Executive Summary

The Civil Protection Conference 2025 in Biel demonstrated the potential of cutting-edge technologies for earthquake preparedness and response in Switzerland. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and big data analytics will be used for early warning, victim localization, and coordination in the future, with data protection issues still to be resolved. Given the "severely deteriorating security policy situation," the conference emphasized the importance of civil protection as a central element of the national security architecture and strengthened the focus on intercantonal cooperation.

Critical Questions

  1. How can the balance between technological innovation in disaster management and privacy protection (especially regarding mobile data) be ensured?
  2. To what extent are the presented technological solutions already practical, and what dependencies arise from their implementation?
  3. What concrete measures are needed to actually strengthen and measurably improve the proclaimed "societal and individual resilience"?

Key Facts

  • Participants: Over 300 representatives from police, fire departments, rescue services, technical services, and civil defense
  • Organizer: Federal Office for Civil Protection (FOCP)
  • Focus Topics: Twelve global megatrends (AI, Big Data, drones) and their application in earthquakes
  • Technology Focus: Early warning systems through AI, robotics for victim search, building condition analysis through digitalization
  • Data Protection Challenge: Use of anonymized mobile data to analyze behavior of affected populations

Context and Significance

The conference takes place in an environment that Federal Councillor Martin Pfister describes as a "severely deteriorating security policy situation." Earthquakes were chosen as a focus because they require the most capabilities from civil protection for major incident management and have a particularly high damage potential. The event illustrates Switzerland's endeavor to use modern technologies for disaster prevention while strengthening the federal structure through enhanced cooperation.

Future Perspectives

Short-term (1 year): Intensification of cooperation between federal and cantonal authorities in disaster preparedness with a focus on technological innovation and data exchange.

Medium-term (5 years): Integration of AI-supported early warning systems and robotics into existing operational concepts, combined with data protection-compliant solutions for using mobile data.

Long-term (10-20 years): Development of a comprehensive, technologically supported civil protection system with preventive elements that promotes individual and societal resilience and coordinates international aid.

Action Implications

Decision-makers in civil protection should:

  • Actively shape the balance between technological innovation and data protection
  • Develop concrete implementation plans for the presented technologies
  • Make resilience goals quantifiable and integrate them into training concepts
  • Strengthen networking structures between cantonal and federal actors
  • Optimize international coordination mechanisms for disaster response

Sources

Primary Source:
Megatrends and Earthquake Resilience in Focus at the Civil Protection Conference
Federal Office for Civil Protection, November 25, 2025