O Google joined the Geological System of Brazil (SGB/CPRM) to launch a flood forecasting system. Unveiled this Tuesday (29), the solution uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) resources to determine where there will be floods. The tool will help in actions to contain the impacts of disasters.
The technology, which is already available in India, Colombia and other countries, was presented to Brazilians at the Understanding Risk Forum, in Florianópolis (SC). The project aims to provide forecasts for at-risk populations, governments and NGOs. In this way, it will be possible to take the alert to those who can help or need to protect themselves from the incident.
“In Brazil, the novelty joins the Google Environmental Disaster Alert Solutionssuch as SOS Alerts and Public Notices”, they announced.
How does the Flood Alert System work?
With AI and ML resources, the Flood Alert System works with the processing of various information. This is the case of data that indicate the water level of rivers, meteorological indicators and satellite images. Through this, it is possible to develop automated forecasting models and alerts on a global scale.
The Geological Survey of Brazil, of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, will help in this task. According to Google, the entity operates Hydrological Alert Systems in seventeen river basins in the country. All this apparatus is used to assist in decision-making to mitigate the impacts of extreme hydrological events.
Google’s head of partnerships and social impact, Luisa Phebo, gave more details about the novelty. According to the executive, the Search Engine will display the flood alerts at the top. This warning will be enabled if the user is in the vicinity of the affected region or if they do a search on the location.
“In the future, the goal is to increase the coverage area and also issue alerts via cell phone notifications,” he said.
System will be released in Brazil in two stages
The implementation of the novelty will happen in two parts.
First, the service will issue real-time river flood warnings to more than sixty locations. Afterwards, there will be a notification with flood forecasts generated by the hydrology team of the Geological Survey of Brazil and by Google in selected areas of Brazil.
“These alerts will be available on Google Search, Maps and Google’s new flood information platform – FloodHub“, they explained. “Over the coming months, the coverage of alerts and forecasts will be expanded to other regions of the country.”
System can help with upcoming summer rains
The Flood Alert System comes at a good time. With less than a month left for the beginning of summer, this is the most worrying time in terms of rainfall, especially for those who live close to slopes and rivers. It is the case of heavy rains in Petrolisin the Serrana Region of Rio de Janeiro, which left hundreds of people homeless in February.
Bahia faced a similar situation in December 2021. After storms, cities in the south of the state went into emergency due to flooding. In reaction, companies and institutions came together to collect donations for the victims of the cataclysm🇧🇷
But these are not isolated cases. In a report, the United Nations pointed out that, between 2000 and 2019, more than 70 million people were affected by floods in Brazil. And that’s why Google’s system becomes welcome, as it will help save many lives.
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