Early Warning for All with A Model-Of-Models Approach

Flooding is a major hydro-meteorological event that impacts billions of people across the world daily. Models and Earth observation data are used for forecasting flood severity, extent, and depth, but these models and derived products are often not globally operational, and they often provide different outputs. Looking at recent disastrous events at a global level and the importance recently attributed to the need for early warning systems, it may seem that not much is being done to warn the public early enough, respond appropriately, or mitigate impacts. This is far from the truth. Worldwide, many organizations monitor hydrometeorological, geological and other types of hazards in order to allow the design, preparation and execution of an adequate response. The Model of Models (MoM) approach that leverages hydrologic models and Earth Observation datasets in an integrated manner is designed to provide flood risk information to assist emergency responders.