“Google’s Flood Hub Goes Global: Expansion to Cover 80 Countries”

Google Expands Flood Forecasting Using AI in 80 Countries

As climate change intensifies, natural disasters like flooding are becoming more frequent, which poses a threat to people’s safety and livelihoods. Flooding affects over 250 million people globally each year, causing around $10 billion in economic damages. With this in mind, Google has expanded its flood forecasting capabilities to 80 countries, using AI technology to help communities facing flooding risks.

Flood Hub: The AI-based Platform

Google’s platform Flood Hub, a part of its Crisis Response work, now spans Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, South and Central America, and some of the territories that are affected by flooding risks the most, covering around 460 million people globally. With access to locally relevant flood data and forecasts up to seven days in advance, Flood Hub enables governments, aid organizations, and individuals to take timely action to prepare for riverine floods.

The AI Technology behind Flood Hub

The AI technology behind Flood Hub utilizes publicly-available data sources like weather forecasts and satellite imagery, combining two models, the Hydrologic Model for forecasting the river’s amount of water flow, and the Inundation Model’s prediction of the affected areas and water depths. With this information, Flood Hub can provide advanced warnings about impending riverine floods, allowing communities to take action and reduce the flooding’s impact.

Expanding Alerts with Google Maps and Search

Google will also expand the use of flood forecasting alerts with Google Maps and Search, making this critical information accessible to all people when they need it the most.

Flood Hub’s Offline Alerting Network

In addition to its online platform, Google.org collaborates with organizations such as the Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the Indian Red Cross Society, and the Inclusion Economics team at Yale University to create offline alerting networks to support vulnerable communities that may not have access to smartphones or the internet. These networks consist of trained, incentivized, and trusted community volunteers, amplifying the reach of Flood Hub’s warnings to those who are most vulnerable.

Conclusion

Google’s AI technology and its platform, Flood Hub, will help individuals, organizations, and governments in flood-ridden regions receive timely data and forecasts about impending floods, enabling them to prepare and respond faster to prevent and minimize damages. With the expansion of Flood Hub and the offline alerting network, Google aims to support at-risk communities and help mitigate the effects of climate change.