What:
This project will build a modular flood early warning application, which will push SMS messages to people downstream of a flood event in real time. Using inputs from stream gauges (if available), satellite remote sensing of river discharge and flooding, and the local topography and hydrology, we propose to create a GIS-based application that will interpret these inputs and automatically blanket an area with a high probability of flooding with early warning SMS messages. This application could give poor rural villages in large parts of the world up to 24 hours of advance notice that a flood event is coming, and will be flexible enough to work with basic inputs and be independent of cell phone providers. As a pilot project, we intend on working with our colleagues at ekgaon technologies (http://www.ekgaon.com/) in the Terai region straddling the Nepal-India border focusing on the Rohini and Bagmati river basins.

Why:
One sixth of the global population lives in the potential path of a 100-year flood, many in developing countries with increasing mobile phone penetration. Many developing nations have seen cell phone usage quadruple in the last decade, and large numbers of poor rural villagers have access to a cell phone through a reseller nearby. A flood early warning SMS application could reach most people in the path of a flood with access to a mobile phone, and give them time to get their possessions, their livestock, and their families out of the way of catastrophic flood. This application could be applied globally, and with simple inputs, it could be used anywhere where SMS messages can be received.

Why:
NiJeL – Community Impact Through Mapping: NiJeL helps people around the globe tell their stories through maps and mobile technology. Leading this project, NiJeL will build the flood early warning SMS application for global application wherever satellite data and a mobile phone network are available.
ekgaon technologies – One Village One World: ekgaon strives to provide farmers, villagers and local tradespeople with access to the information and communication services and tools they need to be able to contribute their knowledge to the modern world. As a part of this project, ekgaon will help facilitate connections to local groups in our pilot project area, the Terai region of Nepal-India.

In addition:

NiJeL has worked with a number of NGOs, around the world to develop participatory mapping applications that capture and deliver information to the organizations and the people they serve. NiJeL worked with Beatitudes Center DOAR to create an online mapping application that shows in real-time the locations of homebound elders who need volunteer assistance. We also teamed up with Community Outreach and Advocacy for Refugees, a Tempe-based advocacy and service organization supporting resettled refugees, to create the Refugee Resource Map: a community based-mapping tool that can assist the refugee community and their providers in finding relevant resources. All the work we do relies on GIS-enabled databases and flexible applications that can be used in a wide range of cases.

In addition to our expertise in GIS and other mapping technologies, members of NiJeL's team also have significant science and natural hazards backgrounds and advanced degrees in geosciences. In the past, our team has worked on earthquake hazards in the San Francisco Bay Area and the measuring the human response to volcano hazards. Members of the NiJeL team also have expertise working with remote sensing satelite imagery, specifically in climate and urbanization studies. We plan to apply this expertise to satellite remote sensing of river discharge and flooding for FloodSMS.

Location