Leveraging Technology to Enhance Climate Resilience in Taipei - 臺北產經資訊網

In the face of increasingly frequent climate shocks—such as sudden downpours, typhoons, droughts, and heatwaves—the Taipei City Government began laying the groundwork for climate risk monitoring as early as 2010. Since then, it has steadily advanced the development of disaster prevention technologies. The city has established cross-departmental communication mechanisms, enabling departments such as disaster prevention, urban development, water resources, and public health to share information and collaborate in decision-making. This technological transformation spans from early warning systems to data-driven responses. With the help of mobile apps that allow residents to report disaster events, Taipei has significantly enhanced its precision in responding to natural disasters and is steadily building climate resilience to meet evolving challenges.

As climate change intensifies, Taipei City has shifted its disaster response strategy from passive reaction to proactive prevention. Centering its efforts on the principle of "prevention over relief," the Taipei City Government's Public Works Department has actively introduced technology to help citizens better understand how to respond to climate challenges. Since the establishment of the Geotechnical Engineering Office in 2010, Taipei has integrated climate warning data into the Hillside Disaster Prevention Network. By incorporating data from the Central Weather Administration and climate projections from TCCIP, the system simulates and analyzes various future extreme weather scenarios in Taipei. Serving as a comprehensive platform for mountain weather and disaster information, the Network is supported by cross-departmental collaboration involving the Department of Economic Development, Department of Information Technology, Hydraulic Engineering Office, Public Works Department, and Fire Department. These efforts have significantly strengthened environmental monitoring systems across the city. To enhance public awareness, the city has installed slope weather and disaster information displays at mountain trail entrances and scenic spots, offering real-time rainfall data, satellite imagery, and other disaster-related information. The system also features a mobile-friendly interface that supports 24/7 disaster monitoring, map-based queries, satellite imagery, and user-friendly navigation tools.

With a focus on transparency and real-time access, this digital tool has become a critical asset in Taipei's disaster response and early warning management, enabling residents to stay informed about severe weather events and take timely precautions, fostering a more resilient city in the face of extreme climate conditions.

Serving as the city's central hub for disaster prevention, the Hillside Disaster Prevention Network integrates weather forecasting, real-time monitoring, and disaster reporting. In the face of intensifying extreme weather events, the platform is being enhanced to automatically identify early warning thresholds and issue alerts, simultaneously notifying relevant government departments and the public. According to the Taipei City Government's Geotechnical Engineering Office, early warning thresholds for slope land areas are clearly defined. When cumulative rainfall reaches 300 millimeters within 24 hours, a yellow alert is issued to advise residents to prepare for evacuation. When rainfall exceeds 400 millimeters, a red alert is triggered, mandating evacuation and initiating real-time monitoring of potential debris flow streams and regulated slope areas. The system incorporates data from 26 rain gauge stations, 11 debris flow monitoring stations, inclinometers, piezometers, and other instruments to monitor slope stability and water level fluctuations. It also coordinates with the Ministry of the Interior’s flood risk monitoring to provide warning information and flood prevention recommendations. From upstream scientific data management and sensor networks, midstream interdepartmental information integration and assessment, and downstream public warning dissemination, Taipei has steadily developed a comprehensive monitoring and early warning response chain. This system significantly reduces the response time between the onset of a disaster and governmental action, minimizing potential impacts and enhancing the city's resilience.

The Taipei City Fire Department launched the “Taipei City Disaster Emergency Operations Center GIS System” in 2012 to strengthen the government's internal disaster response command structure. This system translates complex disaster prevention and response data into intuitive geographic visualizations, significantly improving decision-making during emergencies. The system encompasses four major components: real-time information, disaster messages, disaster prevention data, and map tools:

• Real-Time Information: This module integrates typhoon trajectory forecasts, weather radar imagery, hydrological monitoring data, and live CCTV feeds. Users can instantly view storm circle positions, cumulative rainfall distribution, and river water levels during typhoons. In the event of an earthquake, users can quickly retrieve surveillance footage to assess on-site damage.
• Disaster Messages: The system aggregates all types of citywide disaster reports and alerts, including 119 incident cases handled by the Fire Department, warnings issued by the Central Weather Administration, and a timeline of various disaster events. Through a unified interface, users can gain a comprehensive overview of the current disaster status, severity, and response progress.
• Disaster Prevention Data: The system includes a wide range of specialized disaster maps, such as evacuation routes and shelters, locations of critical slope protections, areas prone to natural hazards (e.g., debris flow zones), emergency water supply statuses, and backup water sources. These maps assist in identifying zones requiring evacuation, optimal rescue routes, and potential impacts to infrastructure.
• Map Tools: A suite of tools enables users to zoom, pan, switch base maps, and measure distances or areas, offering multidimensional views of disaster scenarios. Departments can immediately access critical information to improve the speed and accuracy of resource deployment.

As a shared digital platform for Taipei's emergency response teams, this GIS system enables cross-agency coordination during disasters. Personnel from fire, police, public works, water resources, and civil affairs departments can simultaneously reference the same dataset, allowing each unit to perform its duties while supporting one another. Not only does the command center gain a comprehensive overview, but frontline responders can also access the system via tablets and smartphones for real-time updates. By leveraging technology to ensure transparent information flow, the Taipei City Government delivers timely, transparent, and effective disaster response decision-making capabilities.

