Add IoT, 5G power for early warning of disaster

The 7.8-magnitude tremor that ripped Türkiye and Syria and caused deaths of over 24,000 so far is a crude reminder of how vulnerable the world is to the vagaries of nature. Closer home, geological factors are leading to land subsidence or ‘sinking’ of Joshimath, a town located in Uttarakhand. The town is situated on the Vaikrita Thurst, a tectonic fault line, and is close to two other main geological fault lines: the Main Central Thrust and the Pandukeshwar Thrust, which makes it highly vulnerable to sinking due to tectonic activities.

While NASA is using its synthetic aperture radar that can watch the earth in all weather conditions to provide aerial images and data to assist rescue efforts in Türkiye and Syria, the disaster has triggered a discussion on how to better use emerging technologies to predict, alert, and reduce the quantum of human tragedy.

The Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G technologies can play a significant role in improving the early warning system (EWS). IoT sensors, placed in strategic locations, can help monitor seismic activities and other environmental factors like ground movement, angle or tilt of the ground, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. Similarly, GPS sensors can monitor ground movement and deformations caused by earthquakes. These data can be transmitted in real-time to a central system via a 5G network for faster analysis and early warning.

Japan, for example, has a highly advanced seismic monitoring network driving the use of IoT for earthquake monitoring. The country is exploring the integration of 5G technology with its existing earthquake monitoring system to improve the speed and reliability of warnings. Similarly, China is exploring the integration of 5G with its earthquake monitoring system. In August last, Ericsson and China Mobile Zhejiang deployed 5G to aid in natural disaster management. The project included early-warning analysis, natural disaster monitoring, command and dispatch, and post-disaster assessment. The deployment followed the successful trial of the 5G Full-Closed-Loop system for Integrated Natural Disaster Management in ten cities across the Lishui region in China.

Far away from Asia, Italy too experiences a large number of earthquakes every year. Following the devastating L’Aquila earthquake in 2009, the city made several efforts to develop a better EWS. The city that lies in the central region of Italy has been a test bed for the deployment of 5G-powered IoT sensors to monitor seismic activity and ground movement that demonstrated the potential of 5G to enable early warning of earthquakes and help communities respond faster to reduce the impact.

Besides monitoring, 5G and IoT can also help improve disaster response efforts. For example, drones equipped with cameras and other sensors can be deployed to survey the damage based on the aerial images being sent by NASA and first responders can use augmented reality tools to get a better understanding of the situation on the ground. Together, IoT and 5G technologies have the potential to revolutionise the way we detect, respond, and mitigate the effects of natural disasters.

shubhendup@cybermedia.co.in