In 2018 we began our flood forecasting initiative<\/a> to help combat the catastrophic damage from floods each year by equipping those in harm\u2019s way with accurate and detailed alerts<\/a>. This work is a part of Google\u2019s broader Crisis Response<\/a> program which provides people access to trusted information and resources in critical moments. For over a decade, our Crisis Response team has been partnering with front line and emergency workers to develop technology and programs that help keep people safe, informed and out of harm\u2019s way.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n In the first three years, we expanded our program<\/a> to cover much of India and Bangladesh, working in partnership with the Indian Central Water Commision<\/a> and with the Bangladesh Water Development Board<\/a>, covering an area with about 220 million people and sending out 40 million potentially life-saving alerts. And in 2021, our operational systems were further expanded to cover an area with over 360 million people. Thanks to better flood prediction technology, we sent out over 115 million alerts \u2014 that\u2019s about triple the amount we previously sent out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Coverage areas of our current operational flood forecasting systems. In these areas, we use our models to help government alerts reach the right people. In some areas we have also increased lead time and spatial accuracy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n We\u2019re hyper-focused on making alerts more local, accessible, actionable and accurate \u2014 the more information we can offer about upcoming floods, the better, more timely decisions people can make. Most global flood alerts only provide information on how much a river will rise (e.g. 30 cm), which doesn\u2019t always mean people can know what that would mean for them and their village. Our flood alerts display inundation maps, which show the extent and depth of flooding right on top of Google Maps, so people can visualize this critical information more easily. Our new manifold inundation model<\/a> and advances across all models allow us to scale up significantly and provide this information to many more people (and we\u2019ll share more about this technology in the near future).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nExpanding our forecasting reach<\/h2>\n
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