The Tribune

BY FAY SIMMONS

TRIBUNE Business Reporter

jsimmons@tribunemedia.net

THE BAHAMAS is looking to use artificial intelligence (AI) to address challenges exposed by Hurricane Dorian, a Cabinet minister said yesterday, revealing  this country has expressed interest in joining a United Nations (UN) initiative on the issue.

Sebastian Bastian, minister of innovation and national development, said the Government wants to determine whether new technologies can help the country warn residents sooner, deliver assistance more quickly and accelerate recovery following disasters.

“When Dorian struck in 2019, government offices were destroyed, evacuated families were left without identification documents, and the damage ran to $3.4bn, more than a quarter of our economy,” said Mr Bastian.

“This new UN programme will help us test the tools that can address the unique challenges we face during disasters as an archipelagic nation. Can we warn Bahamians sooner, render aid faster and recover more quickly after a storm? With new technologies as tools, that is what we are aiming for.”

The Ministry of Innovation and National Development has submitted an expression of interest for The Bahamas to participate in a new UN programme focused on using AI to reduce disaster risk.

If selected, the Ggovernment would work with the United Nations on practical applications of AI across the disaster management cycle, including earlier warnings, faster damage assessments, emergency assistance and continuity of government services.

One proposed application would use AI to improve forecasting and warnings so they can reach communities across inhabited islands, rather than being focused primarily on the most populated areas in New Providence, Grand Bahama and Abaco.

The Government is also looking at using the technology to speed up post-storm damage assessments, allowing relief and repair efforts to be directed towards areas with the greatest needs.

Another proposed application would connect emergency assistance to verified identity, with the aim of preventing Bahamians who lose identification documents during a disaster from being delayed in accessing assistance.

The programme will also explore ways to keep essential government services operating when the islands from which those services are delivered are disrupted by a disaster.

The initiative was launched on September 21 by the UN Office for Digital and Emerging Technologies (UN-ODET) and the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) during UN Digital Co-operation Day in New York.

Mr Bastian participated in the launch session, ‘Technology at the front lines of disaster resilience’, at the United Nations General Assembly.

The Ministry said any co-operation will also be aimed at building technical capacity within The Bahamas, with training for staff and public officers forming part of the Government's objectives. It added that proposed data-sharing arrangements would have to be consistent with Bahamian law and remain under Bahamian control.

The Disaster Risk Management Authority would lead operationally on any work arising from the programme, supported by the Department of Meteorology and the Ministry of Innovation and National Development.

McKell Bonaby, minister of state in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for the Disaster Risk Management Authority, said technology could strengthen existing disaster preparedness and response efforts.

“Technology does not replace preparation, shelters or the people who do this work. But better forecasting, faster assessment and a clearer picture of who needs help and where, all of that saves time,” said Mr Bonaby. “In a disaster, time is the difference between a family waiting and a family recovering.”

The Ministry of Innovation and National Development expects to begin technical discussions with UN-ODET and UNDRR in the coming weeks, and said it would report on progress.