The Current Landscape of Early Warning Systems and Traditional Approaches to Disaster Detection

• Chavula , Petros ^[1] ; Kayusi , Fredrick ^[2] ; Lungu , Gilbert ^[3] ; Uwimbabazi, Agnes ^[4]
  1. [1] African Centre of Excellence for Climate-Smart Agriculture and Biodiversity Conservation, Haramaya University, Dire-Dawa, Ethiopia
  2. [2] Faculty of Environmental and Earth Sciences, Department of Environmental Sciences Pwani University, Kilifi, Kenya
  3. [3] World Vision Zambia, Plot No. 51/52 Great East Road, Lusaka, Zambia
  4. [4] Rwanda Polytechnic-Integrated Polytechnic Regional College of Kitabi, Department of Nature Conservation, Rwanda, P.O. Box 330 Huye, Rwanda

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• Localización: LatIA, ISSN-e 3046-403X, Nº. 3, 2025 (Ejemplar dedicado a: LatIA)
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Early warning systems (EWS) are crucial for disaster risk reduction, providing timely and reliable information to communities and authorities for proactive mitigation. Traditional methods, such as weather stations, river gauges, and seismic networks, have limitations in spatial coverage, real-time data availability, and precursor signal detection. Recent technological advancements have enhanced EWS by integrating remote sensing data from satellites, airborne platforms, and ground-based sensors, enabling real-time monitoring of phenomena like wildfires, volcanic activity, and landslides. The Internet of Things (IoT) and crowdsourced data from social media, mobile apps, and citizen reports have further improved situational awareness and response times, complementing traditional systems. Increased computational power has enabled the development of sophisticated models, such as numerical weather prediction and seismic hazard models, which predict disaster impacts more accurately. Despite these advancements, challenges remain in data interoperability, resilient communication infrastructure, and delivering clear, actionable alerts to at-risk populations. Future EWS will likely become more data-driven and interconnected, leveraging artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and IoT. Collaboration among governments, academic institutions, and local communities is essential to building robust, inclusive EWS that save lives and reduce the economic impact of disasters.