CrowdDoing

Once selected as a winner, I will form a team dedicated to take our wildfire prevention concept to a prototype. Immediate activities of the team will be

• Taking our concept of wildfire prevention, define scope of the MVP (Minimal Viable Product) for a successful prototype
• Collect information for 10-15 regions affected by wildfire over last 3 years, including wildfire history, area/population affected, ecological conditions, documented financial loss, affected stakeholders, etc
• Collect quantitative data on wildfire prevention measures including cost per year, reduction in wildfire probabilities
• Create the analytic model for prevention recommendations and cost/benefit forecasts
• Select 5 regions where the prototype can be tested using the analytical model

The data collection and analytical modeling is time consuming, expensive, and require team dedication. I will use the prize funding to form focused/dedicate team and build the MVP.

I will also create a small team for stakeholder engagement: the insurance and reinsurance companies at the prototype phase. The team will focus to demonstrate solution value objectively, get commitments to invest proactively in wildfire prevention, and build consensus to move away from current risk transfer model to new risk prevention model. 

CrowdDoing is a global volunteer-based organization; uses research and practice to achieve aspirational impact goals. We have exceptional talents, in integrated teams and building a dynamic force for social innovation. Our expertise includes: data science, analytics, and insurance. The expertise also includes university pro-bono teams contributing to areas of mutual interest.

The activities are managed via agile processes. University pro-bono activities are completed in 3 month cycles. CrowdDoing internal activities are managed similarly.

  While CrowdDoing benefits from volunteer resources, volunteering also has challenges. Volunteer time allocated to the project, and the focus area being a new/innovative one, leads to longer planning/delivery cycle.

I personally am looking for seed investment to allocate dedicated resources, be the guiding force to take the current concept to MVP, and make it a global product. The team will be supplemented by CrowdDoing volunteer resources; and yet be a self-managed, and thriving organization.

I personally see significant benefit via social innovation. The initiative covers multiple UN sustainability initiatives, including: ecosystem preservation, pollution reduction, and health improvement. It creates new business implementing wildfire prevention measures. once the model is established and accepted, the industry will create marketable financial products (aka derivatives), and manage risk/rewards nationally and globally.

We have an innovative analytics-based approach to wildfire prevention/mitigation.  We plan to use data analytics that takes input

• Historical data from various fire conditions
  • affected land size and population
  • ecological condition, topography, causes of fire, population and land affected
  • layers of fire prevention measures: such as herd grazing to reduce flammable material, fire resistant plantation, house hardening, etc
  • financial losses incurred by various stakeholders (e.g., insurance and reinsurance)
• Comparable information on selected area for wildfire prevention measures to be implemented

• Financial projections
  • Implementation cost of various prevention measures
  • Reduction in loss (aka savings, positive risks) from the wildfire prevention

The analytical model will generate

• Recommended and optimized layers of wildfire prevention
• costs for each stakeholder segment
• Savings (cost avoidance) for each stakeholder segment
• Total cost/benefit summary
• Potential contribution for each stakeholder segment  to implement wildfire prevention steps

We expect

• Participating stakeholders for affected region will form consortium to manage/monitor/track contributions and implementation costs.
• CrowdDoing will continue to enhance the modeling and tools for evolving region-specific conditions; and support stakeholders (contributing and affected) with assessments and recommendations.
• CrowdDoing delivering valuable service for net risk reduction

We see the traditional risk-response model favors risk transfer, where involved parties avoid responsibility for the wildfire. There is a dangerous bias towards addressing negative risk (managing financial loss/harm after wildfire). This bias is combined with an underemphasis on prevention benefits, lead to potential losses due to inaction.

We firmly believe the situation needs remedy, regionally and globally. We see institutions have a large opportunity to invest proactively in wildfire prevention measures, create a more sustainable future and a more profitable institution. We see the preventive investments benefits community/society too.

Our solution is innovative – using data analytics to make prevention recommendation, overall and objective cost/benefit summary, and recommended contribution of each stakeholder consistent with their financial gains. It allows UN ESG guidance to be implemented while making such implementation financially viable. It creates new business to implement the recommendations.

Our solution is disruptive – it forces current long-utilized risk-transfer model to be replaced by a risk prevention model. It requires institutions to work together to prevent wildfire in a community.

Our discussions with insurance/reinsurance and select large corporations also support both innovative and disruptive nature of our solution.

Wildfire prevention is one of the CrowdDoing initiatives with an impact on humanity. Other initiatives include Mental Health & Physical Health, Anti – poverty, Service Learning (Education). Additional information on these initiatives are available on https://www.crowddoing.world/crowddoing-program/ .

On Wildfire prevention initiative – it focuses on proactive steps the community can take to mitigate wildfire risks with financially responsible fire-prevention initiatives. The impacts are far reaching. Beyond reducing direct loss from fire,

• reduces pollution – from vegetation burn as well as burn of toxic material in affected areas
• sustain and enhance ecological condition
• health improvement – people in directly-affected community as well as faraway places affected by smoke

CrowdDoing has taken a multi-prong approach toward the initiative. Amongst them, it includes

• creating the analytical model for all stakeholders to understand risk/reward and benefits of risk-prevention  strategy
• discussions with stakeholders for alignment on risk/reward model and for pro-active prevention measures
• working with university and other partners to actively engage experts as well as our next generation in our future
• engaging in social initiatives, such as SKOLL world forum (  https://skoll.org/skoll-world-...  ), for wider acceptance of our concept model

Prevention derivative mapping to UN SDG initiatives are in https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1xnFdyLQjfTwXUa0B_LQ9zXM8a6zOpOKA .