Why is Google doing this?
Google aims to provide accurate, actionable flood alerts worldwide, with a current focus on riverine floods. We believe AI can offer innovative solutions and improve lives. By leveraging our resources and commitment to responsible AI, we can make a significant impact.
Floods cause devastating loss of life, disrupt millions, and inflict significant financial damage annually. Google Research is committed to helping by developing AI models for flood forecasting.
What is the history of Google’s work with Flood Forecasting?
Google has been using artificial intelligence to forecast floods since we started this project in 2017. Over the past few years our model has developed significantly. When we first started, we relied on real time river data from each country we forecasted in. Thanks to advancements in AI, we can now forecast in most countries in the world.
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Launches mentioned in this timeline are for select basins in each country.
How often are forecasts updated?
Forecasts are updated daily based on the most up-to-date meteorological data available. The forecasts are also in daily resolution.
Where can I get a historical record of your forecasts?
We keep all our forecasts in an external publicly available dataset, see here.
What is NOT covered?
We currently focus only on riverine floods, as opposed to flash/ coastal floods. We also do not generate flood maps for urban areas. The predictions are still a work in progress and are for informational purposes only. You should not use them as a sole source of data in the event of an emergency, but as potentially one data point in addition to other sources of data (e.g., the government, weather services, etc.).
Why aren’t forecasts available in my region?
- We are continuously evaluating new locations and improving the quality of our forecasts as necessary to launch flood forecasts in more areas of the world.
- One limiting factor is the availability of historical discharge records in certain parts of the world. If more discharge data (historical or real-time) would be publicly available, it would speed up our process to cover more rivers globally.
- Reach out to floodforecasting@google.com for help on publishing data or consider looking at the Caravan project, which facilitates publishing streamflow data, combined with meteorological forcing data and catchment attributes.
Why do some places show flood maps while others don’t?
We evaluate the hydrologic and inundation models separately. In some regions, we see that our hydrologic models are very accurate when compared to ground truth information, but the inundation models do not show clear and regular inundation patterns. In these regions we decide to only share the hydrologic information.
How to address the data gap?
Developing countries are disproportionately impacted by floods, often lacking the robust data networks needed for traditional flood prediction. This creates a critical gap in reliable forecasting for vulnerable areas.
Google Research is tackling this challenge by using AI and public datasets to improve global access to accurate flood forecasts, especially in areas without existing gauge networks. This initiative seeks to bridge the information gap and provide vital early warning systems to communities worldwide.
Is the Flood Hub free?
The Flood Hub is entirely free and will always be. Google is dedicated to providing technology and predictions that help people cope with extreme weather. Offering accurate flood information aligns with our company mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible.
If a country wishes to provide historical or real-time gauge data, how will this improve accuracy? Which data is needed?
Share through the Caravan Dataset - Caravan is an open source global streamflow dataset, where streamflow data providers globally (e.g., hydromet agencies) contribute daily gauge measurements. Several countries are currently represented in this dataset, including (but not limited to) Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Denmark, Mexico, the UK, the US, and much of central Europe. Moreover, the WMO-supported Global Runoff Data Center has contributed streamflow data for 25 countries.
Is there an API?
If you are an organization interested in implementing our flood forecasts in your workflows, please see the Floods website.