The war in Iran once again serves as a stark reminder that crises\nstrike without warning. Infrastructure can collapse in hours.\nInformation can become blurred in minutes. Panic can spread in\nseconds.<\/p>\n
Indonesia may not be a country at war. Yet it is among the world\u2019s\nmost disaster-prone nations. We live on a ring of fire, lie on active\nfault lines, are surrounded by volcanoes, and face flood and extreme\nweather threats that are worsened by climate change.<\/p>\n
Global data show the scale of the problem is not small. In the past\nfive decades, natural disasters have caused about 4.7 million deaths and\neconomic losses of around USD 5 trillion. Their frequency has also risen\nmarkedly: 436 disasters were recorded in 2021, far higher than in the\nprevious three decades.<\/p>\n
Asia is described as the most disaster-prone region globally, and\nIndonesia is among countries with a high risk score in the World Risk\nReport. In other words, we are not talking about a possibility; we are\ntalking about definite risk.<\/p>\n
Technology exists, but is it truly used?<\/p>\n
Amid rising risks, mobile technology is viewed as a strategic\nsolution. A recent systematic study on mobile technology in disaster\nmanagement identified 77 apps across 14 countries designed to support\nprevention, preparedness, response, and recovery from disasters.<\/p>\n
Theoretically, the findings are promising: 64.94% of apps provide\ndisaster education features, and 38.96% have early warning systems\n(EWS).<\/p>\n
\u201cEarly warning system\u201d, is a mechanism that signals before a disaster\noccurs to enable people to take saving actions. Globally, effective\nsystems are said to reduce impacts by around 30% if information arrives\nin time.<\/p>\n
In design terms, this is good news. Yet there is a big irony: 33.96%\nof apps have fewer than 1,000 downloads, and only 11.32% have surpassed\n1 million downloads. More worrying still, 55.8% of those apps are no\nlonger active. The finding is not a technical detail, but a policy\nalarm.<\/p>\n
That means we face a serious gap between technology intent and actual\nuse. In the literature of digital disaster management, this is known as\nthe adoption & engagement gap\u2014the gap between people downloading\napps and actually using them actively when needed.<\/p>\n
Install does not mean readiness. Download does not mean trust. Having\nan app does not mean you have a system.<\/p>\n
Disasters are not just about prediction, but coordination<\/p>\n
Another study published in Urban Science (2025) reviewed 77 flood\npreparedness and response apps. Their findings emphasise that effective\napps typically have core features:<\/p>\n
Real-time alerts<\/p><\/li>\n
Emergency contact directory<\/p><\/li>\n
Preparedness checklists<\/p><\/li>\n
Interactive maps<\/p><\/li>\n
Mechanisms for citizen reporting<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
But the study also points to something more strategic: the success of\napps lies not solely in features, but in how the app is mobilised into\nsocial behaviour.<\/p>\n
In other words, technology does not automatically save lives. What\nsaves lives is when technology becomes a habit, trusted, and used in\ncrisis situations.<\/p>\n
The study also highlights three strategies for apps to truly come\nalive:<\/p>\n
Community engagement through user-friendly and interactive\ninterfaces. Community engagement means actively involving the community.\nApps must be designed so that people feel part of the system, not merely\npassive recipients of notifications.<\/p><\/li>\n
Integration of smartphone capabilities, such as motion sensors,\nGPS, and even barometers. In other words, phones not only receive\ninformation but can also become tools for collecting field situation\ndata.<\/p><\/li>\n
Real-time, rapid communication, including push-to-talk features.\nPush-to-talk is an instant voice communication system, akin to a digital\nwalkie-talkie, enabling rapid coordination when text messages are too\nslow.<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
The key is clear: disasters are not just about prediction but\ncoordination, which requires direct, clear, and trustworthy\ncommunication as conditions change minute by minute.<\/p>\n
Deeper issue: trust and sustainability. The figure 55.8% of apps no\nlonger active shows that many disaster solutions are short-term\nprojects. Without sustained funding, without institutional integration,\nand without system upgrades, apps can quickly wither before they\nmature.<\/p>\n
Moreover, there is a public trust issue. In crises, people seek\nsources deemed most credible. If official systems are slow or\ninconsistent, the public will turn to social media, which is prone to\nmisinformation.<\/p>\n
In the context of war, misinformation can be used as propaganda. In\ndisasters, misinformation can trigger evacuation chaos.<\/p>\n
Therefore, digital disaster warning management is not just an IT\nproject but an infrastructure of trust.<\/p>\n
Indonesia: From Apps to Ecosystem. If Indonesia wants to learn from\nglobal experiences, we must go beyond single-app approaches. What we\nneed is a digital disaster warning ecosystem:<\/p>\n
Multi-channel (apps, SMS, cell broadcast, official social\nmedia)<\/p><\/li>\n
Real-time location-based<\/p><\/li>\n
Cross-agency integrated<\/p><\/li>\n
Inclusive for the elderly and disabled<\/p><\/li>\n
Sustainably funded and regulated<\/p><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Because in disasters, what is tested is not the slickness of an app\nlaunch, but whether in the first moments of a crisis information arrives\nclearly.<\/p>\n
We already have field heroes. Now we need digital orchestration. In\nevery major disaster in Indonesia, from tsunamis, earthquakes to flash\nfloods, we always witness the same: volunteers move quickly. The state\napparatus, TNI and Polri, step in without delay.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/the-war-in-iran-opens-our-eyes-is-indonesias-digital-disaster-system-ready-1772690394", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }