Smart Flood Detection with AI and Blockchain Integration in Saudi Arabia Using Drones

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science and Engineering
• Artificial Intelligence
• Cybersecurity

Background:

• Global warming and climate change exacerbate natural disasters, with floods posing significant risks requiring rapid management.
• Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) offer potential for improved emergency response and information dissemination.
• Existing flood detection methods face challenges in security, privacy, communication costs, and handling large data volumes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a secure Flood Detection Secure System (FDSS) for flood monitoring in Saudi Arabia.
• To leverage deep active learning (DeepAL) within a federated learning framework to enhance detection accuracy while minimizing communication overhead.
• To integrate blockchain and encryption techniques for robust data security, privacy preservation, and efficient data management.

Main Methods:

• Development of a Flood Detection Secure System (FDSS) employing a deep active learning (DeepAL) classification model.
• Implementation of federated learning with blockchain technology, utilizing partially homomorphic encryption (PHE) and stochastic gradient descent (SGD).
• Integration of InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) to manage storage limitations and high data gradients inherent in blockchain transmissions.

Main Results:

• The FDSS effectively estimates flooded areas and monitors changes in dam water levels, providing crucial threat assessment.
• Federated learning with PHE ensures privacy-preserving, ciphertext-level model aggregation and filtering, verifying local models securely.
• The system demonstrates enhanced security, preventing data compromise and alteration by malicious actors.

Conclusions:

• The proposed FDSS offers a secure, adaptable, and efficient method for flood detection and management, particularly in remote regions.
• The integration of AI and blockchain technology provides a robust solution for enhancing disaster response strategies.
• Recommendations are provided for Saudi Arabian decision-makers and administrators to address the increasing threat of flooding.