The search giant has harnessed artificial intelligence technology for an accurate forecasting system that can predict floods weeks before potential disasters occur. The technology has already made it possible to obtain reliable flood forecasts in almost a hundred countries.
Google used a machine learning model, loading it with several types of data that took into account water levels in rivers, height and terrain, and a number of other parameters. Programmers then created localized maps and used AI to simulate hundreds of thousands of scenarios.
A new AI model was able to accurately predict floods in 80 countries with a total population of 460 million people. Google notified people through several services, including Google Search, Google Maps, as well as notifications on Android and the company’s Flood Hub web application.
Using AI algorithms, Google was able to increase the accuracy of flood forecasting from zero to five days. In some cases, artificial intelligence could predict natural disasters even seven days in advance. Google has also helped improve forecasting accuracy in remote regions of Africa and Asia.
The company intends to further study machine learning algorithms to improve flood forecasting models. In the future, she hopes to create a global platform for disaster forecasting.