Humanitarian Scenarios Research Articles

How ecosystems coordinate architectures and AI in humanitarian operations? A configurational view

Recent research in crisis management indicates that business ecosystems are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into humanitarian operations. This integration is designed to coordinate a diverse range of actors and ensure the quick and efficient delivery of aid. One of the key operational issues identified with this undertaking is communal coordination in that the effectiveness of these humanitarian efforts largely hinges on the ability of the actors to foster a sense of community within the architecture of the AI-enabled ecosystem, i.e., a community characterized by trust and cooperation. This architecture is deemed critical for effective humanitarian operations. Yet some studies indicate that AI might impede coordination, potentially obstructing how communal relations develop between actors. Unfortunately, the literature does not adequately explain how ecosystems and architectures should be designed to promote communal coordination among the actors involved. Hence, with this research, we conducted a configurational analysis of humanitarian operations, referencing data from 73 ecosystems observed during the catastrophic floods in China in 2023. Using v4.1 of the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) tool, we identified correlations between the architectures of various AI-enabled ecosystem configurations and the performance of the humanitarian operations they supported. From our research, we identified two exemplary architectures that led to superior humanitarian performance: one featuring loosely coupled coordination within an AI-enabled architecture, and the other emphasizing aligned coordination within more regulated homogeneity. The key distinction between the two architectural models lies in how the AI deployed influences the dynamics of coordination between the community and the governance bodies. This study reveals that, despite AI's significant potential to enhance humanitarian performance, effective communal coordination depends on aligning the ecosystem architecture with AI-driven coordination. This research contributes to the humanitarian literature by clarifying the complicated interactions between AI and ecosystem architectures in humanitarian scenarios.

TeleHelp Ukraine: A distributed international telemedicine response to the ongoing war.

Humanitarian crises frequently garner solidarity and robust volunteer recruitment among health care communities. However, a common obstacle is matching providers to those in need across geographic and other barriers. We examined the application of a decentralised governance strategy in establishing an emergency telemedicine response, TeleHelp Ukraine (THU). Using a case study approach, we explored how global networking and technological advancements empower organisations to generate, access, disseminate, and utilise knowledge for sustainable health care delivery. Preliminary results suggest that a non-profit, decentralised model strengthened by robust team dynamics may optimise the distribution of clinical workload and scheduling procedures. Institutional and cultural diversity among health care providers and volunteers fosters the mobilisation of knowledge resources, synergistic collaboration, and tailored care standards that align with both provider and patient expectations. By integrating these diverse, distributed networks, a synergistic effect is achieved, combining effective learning mechanisms with intellectual capital. Our study provides insights into the structure, implementation strategies, dissemination methodologies, and initial results of THU's operation. These findings may inform future emergency telemedicine responses in humanitarian scenarios, thereby reinforcing the practical implementation of health as a human right.

Qatar's multifaceted humanitarian role in Afghanistan since August 2021

AbstractMotivationQatar's humanitarian role in Afghanistan, a less‐explored example of a non‐traditional actor, is crucial in understanding international responses to geopolitical crises. Examining Qatar's involvement provides insights into the complex dynamics of humanitarian assistance, diplomatic efforts, and post‐crisis challenges.PurposeThe study examines Qatar's multifaceted role in Afghanistan since 2021, highlighting its impact as a non‐traditional actor in complex humanitarian operations and diplomacy.Approach and methodsThe research combines a desk review of online sources, academic literature, reports, non‐governmental organization documents, and media articles with first‐hand observations and informal stakeholder interviews. It also analyses international aid statistics from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Financial Tracking Service and the Organisation for Economic Co‐operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee.FindingsQatar emerged as a key humanitarian player in Afghanistan, adopting a whole‐of‐society approach. Its efforts encompassed emergency relief, evacuations, educational support, and humanitarian diplomacy, effectively bridging the Taliban with international actors after the takeover.Policy implicationsThis research highlights the impactful role of non‐traditional donors, as seen with Qatar in Afghanistan, emphasizing their potential in complex humanitarian scenarios. The study advocates recognizing and leveraging the unique capabilities of smaller states and non‐traditional actors in humanitarian responses, promoting capacity building to harness their institutional agility and societal resources effectively.

Hidden racism and structures of power in the images of Ebola 2014

Epidemics are considered paradigmatic states of emergency and humanitarian scenarios. Thus, humanitarian conceptualizations are negotiable through the very practices appearing in this type of emergency.
 This paper aims to investigate this process in relation to the 2014 Ebola outbreak, an event that is considered a global threat and an intolerable humanitarian situation. We analyze how the definition of what can be understood (or not) as humanity was constructed through visual representations produced by social media. We will also discuss how the definition of humanity was negotiated through dimensions such as the spectrum of visibility, the distribution of agencies, the affections intended to provoke, and the imaginaries defined. This paper is based on an empirical semiotic analysis of hundreds of images from the 2014 Ebola epidemic and 15 focus groups and individual interviews, performed over a span of one year, discussing images from social media.

