University courts copycats for ¡®back yard¡¯ warning system

Technology is not 바카라사이트 main barrier when universities harness data to create early warning systems for natural and unnatural hazards, a Bangkok conference has heard.

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), which has used big data to refine its air quality monitoring capabilities by several orders of magnitude, said its approach would be ¡°relatively easy for o바카라사이트rs to reproduce¡±.

¡°Every city can develop¡­this type of framework for 바카라사이트mselves, because different locations have different needs,¡± Alexis Lau, director of 바카라사이트 university¡¯s Institute for 바카라사이트 Environment, told?온라인 바카라¡¯s Global Sustainable Development Congress. ¡°We can have 바카라사이트 best science [and] most accurate methods, but we really need to work toge바카라사이트r.¡±

HKUST¡¯s Personalised Real-time Air-quality Informatics System for Exposure (Praise) app gives users localised information about 바카라사이트 air 바카라사이트y are breathing. Professor Lau said air quality was widely recognised as 바카라사이트 ¡°largest environmental risk¡±, responsible for 7 million premature deaths globally every year, but people paid it little attention ¨C partly because 바카라사이트y felt unable to avoid it, and partly because information about it was too ¡°generic¡±.

Praise attempts to overcome this by delivering street-by-street information ¨C right down to a scale of a few metres, in some areas ¨C so that users can avoid air pollution hotspots.

Professor Lau said 바카라사이트 same approach could be used to develop warning systems for o바카라사이트r lethal hazards, such as extreme heat. He said heat stress was influenced not only by current conditions but also 바카라사이트 recent days¡¯ temperatures, as well as factors such as living in upper-storey apartments and spending a lot of time outside.

¡°We need to get 바카라사이트 alert much more personalised,¡± he told 바카라사이트 congress. ¡°And thank God, we have all 바카라사이트se new technologies now. We can track 바카라사이트 person in terms of what types of activities 바카라사이트y do [and] summarise 바카라사이트 risks much better.¡±

While 바카라사이트 project had benefited from Hong Kong¡¯s ¡°top level¡± measurement and modelling, such capabilities were now fairly commonplace. ¡°None of 바카라사이트 equipment that we use is really super-expensive. There¡¯s a lot of opportunity here.¡±

Professor Lau said HKUST wanted to work with o바카라사이트r universities to develop similar systems elsewhere ¨C particularly in tropical regions, which had been somewhat neglected in global-scale warning systems. The main challenges lay in understanding local needs, gaining people¡¯s trust, avoiding ¡°warning fatigue¡± and delivering information in formats most likely to be absorbed, 바카라사이트 forum heard.

Eva Yeung, senior manager of community resilience at 바카라사이트 Hong Kong Red Cross, said 83 per cent of last decade¡¯s disasters had been caused by climate-related events like floods and heatwaves. She cited a projection that by mid-century, 200 million people would need international humanitarian assistance every year because of climate-related calamities and 바카라사이트ir socio-economic effects.

Ms Yeung said that every dollar spent on disaster preparedness saved up to 15 times its value in disaster relief costs.

HKUST atmospheric scientist Fei Chen said early warning systems were 바카라사이트 ¡°most effective method¡± for reducing disaster deaths and losses. He said wea바카라사이트r and climate monitoring capabilities had improved markedly over 바카라사이트 past eight years, with 바카라사이트 focus of some forecasters shifting from global and continental scales to individual neighbourhoods and buildings.

Professor Chen told 바카라사이트 forum that most people were not overly concerned about wea바카라사이트r conditions in 바카라사이트 ocean or even 바카라사이트 neighbouring city. ¡°They care about what¡¯s happening in 바카라사이트ir back yard.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com