Building on a solid foundation of disaster response data platforms, the Taipei City Government has steadily transformed technical achievements into practical, citizen-facing services—bringing the benefits of climate resilience directly into everyday life. In 2024, the Taipei City Fire Department and the Department of Information Technology jointly developed the "Taipei City Disaster Prevention App", which consolidates diverse and real-time disaster prevention information into four main functions:

• Latest Updates on the Homepage: Integrating data from the Central Weather Administration, the app allows users to access real-time rainfall, water level information, and typhoon alerts. It also provides push notifications for class and work suspension announcements, helping residents prepare in advance for extreme weather conditions.
• Disaster Prevention Map: This feature includes access to CCTV feeds that monitor roads and rivers, the location of nearby medical facilities, disaster prevention parks, and shelter maps for emergency evacuation. Given Taipei's unique basin geography, community disaster bulletin boards are also integrated for mountain-adjacent districts, allowing residents to view the latest local disaster conditions and evacuation instructions in their neighborhoods.
• Data Monitoring: The app opens up live monitoring data to the public, enabling users to track the latest flood zones, road closures, and incident statuses citywide. This ensures transparency and enhances real-time situational awareness.
• Disaster Preparedness Knowledge: Organized by disaster type—including earthquakes, first aid, fires, and typhoons—this section educates users on how to respond to various emergencies, empowering citizens with the knowledge needed to act quickly and effectively in times of crisis.

The Taipei City Disaster Prevention App delivers one-stop access to official information. In the critical first moments following a disaster, citizens can instantly receive alerts such as flood warnings or post-earthquake road and bridge assessments. During the 2024 typhoon season—including Typhoons Gaemi, Krathon, and Kong-rey—the app enabled swift information dissemination, allowing citizens to stay informed and safe. This exemplifies how technology serves as a vital tool in enhancing disaster preparedness and resilience across Taipei.

In addition to effectively providing information to the public, the Taipei City Government also values real-time feedback from citizens, creating a two-way flow of disaster information. The "TaipeiPASS App" has emerged as a new channel for residents to report disaster-related incidents. Following the Hualien Earthquake on April 3, 2024, the Department of Transportation promptly encouraged citizens to use the built-in "Online Disaster Report" feature in the TaipeiPASS App to submit reports—via texts, photos, or videos—on emergency situations such as fallen trees, debris, or burst pipes. This service fills the gap left by traditional phone-based reporting, allowing for rapid and efficient submission of disaster information. The data is automatically sent to the Taipei Emergency Operations Center, where it is reviewed and addressed by the relevant departments. As an everyday service platform for citizens, the TaipeiPASS App significantly lowers the barrier for public participation in disaster prevention.

Throughout the innovation process, the Taipei City Government has actively partnered with the private sector to introduce new technologies that strengthen its disaster prevention framework. Under the "LoRa IoT Smart Living Applications Integration Project," a public-private partnership was formed from September 2017 to September 2018 to install flood monitoring systems at three key locations: south of Lishan Junior High School in Neihu, the Zhongyang-Ligong underpass in Beitou, and Jingmei Bridge in Wenshan. These systems transmit real-time water level data to a cloud platform, enabling alerts to be sent via mobile phones or computers. During the heavy rainfall event on September 8, 2018, the system successfully relayed water level changes, allowing authorities to promptly initiate pumping and traffic control operations, significantly enhancing pre-disaster response and mitigation efforts. In addition to industry collaboration, the Department of Information Technology has promoted open access to disaster-related data. It encourages developers to utilize data made available by the Fire Department—such as real-time status of emergency shelters via the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and regional disaster reports—for secondary application development. Through cross-sector collaboration, Taipei City has effectively harnessed collective expertise to craft climate adaptation solutions that meet real-world needs.

As technological systems become increasingly sophisticated, Taipei City has steadily advanced policy integration to ensure that each step in transforming "data" into "decision" is seamlessly connected. On the governance front, the Taipei City Government has established the Taipei Climate Change Adaptation Promotion Committee, bringing together 13 departments to develop climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies collaboratively. Through coordinated mechanisms, departments can share real-time monitoring, early warning data, and disaster information, enabling proactive resource planning and division of responsibilities before major disasters strike. For instance, when the Department of Environmental Protection issues a high-temperature alert, the Department of Social Welfare, the Department of Health, and the Department of Education can simultaneously initiate heatwave-related measures such as elder care outreach, hospital preparedness, and adjustments to outdoor activities in accordance with established SOPs. This comprehensive system of data sharing, collaboration, integrated platforms, and multi-channel reporting mechanisms allows Taipei City to disseminate disaster information rapidly across all relevant departments, significantly reducing interdepartmental response delays.

From early-stage risk identification and assessment, to mid-stage cross-domain governance, and now a focus on technological empowerment for climate resilience, each step has strengthened the city's ability to withstand and adapt to climate change. This reflects not only the local government's proactive response to climate risks but also serves as a vital foundation for enhancing urban resilience. As global climate challenges intensify, Taipei City will continue to foster disaster preparedness at the community level, driving resilience through a dual approach of technology and governance to better withstand future natural hazards.