On 14th August 2020, Google in association with the Central Water Commission(CWC) of India launched the flood forecasting initiatives across India for the past several months.
Central Water Commission is the first governmental partner of Google to measure water levels on an hourly basis using around 1000 stream gauges across India.
Flood Forecasting Initiatives:
Highlights:
i.The initiative enables the users with Android Smartphones with location service to receive the alerts and notification on the real time water level measurements.
ii.This initiative also allows the users to enter queries on flood affected areas and access information on the current situations of the region.
iii.This also provides visual overviews of the information like, rise and fall in water level in the next day with description on the current situation with specific guidance.
iv.A colour coded map of the flooded regions which provides a larger and detailed view in Google maps with zoom facility to get a better understanding of the water levels.
Notification and Alerts:
i.Under the flood forecasting initiatives, google has sent out numerous public alerts to people in flood impacted regions of India.
ii.These alerts provide updates and critical information to inform the users on their safety and the safety of their family and friends.
iii.The notifications are provided in English, Hindi and Bengali based on the device language and locations of users.
Recent Related News:
i.Union Minister of Earth Sciences launched the mobile app “Mausam”, to provide weather forecasts, nowcast and warning for various cities and locations.
ii.Karnataka launches “Meghasandesha ” App for real time information & ‘Varunamitra’ portal for real-time information on weather.
About Central Water Commission(CWC):
Chairman– Rajendra Kumar Jain
Headquarters– Sewa Bhawan, New Delhi
