brought forward by disasters and also make it a seamless and simple process, with minimum risk experienced by disaster victims. There are blockchain use cases based on pre, during, and post disaster scenarios, as it gave an idea of which specific areas can blockchain be applied into. Pre disaster Mapping of potential risk zones Early warning systems for weather and climate change Creation and protection of assets in blockchain Digital insurance contracts for community resilience During Disaster Mapping of safe zones and affected zones Voice recognition based app for call for help and services Trustworthy disaster response system Post Disaster Mapping accessible paths in a disaster affected region. Relief and aid delivery system for disaster victims Six global case studies were developed to understand the applicability of blockchain in disaster management. These projects were implemented in India, Nepal, Pakistan, Italy, and the United Kingdom. E-Gov Blocks: Emergency Response System Using the blockchain-as-a-service (BaaS) model, a Data Exchange Framework was conceptualised to support a pilot in Bhopal Smart City to streamline their emergency service involving ambulances, traffic signals and hospitals. Sikka: Digital Assets Record-keeping Sikka, an ethereum-based platform, was designed to address the challenges faced by marginalized communities in Nepal, to give them better access to aid-transfer during the times of crisis. World Food Programme Building Blocks WFP's Building Blocks project used blockchain technology to make voucher-based cash transfers more efficient, secure, improving humanitarian collaboration. Visibility and Trust in Medicine Supply Chains Trace Labs set out to create a decentralized Trusted COVID-19 Essential Supplies Repository to address pandemic challenges. Donations and Insurance Through E-Wallets Helperbit transformed practices related to emergency response, focusing on humanitarian assistance, the charity sector and the insurance system. Land Registries for Disaster Response Blockchain start-up Blockscale Solutions built trust and provided an infrastructure for swift and efficient transactions in India’s land registry system. Based on the above use cases and case studies of blockchain in disaster management, we propose a blockchain framework that can be applied in the Indian context. 04
The proposed framework for blockchain in disaster management follows three basic principles. (1) The solution architecture must be holistic considering complete ecosystem and must prioritize local needs first. (2) The framework must be a consortium blockchain with permission layers. Since there are multiple departments working in silos, it would make sense to bring them on central platform on a permission basis. It'll provide more transparency and in much lesser time. (3) Finally, the solution must be implemented in a modular and phased manner both in terms of geographic coverage and functional layers. With these principles, the proposed framework includes all of the stakeholders involved in the disaster management process. The stakeholders involved are as follows; government agencies like National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA), District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), local authorities; telecom agencies like National Telecom Disaster Co-ordination Committee (NTDCC), State Telecom Disaster Co-ordination Committee (STDCC), local telecommunication agencies; system integrators; civil suppliers for food, medical supplies, transportation and shelter agencies; NGOs and the disaster victims. In order to implement the blockchain framework, there are pain points to be addressed. One of the biggest challenges is to bring the existing decentralized for of disaster management into a centralized form of operations. The on boarding process would be extremely time consuming, especially in creation of assets and resources. The use cases for implementation are limited as blockchain in disaster management is still in infancy stage. ICT readiness of implementation agencies and cities are low, and its adoption and acceptance will still require efforts. Since a baseline is not established, a cost-benefit cannot be assessed. Disasters would need to be simulated in order to understand further operational challenges. Way Forward The above challenges should not be viewed as barriers, but as important points to consider and resolve before allowing technology to take care of human lives during a disaster event. We understand that there is no correct solution to the problems brought forward by disaster management in India. However, blockchain can be seen as a technology that enables us to revolutionize and bring a transformation in disaster resources and operations management for India. 05
