Tag: Utah Newspapers

_{By McKinsleigh Smith
Photos by Jaren Wilkey/BYU}

Google.org has awarded a $3.5 million grant to Brigham Young University to support a global water-data project led by civil and construction engineering professor Jim Nelson, the university announced via the Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering.

The grant will fund research connected to the Group on Earth Observations Global Water Sustainability initiative, known as GEOGLOWS, which provides hydrologic data and forecasting tools to communities worldwide.

Nelson, a hydrologic modeling researcher at BYU, works with international partners and students to maintain the GEOGLOWS River Forecast System, a platform that compiles global water data into forecasting tools. The system includes an 85-year historical record and 15-day streamflow forecasts across more than 7 million river segments worldwide.

The publicly available forecasts are used by National Hydrological Services, particularly in developing regions where access to advanced hydrologic technology and research is limited. The system helps agencies make decisions related to water infrastructure, flood and drought preparedness, and water-resource management.

Communities in several countries have used the data to improve planning and disaster response. In Ecuador, water-scarce communities used historical forecast data to guide irrigation investments that improved agricultural productivity. In Malawi, officials reported improved flood-warning accuracy and response times after adopting GEOGLOWS data; in one recent year, the government reported no flood-related deaths and significant reductions in property losses compared with previous flooding events.

BYU researchers and students regularly travel abroad to train government agencies and local organizations to use the forecasting system. The GEOGLOWS team is currently working with Kenya’s national hydrological services and continues partnerships in Jamaica and Cuba, where forecast data provided guidance during Hurricane Melissa-related flooding.

The Google.org funding will support continued development of GEOGLOWS, student training efforts, and collaboration with international hydrologic-modeling partners. It will also help transition the initiative into a nonprofit organization aimed at sustaining long-term global access to water-forecast data.

The River Forecast System was developed over the past decade through collaboration with organizations including NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, Esri and Amazon Web Services. The platform now receives more than 40 million data-download requests annually.

BYU President C. Shane Reese said projects such as GEOGLOWS align with the university’s broader efforts to address global poverty and humanitarian challenges.