Flood alarm in Bergstrasse: New early warning system with AI from November!

Flood alarm in Bergstrasse: New early warning system with AI from November!

There will soon be a new early warning system for floods in the Bergstrasse district, which is intended to better prepare the population for impending floods. This became necessary because heavy rain events in the region have led to sometimes devastating damage in the past. That's what she reports FAZ that, for example, a vehicle was washed into the Heppenheimer Stadtbach in 2019 and that the site of a former nuclear power plant in Biblis was flooded in June 2022.

In order to minimize these risks in the future, sensors and artificial intelligence (AI) will be used in the district and at the Bergstraße water association. The system, the implementation of which will be funded by the state of Hesse with more than 650,000 euros from November 1st, is expected to be functional in all municipalities in two years, from November 2027. It is a comprehensive project that aims to significantly improve flood forecasting through the use of modern technology.

Better predictions thanks to AI

An essential part of the new system are sensors that record rainfall amounts, water levels and water runoff in real time. This data, together with information from the German Weather Service, will be incorporated into the weather forecasts. This allows the system to create precise, detailed weather forecasts that apply down to individual streets. The aim is to give those affected time to prepare in good time in order to avoid damage.

In another national initiative, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) is working on an AI-supported flood prediction model called “KI-HopE-De”. The project is funded with 1.8 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and aims to improve flood forecasting for small rivers in Germany. These rivers, whose catchment areas range from 5 to 500 square kilometers, are particularly vulnerable to sudden floods.

A new model for reliable warnings

A new AI model developed by Google's research department is also set to revolutionize flood forecasting options. According to the daily news makes it possible to use weather data from public sources and can issue reliable warnings five days in advance, in contrast to traditional systems that can often only sound the alarm shortly before an event.

The ability to send warnings directly to smartphones as push messages could be particularly advantageous for developing countries, where there is often a lack of technology to warn of floods across the board. As Christian Kuhlicke from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research explains, this has enormous potential for informing people in a timely manner and thus making them better prepared for disasters.

The new systems and models in the area of ​​flood forecasting create a great deal of security, both for the people in the Bergstrasse district and for numerous people affected in other regions of Germany and beyond. The combination of local use of the technology and global data analyzes could soon work seamlessly and greatly reduce the risks of flooding.