Legal and ethical considerations for demand-driven data collection and AI-based analysis in flood response
During a disaster, the timely provision of customised and relevant data is of utmost importance. In the case of floods, data from remote sensing (satellite-based or airborne) is often used, but in recent years data from social media platforms has also been increasingly utilised. Focusing on these data sources, this study provides an in-depth assessment of requirements by emergency responders. Furthermore, the paper sheds light on the legal and ethical considerations that need to be taken into account during data collection and processing. A particular focus lies on the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for data analysis in disaster response. Topics such as privacy preservation and AI-informed decision making are highlighted throughout the paper. The investigation was carried out based on expert interviews with scientists, an extensive literature review, and workshops with emergency responders.
Authors
- Bernd Resch (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2233-6926)
- Joseph Wagner (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9172-9897)
- Marc Wieland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1155-723X)
- Sebastian Schmidt (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1912-9771)
- Gudrun Ringler
- Carolin Gilga
- Luisa Knoche
- Christoph Hochwarter
Institutions
- University of Kassel (DE)
- Federal Network Agency (DE)
- University of Salzburg (AT)
- Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (DE)
- Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR) (DE)
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Studies of Austrian Universities (AT)
- Ludwig Boltzmann Institute of Fundamental and Human Rights (AT)
- Institute for Social Anthropology (AT)
- Forschungs- und Beratungsstelle Arbeitswelt (AT)
- Center for Policy Analysis (US)
- Interdisciplinary Transformation University Austria (AT)
- Inholland University of Applied Sciences (NL)
- Delft University of Technology (NL)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
- Published
- 2025-03-31
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2025.105441
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Flood Risk Assessment and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.42
Funders
- European Commission
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
- Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft
- HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme