Google, in partnership with the Geological Survey of Brazil (SGB-CPRM), has announced the first flood alert system based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning to operate in Brazil.
The project joins the other solutions of the Google warning system against environmental disasters, such as the Alerts SOS and public notices.
Unveiled during the Understanding Risk Forum, organized by the Banco Mundial, in Florianópolis, the new technology, which is already available in other countries, such as India and Bangladesh, will now also be available in Colombia, Sri Lanka and also in 15 African countries, including Chad, Nigeria, Republic of Congo and South Africa.
The system created by Google uses the combination of several metrics, such as water levels in rivers, meteorological indicators and satellite images, in addition to using computational power and experience in Machine Learning to develop automated flood forecasting and warning systems on a global scale.
In Brazil, the system will be implemented in two stages, in partnership with SGB-CPRM, an agency linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Mines and Energy (MME). The first will issue real-time riverside flood alerts to more than 60 locations across Brazil – showing where floods are occurring in real time. The second step takes place in the use of flood forecasts generated by the SGB-CPRM hydrology team and by the Google systems in selected areas of Brazil.
