Deluge detection

Researchers from King’s College London and Hohai University in China are developing a new software-based flood warning system.

While several software systems have been commercialised in the past with significant market success, they often fail to incorporate multiple weather forecasts and post-forecast data processing into one system.

The Novel Early Flood Warning System (NEWS) will be the first commercially viable, multipurpose early flood warning system to take into account both climate change and corresponding hydrological effects.

It will be able to perform early and reliable flood event warning for short-term (a few hours) and medium-term (a few days) as well as risk analysis, which is currently unachievable with conventional models and software.

The project at King’s College London is led by Dr Hannah Cloke and Dr Yi He from the Department of Geography.

Cloke said: 'The new system will satisfy many unmet technological demands in the field of flood prediction and risk analysis, and will bring significant benefits and commercial value to the private and public sector – in addition to the many lives we hope it will save.