GSMA Innovation Fund Alumnus Komunidad is an all-in-one climate action platform for Climate Risk, ESG & Sustainability, and Social Impact that drives global intergenerational responsibility.
The blog provides an overview of how Artificial Intelligence (AI) has supported Komunidad in developing an inclusive and scalable disaster risk reduction (DRR) system that stands out from other solutions. Read on to learn more about the context of AI for DRR in the Philippines, find out exactly how Komunidad is using AI for climate action and discover how the organisation is looking to scale.
In context
AI is increasingly being integrated in DRR systems globally, from facilitating the prediction of extreme weather events and the production of hazard maps, to enabling real-time detection, early warnings and more comprehensive damage assessment.
In the Philippines, one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to climate change, AI-enabled DRR has been integrated into national disaster management through collaboration with 510 Global, an initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross. Alongside this Spectee, a Japanese start-up, plans to launch a pilot in partnership with the Filipino public sector to provide an AI-enabled DRR system to rapidly collect data and visualise and predict additional climate-related disasters.
Despite these advances, the Philippines continues to face challenges in the provision of user-centric early warning system (EWS) solutions that can reach the last mile, especially users without smartphones. Komunidad’s Curbeet platform addresses this gap through the provision of a multi-faceted, agile and accessible EWS.
This is the first in our series of blogs on Emerging Tech in action. See here for the introductory blog, which highlights the different ways in which the GSMA Innovation Fund grantees are using emerging tech alongside legacy tech to advance the sustainable development goals in low- and middle-income countries.
AI for climate resilience in action
AI has been instrumental in enabling Komunidad to provide a more robust, comprehensive, inclusive and accessible EWS to end users. In April 2024, the organisation launched their AI-enabled platform Curbeet, which serves as an early warning hub for users by using a range of data sources including local datasets from sensors, earth observation satellites and local community data.
More comprehensive
Beyond weather information and hazard warnings, the agile and customisable Curbeet platform offers users additional features such as the tracking of friends and family in high-risk locations, an AI-powered chatbot for safety insights, and an AI-enabled rapid connection with emergency services.
The Philippines does not have a centralised emergency service number (such as 999 or 911), meaning in a state of emergency time is lost looking up the correct local emergency number. This a challenge that Curbeet helps to overcome with its emergency services feature which enables users to access the correct emergency number by searching their current location. Komunidad used AI to build and verify this database of emergency numbers.
More inclusive
Curbeet can also send SMS alerts to feature phone users, providing an inclusive and extensive EWS that incorporates both emerging technology (AI) and legacy technology (SMS) for maximum reach. Community leaders can upload information into the platform, such as the phone numbers and locations of farmers in the area, transforming the possibility of reaching at-risk populations without smartphones and in remote locations immediately and cost-effectively.
Figure 1: Technology use by Komunidad
More accessible
AI has also enabled Komunidad to distribute early warnings in local languages and to automatically post alerts on Facebook, a social media platform widely used in the Philippines, further improving the inclusivity and reach of the EWS.
This blog is a collaboration between the GSMA Innovation Fund and Central Insights Unit, for more information on the role of Emerging Technology for impact, get in touch with us here.
Next steps for Komunidad
Komunidad have established a profitable business and are on the path to scaling investments via equity funding to refine and enhance their solution.
In its plan for further expansion, Komunidad is also…
- Replicating the solution to new contexts: Komunidad has conducted studies in Ghana and Kenya to assess their viability as additional markets and has begun pre-emptively exploring partnerships to ensure it enters with a targeted and informed strategy to scale quickly. The EWS system is ready to be replicated; it simply needs to be connected to SMS providers in new markets.
- Adding more functions: Now that Komunidad has established their climate risk solutions, they are working on further diversifying their business model and are therefore exploring the provision of additional services such as sustainability reporting consultancy in developing countries.
- Expanding the offering to more users: Komunidad’s success has led to visibility at high-profile global events such as London Tech Week, establishing them as a key player in the climate ecosystem.
AI remains a major part of Komunidad’s scaling journey
Whilst Komunidad was not launched with the intention of adopting AI, integrating emerging technology into their solution has added massive value to the service. AI has facilitated the development of additional functions, enabled wider customer reach and has helped Komunidad scale rapidly.
Importantly, Komunidad has invested time and resources in analysing their EWS and assessing where AI could add value. This approach has been instrumental in ensuring that Komunidad has developed a solution that is not driven by AI but rather enhanced by AI in a way which meets the needs of customers to an inclusive and scalable DRR system that stands out from others.
Keep an eye out for more upcoming spotlights on the implementation of Emerging Technology for sustainable development as we continue looking at relevant use cases. Sign up to the Mobile for Development newsletter here.
The GSMA Innovation fund is currently funded by UK international development from the UK government and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida); and our Central Insights Unit programme is currently funded by UK International Development from the UK government and is supported by the GSMA and its members.
