The Singapore Red Cross (SRC) took steps to strengthen disaster response and public health preparedness in collaboration with Dataiku, provided SRC’s Humanitarian Innovation and Technology (HIT) team with free access to its platform and pro bono support from Dataiku’s data scientists and engineers.
This is intended to help the non-profit organisation unlock the value of its data and scale its impact through specific AI use cases.
SRC has utilised Dataiku’s AI platform to automate disaster surveillance, which had previously involved highly manual, labour-intensive processes of collecting, cleaning, and consolidating data on natural and man-made disasters.
Using the AI platform, the automated process improved in speed, accuracy, and quality while eliminating inconsistent data formats. It also enabled SRC to broaden its insights by incorporating additional contextual data, such as climate trends and weather patterns.
The collaboration between SRC and Dataiku also resulted in a more accurate forecast of leptospirosis, a waterborne disease endemic in Thailand.
By applying machine learning models to weather and environmental data, SRC could better predict outbreaks and strengthen early intervention measures, such as resource planning for vulnerable communities, through data-driven approaches.
“Across Asia Pacific, the impact of disasters and public health crises is intensifying, and the difference between reacting and anticipating can mean thousands of lives affected, “ said Andrew Boyd, SVP Asia Pacific & Japan at Dataiku.
“What’s powerful about this collaboration is not just the technology, but the shift it represents: moving humanitarian organisations from hindsight to foresight,” said Boyd. “When AI is placed in the hands of teams on the ground, it becomes a force multiplier — enabling faster decisions, better coordination, and ultimately more resilient communities.”
Nur Hafiza AB Mutalif, assistant head of international affairs at SRC said that behind every data point is a community in need.
“By bringing together technology and humanitarian expertise, we can act earlier and with greater precision, whether that means anticipating risks before they escalate or delivering support when it matters most,” she said. “This collaboration allows us to turn data into timely, targeted action, ensuring that resources reach the right people at the right moment. Ultimately, it’s about making aid not just faster, but more meaningful, sustainable, and responsive to the realities on the ground.”
