FloodMapp, a rapidly growing Brisbane-based technology company, has signed a Deed of Standing Offer (DoSO) with Geoscience Australia, on behalf of Australian Governments, to provide flood forecasting and operational impact intelligence data services to Australian Government agencies.
Following a multi-stage competitive tender process, FloodMapp was selected by Geoscience Australia and appointed to the National Multi-Hazard Extent Foundational Data and Information Services Panel as a supplier for operational flood intelligence services.
FloodMapp is a leader in scalable, real-time flood modelling, purpose built for emergency management and disaster response. The DoSO allows any Australian federal government department or State Government agency to procure FloodMapp ForeCast, NowCast or PostCast live mapping feeds before, during and after flood events - to support emergency managers enhance preparedness, response and recovery.
Flooding is accelerating as the costliest hazard in Australia, with Climate change driving more frequent and severe flood events. A Deloitte Access Economics report projects that even under a low emissions scenario, Flooding is projected to cost 525 Billion over the next 40 years - 25 times the projected cost of bushfire (21 billion) in the same period.
The Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment (AGDRP) is a one-off, non-means tested payment of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per child who have been adversely affected by a major disaster. In 2021-22, the Commonwealth Government made payments of $3.6 billion for disaster recovery.
In the past, the Commonwealth Government has lacked access to multi-hazard intelligence services to inform agencies of the extent and impacts of disaster events at a national scale. Recent disasters like the 2019-20 Black Summer bushfire events and 2022-23 Australian east coast flooding events highlighted the increasingly multi-jurisdictional nature of hazards, and their impact. The Royal Commission into Natural Disaster Arrangements noted the scale of these hazard events can overwhelm existing capabilities.
Most Australian States and Territories use mixed methods, technologies and timeframes for determining hazard extents, but the scale of these events which cross state borders proved challenging for existing approaches, making it very difficult for the Commonwealth to accurately determine the national impact, and make decisions, in a timely manner. In 2022, the Australian Climate Service identified access to nationally consistent hazard extents as a key gap for Commonwealth disaster response and recovery decision making. The need for a national hazard extent, exposure and impact capability emerged.
Geoscience Australia assembled this Multi-Hazard Foundational Data and Information Services Panel to deliver cost-effective, consistent and timely solutions for hazard extent, exposure and impact information services at a national scale. This includes national coverage for hazards such as fire, flood, tropical cyclone and severe wind, thunderstorms, hail and earthquakes.
FloodMapp’s intelligence services will support Australian Government emergency management and recovery agencies with information not only on the extent of the hazard, but the impact and severity of hazard events on our built and natural environment assets. The panel will deliver FloodMapp’s information services that readily integrate into spatial information systems and enable sharing of information with other government agencies, individuals and potentially the public. This intelligence will support both local and national level decision making processes across the disaster continuum – pre-event, during event and post event. For example, model economic losses, support the allocation of disaster relief payments, and measure the effectiveness of recovery measures.
CEO and Co-Founder Juliette Murphy said this partnership is a big milestone for the company, and for the federal government.
“As a successful Australian deep-tech startup, we’re proud to support our Federal and State emergency managers in their work to save lives, mitigate flood risk, and fast-track community recovery. With climate change driving more frequent, more severe flood events at larger scales, we need to adapt now. We need to invest in preparedness, ahead of time to mitigate the impacts of flooding on life and property. This Panel is evidence of Australian Government’s leadership and commitment to innovate in their mission to support Australia’s community safety and strengthen resilience to natural hazards.
“FloodMapp ForeCast, NowCast and PostCast are already trusted by local, state and federal government agencies across Australia and the US to provide intelligence on flood impact to people, property and critical infrastructure before, during and after floods. The US Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency are leveraging FloodMapp’s live flood impact data to fast-track response and recovery. We look forward to delivering this intelligence to more Australian Government Agencies under the Panel to build Australia’s resilience to flood events through enhanced preparedness, response and recovery.”
“The recent Independent Review of the Australian Climate Service (ACS) reported major challenges where the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) urgently needed operational hazard and impact data and information, assuming that the ACS would have this readily available. Due to the emerging maturity of the ACS and lack of mutual understanding, these needs were not met in a timely manner, and trust was broken"
“It was encouraging to see the Australian Government welcome the findings; deciding to implement the recommendation to transfer responsibility for emergency management support functions from the ACS to the NEMA ahead of the 2024–25 Higher Risk Weather Season. This transfer, along with the Australian Government’s multi-hazard panel, will enable NEMA with more access to operational, scalable, impact-based flood forecasting and operational intelligence services like FloodMapp, which can support NEMA’s National Joint Common Operating Picture (NJCOP) and help the Australian public before, during and after disasters”
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