Introduction In 2021, a total of 432 natural disasters were recorded by the Emergency Event Database (EM-DAT), which resulted in 10,492 deaths and affected 101.8 million people around the world. These natural disasters including floods, hurricanes, and wildfires cost the global economy $270 billion, as reported by the Swiss Re Institute. It is expected that developing economies to bear the most significant toll from extreme weather events. And, the situation in Indian context is no different. According to a report from the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, since 2000, India has suffered over 321 disasters, resulting in loss of 80,000 lives, affecting 1 billion people and economic loss of 6.5 trillion rupees. The cooperation of several agencies and the general public is critical for disaster relief preparation, victim assistance, and disaster management. There are many instances when aid and assistance come from various sources. However, numerous people are deprived of aid owing to inefficient management like insufficient information, poor coordination, delayed aid, and poor handling of resources like water, medical support, clothing, and transportation. Blockchain and other emerging technologies have become increasingly popular. It has potential to revolutionize development sector by providing a secure, decentralized way to store and manage data. Even though blockchain technology has been used in the financial industry with some degree of success, new applications for the technology are currently being sought out in areas such as humanitarian aid, land management, energy management, and governance. Scholars and technology enthusiasts are exploring broadening the horizons of emerging technologies in disaster management and climate resilience. 06
Environment, Energy and Water in Asia) is a platform for regional professional exchange and cooperation between GIZ experts globally. The GIZ India urban team intends to explore the applications of blockchain in disaster management. Under the TUEWAS innovation fund, the sustainable urban area task force appointed Urban Innovation Lab to carry out a baseline study for digital innovation in disaster with special focus on blockchain technology. The study would be contextualized for the Sustainable Urban Development Smart Cities (SUD-SC II) and would focus on disaster and climate resilience using digital innovations with emerging technology like Blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT), and Artificial Intelligence (AI). The objective of this report is to discuss operations and processes during a disaster event and provide use cases and case studies on using digital platforms like Blockchain, AI and Data Science to combat the challenges in disaster operations management. The baseline assessment consists of a literature review of innovative digital technologies especially blockchain and its application in disaster risk reduction. This baseline assessment would help in the application of blockchain in disaster management in the partner cities of SUDSC-II (Kerala, Odisha, Telangana). UIL INNOVATE URBAN 07
The first task required to identify various literature on innovative technologies (blockchain, AI, data science) and their application in disaster management. This included secondary desk research and literature review of digital interventions and innovations solution towards disaster management and risk reduction, and understanding the application of available technology especially blockchain (its components, functionalities, design principles, approach towards disaster management) in disaster resilience and management. The second task required to compile case studies addressing application of blockchain in pre, during, and post disaster situations. It also included a SWOT analysis of blockchain digital interventions with respect to application in disaster risk reduction and resilience. A model was also to be proposed which discusses the methodology, approach and principles for applying blockchain in disaster management. Task 1: Identification and Literature review of innovative technologies and their application in disaster management Task 2: Compilation of case studies addressing application of blockchain in disaster management Finally, the last task included preparation of a case document, and a round-table discussion with IT agencies, potential stakeholder from partner cities for their perception and current scenario of digital interventions in the sector. The study's main limitation is that it relied solely on secondary source literature that was already published. Primary research wasn't used to gather any case-related data. The accuracy of the information has not been directly confirmed by original sources. The reader must use caution because the information might not accurately reflect the situation in the real world. Task 3: Round Table and Reporting 08
Section one provides general information about disaster management in India and discusses the challenges faced in disaster operations and risk resilience. Section two discusses the application of blockchain (its components, functionalities, design principles, and approach) in disaster resilience and management. Section three showcases the research landscape and summaries of various important papers and their key takeaways. Section four describes a variety of use cases of blockchain applications in pre, during and post disaster scenarios, and in cross-cutting sectors like banking, healthcare, power, water management, transportation, real estate, and power. Section five provides detailed case studies of blockchain applications, particularly in South Asian countries. In section six, the report provides a detailed blockchain implementation model, a SWOT analysis of adoption in the Indian context, and recommendations and challenges to implement the proposed blockchain framework. The annexure consists of summaries from discussions with blockchain companies for their perception and current scenario of digital interventions in the sector. 09
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