ETH Zurich, EPFL, and the ICRC leverage science and technology to address humanitarian challenges

The project will support the ICRC to improve the reliable distribution of medical supplies in conflict (war) zones. Based on the analysis of several years of data from ICRC’s medical supply chain as well as a qualitative study of the ICRC’s organisational and process configurations, the project will identify root causes of poor information flow, model potential improvements, and propose implementable solutions. The goal is to avoid waste, improve medication availability for a better quality of service for conflict-affected populations.

The increasing digitisation of humanitarian data flows risks making humanitarian organisations the targets of sophisticated attackers. Approaches are needed for secure computation on cloud environments, accompanied by secure global communication. To tackle this challenge, the project aims to create a mobile device and cloud computation environment for highly sensitive data of humanitarian organisations as well as a communication infrastructure that enables secure and privacy-preserving access to this environment.

This project will support the ICRC to precisely map local populations to improve the effective planning of humanitarian action. The goal of this project is to estimate population size and density, as well as related information such as settlement type and population changes. This information will be sourced from satellite images and social media posts, processed with Machine Learning algorithms, and integrated into detailed, spatially resolved population maps. This will help the ICRC to estimate the size of conflict-affected populations and potential returnees and plan its humanitarian response accordingly.

Existing technologies and systems supporting more sustainable construction are not suited to the conflict-affected, often resource-strapped settings where the ICRC works. This project will adapt and extend existing technologies and systems that promote sustainable construction to provide guidance on how to use environmental impact assessment tools in humanitarian action. Moreover, it will develop a digital platform that supports the sustainable design, operation, and maintenance of humanitarian buildings and infrastructure. The goal of this project is to improve the sustainability of ICRC construction projects, particularly for water and local habitat.

Humanitarian organisations have a responsibility to ensure the efficient delivery of aid as well as fair selection of its recipients. In humanitarian emergencies, determining the identities of aid recipients is a challenging task that could be greatly facilitated through the use of biometrics. Biometrics, particularly in humanitarian emergencies, raise important privacy concerns, including the potential to expose beneficiaries’ personal data. The ICRC has adopted a policy on biometrics which considers these challenges, and highlights areas where further research and development is needed. On the basis of this, this project aims to design a biometric system suitable for deployment in humanitarian settings without endangering their beneficiaries personal information.

Disinformation and hateful rhetoric, often called information warfare, are common tools to fuel ethnic and religious tensions and incite violence – including against humanitarian organisations. In 2018, aid workers combatting Ebola (including those at the Red Cross) found themselves to be victims of disinformation campaigns, which led to violence. This project aims to develop technical methods to combat misinformation directed against humanitarian organisations on social media. It aims to uncover how weaponised information impacts humanitarian organisations and to determine what can be learned about the methods employed to carry out these attacks. The overarching goal of this project is help prevent future attacks and preserve humanitarians’ security in the field.