Water demand has increased sharply in many regions of the world as a result of population growth and economic expansion. Meanwhile, climate change is expected to decrease water supply, alter the timing of water availability, and increase the severity of droughts and floods. These increasing pressures on water resources undermine water security and contribute to conflict, migration, health crises, and food and energy insecurity around the world.
Global Water Watch, supported by Google and the Water, Peace, and Security Partnership, is a data platform of free, globally accessible near-real-time information on water. It provides information on thousands of global reservoirs and major river systems, helping decision-makers respond to extreme weather events and manage growing risks of climate change.
The platform uses modern AI and EO algorithms to map dams, produce high-resolution spatiotemporal information on the amount of water stored in reservoirs as well as water level and flow information in major river systems in near-real-time.