India: Namma Bengaluru: Resources being pooled to predict rain and tackle floods
By Jayasimha K.R.
[...]
An ambitious multi-agency project involving research institutes and government agencies pooling in their resources to provide location-specific flood forecasting within [Namma Bengaluru] to help mitigate floods is under way.
[...]
One of the key resources for the project is the nowcast data collected by [Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC)] from the radar in Bengaluru, one of three that have been installed in Karnataka under the cloud seeding programme ‘Varshadhare’. Since KSNDMC is one of the nodal agencies working on the project, it is using relevant data from the radar for urban flood forecasting and management.
[...]
To improve the accuracy of the forecast and management of urban floods, a huge database of terrain data using LiDAR technology will be created along with a high density sensor network for flow data. All this will help in predicting the rise in water levels in different locations and times.
Ms. Avinash [a scientist officer at KSNDMC] added that the data they get from LiDAR technology will provide micro-level terrain information for hydrologic applications. “On the other hand, through radar, we are getting information pertaining to meteorology,” she added.
[...]