STORY CREDITS
Writer: Vasudha Chatterjee
Photo: IITGN Photos
Urban flooding has become a widespread calamity in several Indian cities today. Given the torrential rainfall in Gujarat, it is imperative to draw our attention towards a recent event that brought together a diverse cohort of budding engineers and research scholars, focussed on providing innovative solutions to tackle this issue. The program was held under CoE AI-powered Sustainable Cities at IIT Gandhinagar under Make AI in India and Make AI Work for India Project.
The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (IIEC), IIT Gandhinagar organised FloodAI Hackathon 2024, in collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Program in Climate Studies, IIT Bombay. The Hackathon aimed to leverage artificial intelligence, in order to address the plethora of challenges associated with the phenomenon of urban flooding. Students and innovators from different corners of the country participated in this event, offering insights into how AI can be used to predict, mitigate, and respond to urban flooding effectively.
“We have come up with a comprehensive flood detection system that doesn’t just identify potential flooding but also analyses its impact and explores ways to mitigate its effects on affected areas. Our approach zeroed in on three key parameters: first, identifying the probability of a flood; second, forecasting the depth of waterlogging; and third, estimating how long the flood might last. We’re aiming to deliver an end-to-end solution and are eagerly looking for opportunities to take this project all the way to deployment” said Hima Soni from the first prize-winning team.
Describing their contribution, Raviraj Dave from the runners up team recounted, “We have developed a dashboard called FloodSense, which addresses three crucial areas given our cities’ vulnerability to flooding. To enable rapid response, we have developed an AI/ML based third model prediction, which can be introduced to the present infrastructure system to enhance our response to flood management.” Some students even underscored the relevance of certain insurance plans in helping flood victims during times of dire need. With inputs from diverse scientific disciplines, the Hackathon highlighted the significance of interdisciplinary knowledge in providing potential solutions to urban day problems surrounding our everyday lives.
This story has been covered by some of the leading regional newspapers and media agencies. Click on the links below to read more.