Capture and Release Recyclable Dimethylaminomethyl-Calixarene Functional Cloths for Point-of-Use Removal of Highly Toxic Chromium Water Pollutants.

Chromium(VI) contamination of drinking water arises from industrial activity wherever there is a lack of environmental legislation enforcement regarding the removal of such pollutants. Although it is possible to remove such harmful metal ions from drinking water through large-scale facilities, there currently exists no safe and simple way to filter chromium(VI) oxoanions at the point of use (which is potentially safer and necessary in remote locations or humanitarian scenarios). High-surface-area cloth substrates have been functionalized with calixarene molecules for the selective capture of aqueous chromium(VI) oxoanions in the presence of structurally similar anions. This is accomplished by pulsed plasmachemical deposition of a linker layer and subsequent functionalization with dimethylaminomethyl-calixarene (5,11,17,23-tetrakis[(dimethylamino)methyl]-25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxycalix[4]arene). Chromium(VI) oxoanions are captured by simply passing polluted water through the functionalized cloth, while other ions not harmful/beneficial to human health remain in the water. These cloth filters are simple to use, highly selective, and easily recyclable-thus making them attractive for point-of-use application in geographic regions lacking appropriate wastewater treatment plants or flawed environmental monitoring systems. Chromium(VI) pollutants have been successfully removed from real-world contaminated industrial wastewater streams using the dimethylaminomethyl-calixarene functionalized cloths.

Learning-based coordination model for spontaneous self-composition of reliable services in a distributed system

Context-aware, pervasive systems, mobile devices, intelligent virtual assistants activating services or controlling connected devices are pervading our everyday life. These systems rely on centralized services provided by servers in a cloud gathering all requests, performing pre-defined computations and involving pre-defined devices. Large-scale scenarios, involving unanticipated devices, adaptation to dynamically changing conditions, call for alternative solutions favoring edge computing and decentralized behavior. For several years, we have worked on a new type of applications, built and spontaneously composed on-demand. Applications arise from the interactions of multiple sensors and devices, working together as a decentralized collective adaptive system. Our solution relies on a learning-based coordination model providing decentralized communication platforms among agents working on behalf of heterogeneous devices. Each device provides few simple services and data regarding itself (properties and capabilities). In this article, we discuss first the design of complex services, arising from the spontaneous self-composition of simpler services. Second, we present our learning-based coordination model combining coordination and reinforcement learning, and how this approach ensures reliable self-composition of services in terms of functionality and expected quality of services. On the basis of a humanitarian scenario, we show the feasibility of the approach and discuss our current implementation. Preliminary results show convergence toward learning and correct functionality. Spontaneous self-composition and learning provide a self-adaptive solution for creating on-demand complex services evolving in highly dynamic scenarios comprising large numbers of connected devices.

VirWaTest, A Point-of-Use Method for the Detection of Viruses in Water Samples.

Viruses excreted by humans and animals may contaminate water sources and pose a risk to human health when this water is used for drinking, food irrigation, washing, etc. The classical fecal bacteria indicator does not always check for the presence of viral pathogens so the detection of viral pathogens and viral indicators is relevant in order to adopt measures of risk mitigation, especially in humanitarian scenarios and in areas where water-borne viral outbreaks are frequent. At present, several commercial tests allowing the quantification of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) are available for testing at the point of use. However, such commercial tests are not available for the detection of viruses. The detection of viruses in environmental water samples requires concentrating several liters into smaller volumes. Moreover, once concentrated, the detection of viruses relies on methods such as nucleic acid extraction and molecular detection (e.g., polymerase chain reaction [PCR]-based assays) of the viral genomes. The method described here allows the concentration of viruses from 10 L water samples, as well as the extraction of viral nucleic acids at the point of use, with simple and portable equipment. This allows the testing of water samples at the point of use for several viruses and is useful in humanitarian scenarios, as well as at any context where an equipped laboratory is not available. Alternatively, the method allows concentrating viruses present in water samples and the shipping of the concentrate to a laboratory at room temperature for further analysis.

Computer simulation of humanitarian scenarios: tools for training and field management in relief agencies

Computer simulation, a technology well advanced in military strategies and tactics, has been used for response to natural disasters. The authors argue that it should also be applied to the field of humanitarian action in armed conflict. Projected uses are: the management and planning of relief actions, public resource mobilization for humanitarian actions, and training personnel for violent work environments. How that can happen is shown with the example of a real relief management problem in the Sudan. Simulation can be introduced in ways that are compatible with agencies’ needs, communication styles, and staff abilities. Several factors speak for it: many agencies routinely use computer applications that are flexible enough for simulation to be added seamlessly. Simulation will help agencies to add the power of analysis to the images that prompt humanitarian actions. And with violence and chaos continuing, simulation offers a technique around which to share expertise and training in new, networked partnerships.