Effective flood risk management depends on timely and accurate information on rainfall, river levels, inundation areas, and impacts. Yet in many countries, especially in data-scarce regions, observation networks remain sparse and early warning systems often fail to capture community-level realities. This results in significant gaps between forecasts and the actual risks faced by households and local institutions.
Crowd-sourcing/citizen science can help address the issue: the systematic collection of data by volunteers using simple tools such as smartphones, SMS reporting, social media, drones, or participatory mapping, offers an innovative, low-cost way to bridge this gap. Integrating such approaches into national and basin-level systems also supports the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, which emphasises people-centred early warning systems and community ownership of disaster risk reduction.
Objectives of the Webinar
The purpose of this webinar is to explore how crowd-sourcing can strengthen flood monitoring and management by linking community-driven data with institutional systems.
Specific objectives are:
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To showcase practical examples of crowdsourced flood data collection and its contribution to early warning and response
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To reflect on challenges and opportunities of integrating citizen-generated data into formal flood management frameworks.
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To identify pathways for APFM partners to scale up crowdsourcing approaches in support of EW4All and community resilience.
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Date & Time
9 December 2025 – 13:00 – 14:30 CET
Registration
The webinar will be held online. To attend the webinar, please register here.
More information on the webinar agenda will be available soon.
