Kimberly Bisschops

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We have all heard about the dramatic earthquake and tsunami in Sulawesi, Indonesia, where the official death toll is now over 1,600 and still increasing every day. Now, more than a week later, emergency aid is finally starting to reach the inhabitants of the island [1].

The current technological developments can save a lot of lives after these kinds of disasters. Researchers of Harvard University have, in cooperation with Google, recently developed neural networks that are better able to predict the place and intensity of aftershocks than traditional prediction models [2]. This information can be used to prepare and, if necessary, evacuate inhabitants from these places. AI can also be used to answer distress calls, determine the type of emergency and the location of the callers, and prioritize them [3].

In addition, drones can be used in a number of ways. First, they can be used to map the affected area [4]. Machine learning can then be used to analyze the footage, assess the damage, and prioritize the areas based on the degree of emergency [3]. This way, emergency teams know which areas to focus on first in their aiding efforts. Second, drones can be used to reach people who are in remote or difficult to reach areas. In Sulawesi, for example, it is hard to reach people since many roads are blocked or flooded and bridges have collapsed [5]. With drones, it is possible to send medical and food supplies to those areas [4][6].

Naturally, these technologies require large investments by NGOs and governments around the world. However, as soon as these technologies can be developed and implemented on a large scale, a lot of lives can be saved. Hopefully this will happen before another disaster like the Sulawesi earthquake occurs.

Sources:
[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/the-latest-indonesia-disaster-death-toll-rises-to-1649/2018/10/06/4a052266-c93d-11e8-9c0f-2ffaf6d422aa_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.285d6732db3d
[2] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0438-y
[3] https://hub.packtpub.com/ai-rescue-5-ways-machine-learning-can-assist-emergency-situations/
[4] https://safetymanagement.eku.edu/resources/articles/5-ways-drones-are-being-used-for-disaster-relief/
[5] https://nos.nl/artikel/2252820-rampgebied-sulawesi-moeilijk-te-bereiken-vrees-voor-duizenden-doden.html
[6] https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S2212420918302000?token=B67D00C6BE50D23C316770864D43E88FC7508DEAEFB524CC21B1FCE92C348D487B17EC2B2015BD83EB26069BDC8A9816

Picture: a damaged bridge in Palu, Sulawesi: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/09/photos-from-the-deadly-earthquake-and-tsunami-in-indonesia/571765/

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‘Children have to move more at school’. This was one of important news items yesterday. The Dutch Sports Council, the Education Council and the Council for Public Health and Society have published a report stating that children are not moving enough at the moment, advising schools to let the children move more during their day (1).

It is a problem that many countries are facing today. While children used to spend all their free time playing outside with their siblings and their friends, they are increasingly sitting inside with their smartphones, watching TV, or playing video games. This increased use of digital products has led the French government to implement regulation that officially bans phones from schools (2).

Does this mean that digital innovations like the smartphone or the tablet are making us increasingly more unhealthy? The evidence is mixed. Of course, people who are excessively using their smartphones can experience serious pain in areas such as the neck, shoulders and back (3). However, they key word here is ‘excessively’.

Most smartphones and tablets now offer apps that help you track and increase your health. Especially when it comes to diagnosing health problems or monitoring chronic diseases, these apps can be really useful (4). And digitization does not necessarily mean that people move less. I am myself using a sports watch in order to track my activities and monitor my accomplishments. I am not sure whether I would have been able to run 5 km this morning if I did not have my watch to tell me how far I had come and whether I was running in the right pace. And I definitely wouldn’t have run that long if I didn’t have some music in my ears to keep me motivated.

Therefore, I guess the key word in this discussion is ‘balance’. Digitization does have the potential to make us unhealthy, but only if we allow it to.

Sources:
(1) https://nos.nl/artikel/2249731-advies-laat-kinderen-extra-bewegen-op-school.html
(2) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/07/french-school-students-to-be-banned-from-using-mobile-phones
(3) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4395668/
(4) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5399221/#ui-ncbiinpagenav-heading-7
(Picture) https://www.digitaltrends.com/mobile/ban-smartphones-improve-student-grades/

Technological innovations can save lives after disasters

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Does digitization make us unhealthy?

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