Google expands coverage of AI-based flood forecasts to 100 countries and improves its forecasting model

Google recently announced the expansion of its artificial intelligence (AI)-based flood forecasting system. The search giant will now cover 100 countries and offer river flood forecasts to a global population of 700 million people. The company also offers researchers and partners its data sets to better understand its systems and benefit from the forecasting system. Additionally, Google has also developed a new application programming interface (API) to allow them to access data seamlessly.

Google improves its forecasting models and expands its deployment

In a blog postthe tech giant has detailed plans to expand the flood forecasting system. The model now covers 100 countries and a population of 700 million people, compared to 80 countries and a population of 400 million people previously.

The company says this expansion was possible thanks to advances in its research that allowed it to access more labeled data to train AI models, a new forecasting model that serves as input to its boundary prediction, as well as a new model architecture.

Additionally, Google also announced the decision to make predictions from its flood forecasting model available to researchers and partners. This will be done in two ways: through its existing datasets from Google Runoff Reanalysis & Reforecast (GRRR) and a new API currently under development.

Through the API, users can access the company’s hydrological forecasts and predicted flood conditions in urban areas as well as in regions where local data is limited. Google partners and researchers can now register and join its waitlist to express interest in the AI-based model.

The forecast system’s Flood Hub now has an additional data layer that includes 2,50,000 forecast points using “virtual gauges”. Virtual gauges are Google’s simulation-based forecasting system that uses various geological and atmospheric factors to assess the possibility of river flooding. Although the company can use the system to provide flow forecasts across the world, it will only display areas where the data can be verified using historical data from reliable sensors.

Furthermore, the company claimed that compared to previous systems which could offer forecasts for the next five days, the new system can now accurately display flood forecasts for the next seven days. Google believes that its AI-based forecasting system can be used by public authorities in affected areas to develop crisis response plans and better manage people’s lives and infrastructure.