Socio-economic assessment of satellite-based Edge AI for disaster management

This report summarises the socio-economic impact potential of using Edge SpAIce, an innovative space-based artificial intelligence system developed in the frame of an EU co-funded project at CERN in the frame of next generation high-energy physics particle detectors to enhance the prevention, detection, and response to environmental disasters. By processing data directly on satellites through Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), the solution reduces latency, increases bandwidth efficiency, and enables real-time alerting. The findings of this study carried out by the University of Milan (Italy) in cooperation with CERN reveal that a solution for disaster prevention based on Edge SpAIce can significantly outperform traditional reactive systems in both economic efficiency and disaster mitigation capabilities, with potential benefit-cost ratios exceeding 1,500 in in the most conservative scenario. This analysis supports the deployment of Edge AI as a transformative solution for disaster risk reduction.