After the first months of dedicated work to develop and improve products for flood impact forecasting on a European scale, the EDERA project has entered a new phase. In August 2023, a 15-months real-time demonstration was launched over Europe and in two pilot sites (here, with the participation of end users): one over Spain and Portugal, and another one in Finland.
The demonstration period, which will continue until the end of October 2024, is designed to test the effectiveness of these tools in the Early Warning Systems and decision-making protocols used by Civil Protection Authorities (CPAs) across Europe.
A key focus of the demonstration is analyzing the coordination between CPAs at various levels —local, regional, and national— particularly during cross-border flood events. From the outset, end users involved in emergency management engaged in the pilot sites and contribute in evaluating the forecasts provided by the new tools.
The real-time flood impact forecasts will be evaluated for their accuracy in identifying areas most at risk of severe flood damage. Additionally, the effectiveness of these forecasts in supporting emergency management will be tested, particularly when integrated into local Early Warning System platforms. The goal is to ensure that the information is communicated promptly and efficiently, aiding swift decision-making in crisis situations.
The EDERA partners leading the two pilot sites are: the Finnish Meteorological Institute (Finnish pilot site); and the Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies of Spain, the Environment and Water Agency of Andalusia and the National Authority for Emergency and Civil Protection of Portugal (Spain-Portugal pilot site). In both cases, the role of a variety of end users participating as stakeholders of the project is crucial in the evaluation of the developments of the project (see the full list of EDERA stakeholders).
