Global Flood Alert System (GFAS)

Global Flood Alert System (GFAS) is an attempt to make the best use of satellite rainfall data in flood forecasting. The project of GFAS is promoted both by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport-Japan (MLIT) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), under which Infrastructure Development Institute-Japan (IDI) has been working on the development of Internet-based information system and just launched trial run of GFAS in April 2006 on International Flood Network (IFNet) website. The function of GFAS is to connect space agencies and hydrological services/river authorities in charge of flood forecasting and warning by providing global rainfall information in maps, text data e-mails and so on which is produced from binary global rainfall data downloaded from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) website. Although the effectiveness of satellite rainfall data in flood forecasting and warning has yet to be verified, satellite rainfall is expected to play an important role to strengthen existing flood forecasting systems by diversifying hydrological data source.