The Impact of Technological Innovation on Disaster Response and Risk Reduction through Urban Planning: Case of Cyber City (Mt Hampden) Harare, Zimbabwe.
- Author
- Machesa, Mufarowashe S.
- Title
- The Impact of Technological Innovation on Disaster Response and Risk Reduction through Urban Planning: Case of Cyber City (Mt Hampden) Harare, Zimbabwe.
- Abstract
- This chapter presents a comprehensive study and discussion of research findings on the application of technical breakthroughs in urban design to reduce disaster risk. The study took a mixed-methods approach, combining employee questionnaire responses (80% response rate) with case studies of Big Data and AI applications in crisis management. The findings show that Big Data technologies such as Hadoop, Spark, and NoSQL databases are critical for processing and analyzing large datasets to predict, monitor, and respond to disasters. Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Internet of Things (IoT) sensors, and social media platforms such as Twitter help to boost early warning systems and improve real-time situational awareness. Machine Learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL) models achieve outstanding accuracy levels (ranging from 80% to 99%) across several disaster phases, with DL excelling in damage assessment and post-disaster response, while ML is more effective in risk assessment and early warning procedures. Nevertheless, obstacles like data integration issues, privacy concerns, and restricted access to critical datasets (e.g., satellite and social media data) limit the full promise of these technologies. Furthermore, security weaknesses in wireless communication networks pose hazards that must be addressed. The chapter finishes by emphasizing Big Data and AI's transformational potential in disaster management, and advocating for improved interoperability, data-sharing frameworks, and security measures to construct more resilient urban planning systems. These ideas provide a foundation for policymakers and practitioners to use technology successfully in disaster risk reduction.
- Date
- June 2025
- Publisher
- BUSE
- Keywords
- Technological Innovation
- Disaster Response
- Risk Reduction
- Supervisor
- Mr. Samukange
- Item sets
- Department of Disaster Risk Reduction
