When disasters strike, speed and accuracy in understanding the damage and needs can make a real difference for affected populations. Technological advances are helping make strides in the efficiency of humanitarian response — but ground truthing, the process of verifying digital insights through local knowledge, remains indispensable.
New technology is ushering in a shift in the way humanitarian responses take place. Digital tools such as satellite imagery, remote sensing, and artificial intelligence can now deliver critical information in hours. These insights would previously take weeks if not months to trickle in. This means help reaches communities faster and recovery needs are identified sooner.
While technology helps accelerate and scale up response, one important lesson is also emerging: Human touch has never been more critical.
About the authors
Anila Qehaja
Anila Qehaja leads UNDP’s assessments and digital solutions team, supporting governments and country offices in generating timely, actionable data for crisis recovery. Her work has supported emergency planning, reconstruction, and livelihood restoration in over 60 countries. She is a Fulbright scholar and holds degrees from The George Washington University and Rochester Institute of Technology.
Devanand “Dev” Ramiah
Devanand “Dev” Ramiah is chief of crisis readiness, response, and recovery at UNDP’s crisis bureau. With over two decades of humanitarian, peacebuilding, and development experience. He has served globally in senior leadership and crisis response roles across some of the world’s acute emergencies. A Fulbright scholar, he holds a master’s in Conflict Transformation from Eastern Mennonite University.
