Google has developed a new application, called Flood Hub, capable of predicting floods seven days before they happen.
The giant announced the expansion flood forecasting capabilities in 80 countries, adding 60 new countries in Europe, including Romania, Africa, the Asia-Pacific region, and South and Central America.
Governments, organizations and people in these regions will have access to critical information up to seven days in advance to prepare.
In 2018, Google launched flood forecasts to help combat the catastrophic damage caused by the annual floods.
Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, in 2022 Google has expanded flood forecasts to 18 more countries, an important step towards what was recently announced.
Flood forecasting is based on AI technology, which processes various publicly available data sources, such as weather forecasts and satellite images.
The new AI model then combines two models: the hydrological model, which predicts the amount of water flowing into the river, and the Flood model, which predicts which areas will be affected and how deep the water will be.
Google will send you notifications in Search, Maps, but also on Android
Starting this year, Google will send flood alerts in Search and Maps, as well as notifications on Android.
„Flood Hub is part of Google’s ‘Crisis Response’ work to give people access to trusted information and resources at critical times – which include, alongside floods, forest fires and earthquakes. For over a decade, Google has been working with frontline workers and emergency services to develop technologies and programs that help people live safe, informed lives and stay out of harm’s way.
Additionally, to support flood-vulnerable communities that do not have direct access to warnings, Google.org is partnering with organizations such as the Indian Red Cross to establish offline warning networks of trained, motivated and trusted community volunteers to expand the warning radius on the Flood Hub.
According to one recent study conducted by an Inclusive Economics team from Yale University, another beneficiary of the Google.orgcommunities with local volunteers were 50% more likely to receive warnings before water reached their area – a factor that can make the difference between life and death,” Google said in a statement.
