World Health Organization (WHO) uses BuildShip to build their Global Emergency Response AI Platform

Overview

The World Health Organization (WHO), based in Geneva, Switzerland, is responsible for overseeing health crises worldwide. It coordinates emergency response teams in regions affected by infectious disease outbreaks, natural disasters, and complex humanitarian crises. With 194 member countries and over 70 ongoing global events, WHO sought an agile solution to decentralize expert knowledge, localize response efforts, and support communities on the frontlines of health emergencies.

To address these needs, WHO decided to implement advanced AI, along with low-code and no-code technologies through BuildShip. This approach aims to provide customizable and scalable solutions. At the Paris No Code Summit, the BuildShip team spoke with Scott Pendergast, the Director of Health Emergencies Strategy at WHO, and Ravi Shankar, a Technical Officer at WHO, to gain insights from their experience using BuildShip and AI. Their goal is to empower local public health officials and emergency responders by simplifying access to WHO’s extensive guidelines, data, and response strategies.

Objectives

1. Enhance Local Preparedness: Enable decentralized access to WHO’s emergency response guidelines.

2. Automate Data Visualization and Mapping: Empower WHO’s GIS teams to create accurate maps and datasets for crisis regions using satellite imagery and geographic information.

3. Optimize Response Planning: Provide virtual experts to guide local responders through response protocols based on both WHO standards and contextual data.

4. Accelerate Adoption of Innovative Technology: Create a sustainable framework for introducing AI and low-code/no-code solutions into WHO’s response workflows.

Challenge

WHO faces unique challenges in deploying innovative technology due to the scale of their operations, stringent security protocols, and the diverse technological capacities of its global workforce.

They manage vast amounts of complex, unstructured data—from epidemiological modeling to tracking disease outbreaks. Traditionally, building applications to handle this data has required extensive developer resources and lengthy approval processes, limiting the organization’s ability to respond swiftly to emerging needs. Moreover, WHO’s global partnerships and community-based projects demand solutions that operate outside its corporate firewall to support rapid collaboration and data sharing without compromising core systems.

Solution

To overcome these hurdles, WHO has initiated pilot projects with, testing the platform’s low-code capabilities to create scalable, country-specific applications with minimal developer input. With BuildShip, WHO can now prototype and deploy tools in days rather than months, drastically reducing the time and resources required to address on-the-ground needs.

1. Virtual Expert System: This pilot initiative involved creating AI-driven virtual experts loaded with WHO’s emergency guidelines on infectious disease control and crisis response. The virtual experts would not only provide knowledge but also guide responders through actionable templates for situational analysis, strategic planning, and resource allocation.

2. Automated Data Visualization and Self-Service Mapping: The GIS division within WHO, which produces over 2,000 maps annually, aimed to reduce workload and enhance accuracy. Using BuildShip and FlutterFlow, WHO created a self-service system where local teams could input data and generate maps, models, and visualizations independently. This allowed WHO’s GIS team to focus on more complex tasks while empowering local responders to make timely data-driven decisions.

Implementation

WHO's AI integration journey began with a pilot project in Somalia to enhance local response planning. This project tested the ability of BuildShip’s AI to adapt WHO’s general preparedness guidelines to Somalia’s specific needs. The trial demonstrated that AI could successfully generate locally relevant action plans, streamlining processes that typically required extensive manual input.

Following this success, WHO expanded the initiative to other regions facing crises, such as Gaza and Ukraine. The BuildShip platform provides the potential to implement modular, reusable code blocks, ensuring that applications can be rapidly customized for different scenarios without extensive redevelopment. This modularity made it possible for WHO to deploy tailored solutions within weeks rather than months.

Results

1. 90% Accuracy in Preparedness Planning: In initial trials, WHO achieved up to 90% accuracy in readiness planning using AI-driven solutions, compared to traditional manual workflows.

2. Decentralized, Contextual Knowledge Sharing: Local teams were able to access critical guidelines and adapt them using community-specific data, significantly increasing responsiveness and relevance.

3. Mapping & Data Analysis: WHO’s GIS team could delegate more routine mapping tasks to field teams, reducing turnaround times and improving real-time situational awareness.

4. Sustainable Tech Adoption: With the ability to build modular solutions with BuildShip, WHO established a sustainable framework for future innovation, enabling pilot solutions to evolve into core tools.

Key Learnings and Future Direction

WHO’s partnership with BuildShip has highlighted the transformative potential of AI, low-code, and no-code solutions in global public health. However, WHO also identified key barriers, particularly in terms of organizational adaptability and real-time crisis adoption. WHO’s IT department is currently evaluating the scalability of these tools and exploring opportunities to integrate these innovations more permanently into WHO’s IT framework.

Moving forward, WHO plans to expand its use of BuildShip for broader applications, including:

- Citizen Developer Collaboration: Engaging local developers and data scientists through hackathons to co-create solutions using WHO’s open datasets.

- Open Data and API Access: Providing citizen developers with API access to WHO’s health data, fostering community-driven response tools for crises like earthquakes and pandemics.

- Sustainable Open-Source Initiatives: WHO has committed to a broader open-source approach, allowing member states to leverage and contribute to WHO’s technology stack.

Conclusion

BuildShip's collaboration with WHO illustrates how agile, AI-driven technology can accelerate global health response efforts, particularly in crisis-stricken areas. By empowering local public health officials with expert knowledge and flexible mapping tools, WHO has strengthened its emergency response framework, making it more resilient, adaptable, and scalable for the future. This partnership underscores the role of AI and low-code solutions in shaping the next decade of global public health innovation.