IN CASE OF EMERGENCY

IOT DEVICES GET HELP ON THE SCENE FAST

- WRITTEN BY: DAMIEN MARTIN

In an emergency, a little bit of time can make a major difference in the outcome. First responders need to make decisions quickly, based on the information at hand. The more reliable and current that information is, the better the decisions they can make. And the more notice they have, the more they can save. IoT sensors that can detect subtle changes in things like temperature, vibration, atmospheric pressure, and air quality can provide early warning that buys precious seconds and minutes. They can cut response by a third, leading to more lives saved and less property destroyed.

EARLY WARNING

Worldwide, natural disasters caused approximately 95,000 deaths and $380 billion worth of damage in 2023 alone, and worsening climatic conditions make such disasters more common. We know disasters are going to occur with more frequency, so according to the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, it's time to stop treating them like anomalies and prepare for them like eventualities. For every dollar spent on preparation that minimizes the damage saves $4 in later rebuilding costs, the office estimates.

IoT devices that can collect and relay data are the linchpin of these prevention efforts. That data can then undergo AI and machine learning analysis to recognize patterns or outliers that might indicate a pending disaster. These predictive analytics can use environmental clues to warn when a tornado, flood, or earthquake might strike.

"This is just the beginning. Climate change is fueling more frequent, intense disasters and traditional response systems can't keep up," Marty Sprinzen, the co-founder and CEO of real-time intelligence platform Vantiq, told IoT Now.

Vantiq has teamed with NTT Data to integrate advanced AI tools into NTT’s D-Resilio disaster information coordination platform.