Flood early warning and inundation forecasting systems

Water scarcity is becoming one of the most pressing challenges of our time. While the planet has the same amount of water it always had, we're using it faster than natural systems can replenish it, and climate change is making water cycles more unpredictable.

Nearly half the world's population already experiences severe water scarcity for at least one month each year. Meanwhile, aging infrastructure loses billions of gallons through leaks, and 2 billion people still lack access to safely managed drinking water at home. Agriculture consumes 70% of global freshwater, often inefficiently, while extreme weather events — both floods and droughts — are becoming more frequent and severe.

This isn't just about inconvenience. Water stress drives conflict, forces migration, threatens food security, and holds back economic development. The technologies in this category work to stretch our water supplies further, deliver clean water more efficiently, and help communities adapt to an increasingly unpredictable water future.

Climate change is making weather more extreme and unpredictable. Droughts last longer and hit harder, while floods arrive with less warning and cause more damage. Traditional infrastructure and planning approaches weren't designed for this new reality.

Communities need better ways to see these extremes coming and prepare for them. This means both high-tech forecasting systems and nature-based solutions that can absorb flood waters or store water during dry periods.

Advanced computer models that combine weather forecasts, river monitoring, and terrain data to predict exactly where and when flooding will occur. These systems give communities precious hours or days to evacuate, move equipment, or deploy flood defenses.