A Vision for the Humanitarian Use of Emerging Technology for Emerging Needs

From a global dialogue series organised at six technology hubs of the American Red Cross (ARC) and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), this document summarises results of the exploration of "attitudes, beliefs, questions and concerns of both community members and humanitarians that influence urban communities' perceptions of emerging technology." Focused on strengthening urban resilience, the process "defined eight criteria for resilience-strengthening solutions, chose the initial eight emerging technologies, the many ways they can help urban dwellers cope with emergencies, and how Red Cross and Red Crescent arrived at five key recommendations based on community-level requests and our humanitarian expertise."

The process included initial research, a "framing summit" with key stakeholders in technology and development to define resilience, "anticipate future risks and vulnerabilities...", and engage human-centred design to match emerging risks with emerging technologies. Regional consultations consisted of a town-hall-style workshop with communities followed by an expert workshop for international and national organisations, governments, academics, and policymakers, among others. A prioritising summit was held to analyse promising results from the regional consultations. In 2015, the Red Cross and Red Crescent began short-term field testing of the technologies resulting from the process.

The definition: a resilient community:

1.  "...is knowledgeable and healthy...
2.  ...is organized...
3.  ...is connected...
4. . ...has infrastructure and services...
5. . ...has economic opportunities...
6.  ...can manage its natural assets..."

Some technologies cited that include elements of communication are:

• Augmented reality software that adds layers of information, for example, contextual information like Google glasses or mobile displays that are internet linked and can add locations of service (e.g., disaster aid locations) or crowdsourcing information in real time.
•  Biometric scanners that collect and link human traits like fingerprints or face recognition, for example, for birth registration and health systems.
• Wearable technology, for example, wearable aid search beacons for finding and communicating with separated loved ones in a disaster or real-time translation and navigation at critical instances.

Others include robots, unmanned aerial vehicles (drones), smart home sensor network’s, smart cars, and 3-D printers.

Recommendations:

"Throughout the dialogue, communities and experts shared their advice and priorities with the Red Cross/Red Crescent. Their sentiments serve as formal recommendations to assist technologists, business leaders, governments, researchers and nonprofits in realizing emerging technology for emerging needs. The Red Cross/Red Crescent urges these actors to take note of the following five commonly shared requests from across the globe, ranging from the way technology solutions are introduced to the most desired humanitarian use cases.

1. Engage local community members in the design, manufacturing and introduction of new technology solutions.
2. Support consumer access, management and ownership of emerging technology.
3. Research the impact of technology on community resilience.
4. Establish supportive policies, systems and guidance for the development and use of emerging technologies.
5. Invest first in four emerging technology use cases that address actual barriers to resilience:
• wearable devices for providing early warning, supporting search and rescue, and reconnecting families
• unmanned aerial vehicles for temporarily restoring communications networks and delivering critical relief items, such as medicines, post disaster
• smart home sensor networks for sensing and reporting fires in informal settlements/slums
• biometric scanners in ATM [automated teller machine]-like kiosks for restoring lost documentation to prove identity, access assistance and reconnect families."