The support of digital technologies for resilient performance during the 2024 floods in Rio Grande do Sul

Digital technologies comprise software and hardware that utilize information technology and support workplaces and everyday life, processing data in digital formats. This exploratory study examines how digital technologies were utilized to address the impacts of the floods that occurred between April and May 2024 in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. This was the most severe climate-related disaster in the state, triggering diverse resilience practices from various sectors and stakeholders. Information on 18 digital technologies developed or adapted during this period was gathered through the Innovation Observatory of Rio Grande do Sul. These technologies were analyzed based on a Resilience Engineering perspective, with categories corresponding to: the resilience potentials, the principles of design for resilient performance, and their contributions to resilient performance. The 18 digital technologies identified were distributed across five main sectors: health and social support, communication, agriculture, urban infrastructure, and business. Monitoring emerged as the most frequently activated resilience potential, while the principle of “making variations in performance visible” was the most commonly applied. Key contributions included providing real-time data-driven perspectives and monitoring system performance. This study focused exclusively on technologies available at the State Innovation Observatory. Future research will expand the analysis to include additional technologies and interviews with their developers and users.