Flood monitoring platform targets rising water-related risks

Over two billion people globally lack access to clean water, with the lives of children under the age of five most threatened. Almost one and a half billion of the world’s population faces a flood risk. Both issues are exacerbated by climate change. To combat this issue, BlackBerry Limited has partnered with the University of Windsor to provide a flood risk and clean water monitoring solution. Based on BlackBerry AtHoc, a critical event management platform, the technology provides autonomous year-round monitoring and an intelligent early warning system, collecting and processing large amounts of sensor data, and generating alerts based on the data insights. The technology has been deployed in Canada, where Indigenous peoples are disproportionately impacted by these issues.

Its benefits include its ability to identify seasonal and unseasonal water-related risks, and generate cost savings for governments, utility companies and local communities. With the solution, local municipalities could each save up to $1,000,000 or more annually in operating expenses, alongside the environmental, safety and health benefits of early warning flood mitigation and clean water. Neelam Sandhu, Senior Vice President and Chief Elite Customer Success Officer, noted that climate change is one of the most pressing threats to the planet and requires the urgent and combined efforts of governments, organisations and individuals. “BlackBerry is committed to delivering advanced technologies that turn real-time data into intelligence and leverage our leadership in communications, to enable the safety and security of people around the world. Furthermore, we are on track to be carbon neutral this year,” Sandhu said.

Mike McKay, Executive Director for the Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Windsor, added that globally, societies must rely on the autonomous monitoring of air and water to inform their understanding of the environment and alert them to impending danger. “Autonomous early warnings and real-time monitoring are critical to provide enough time to address the risks communities around the world are currently facing. We are proud to have partnered with BlackBerry on this important and unique technology,” McKay said.

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