The Executive Yuan has approved a NT$3.09 billion (US$94.1 million) plan to use artificial intelligence (AI) to manage flooding risks from typhoons and other weather events, the Water Resources Agency said yesterday.
The program, which is to run from next year to 2029, would utilize advances in AI, fifth-generation telecom networks, the Internet of Things and pattern recognition to upgrade disaster-response capabilities, including through risk spatialization and augmented decisionmaking, as well as by increasing the number of monitoring stations to 1,200 nationwide, the agency said.
The program would launch mobile apps to improve first-responder communications and coordination, and improve awareness of climate risks among the public, it said
Photo courtesy of the Water Resources Agency
Novel technologies introduced by the program’s previous iteration from 2020 to this year boosted the agency’s ability to detect flooding hazards six hours in advance, it said.
The agency uses an AI-based monitoring system that analyzes data from 2,072 flood detectors and 8,769 cameras, it said, adding that it has 1,676 mobile water pumps, 19,500 flood barrier sections, 544 community-based independent flood management units and 1,477 volunteers.
The government has created partnerships with private enterprises to create a joint natural disaster response capability, the agency said, adding that it has accomplished the government’s preliminary targets for smart disaster relief capability and infrastructure construction.
A NT$39 receipt for two bottles of tea at a FamilyMart was among the NT$10 million (US $312,969) special prize winners in the January-February uniform invoice lottery. FamilyMart said that two NT$10 million-winning receipts were issued at its stores, as well as two NT$2 million grand prizes and three NT$200,000 first prizes. The two NT$10 million receipts were issued at stores in Pingtung County and Yilan County’s Dongshan Township (冬山). One winner spent just NT$39 on two bottles of tea, while another spent NT$80 on water, tea and coffee, the company said. Meanwhile, 7-Eleven reported three NT$10 million winners — in New Taipei
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
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