HydroNET demonstrated at high level Council meeting ESA in Paris

Published on 12 april 2016 by Leanne Reichard

On the 16th of March 2016 the Council Meeting of ESA took place at ESA Headquarters in Paris. HydroLogic was invited to demonstrate the HydroNET InsureApp for all delegates and several ministers of state of the ESA member countries.  The HydroNET InsureApp is considered as one of the successful showcases within the ESA ARTES Integrated Applications Promotion programme.

Improve claim handling and water management

At present insurance companies spend a lot of time and effort on completing claim reports for weather-related hazards.  Before conclusions can be drawn a lot of data from before, during and after the event is needed.

Most insurance policies state that insurance companies will pay for damage caused by excessive rainfall or storms, but not for damage caused by rising river levels. It can be difficult to discern between the two cases.

In water management, rainfall is the most important factor when estimating the water balance. Therefore water managers can improve the sustainable management of their water resources when using more accurate precipitation data.

HydroNET InsureApp

The HydroNET InsureApp is an online application for accurate and up-to-date information on flooding and precipitation levels that can be of use for Insurance Companies and water managers.

The HydroNET InsureApp automatically creates advanced extrapolations of a wide variety of data sources for quick and easy access fully customized per user. It can also automatically generate reports for specific flood or rainfall events.

Photos can be uploaded through the crowd-sourcing functionality of the InsureApp.

Earth observation and geo-localisation

HydroNET InsureApp combines Earth observation and geo-localisation services to provide a comprehensive overview of the important knowledge and information they offer related to flood and rainfall. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAS) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) Hydro Estimator are used to collect rain precipitation data over a covered area. Navigational satellites are used to determine the geo-location of the photos captured via the crowd-sourcing app.

Australian pilot

Australia (www.hydronet.com.au) has been chosen as demonstration area, as a big part of the country’s populated areas are poorly monitored. Using satellite data is therefore expected to be extremely beneficial. For example, around 7% of residential properties across Australia are exposed to frequent and predictable flooding, causing an average of $450 million in flood damage each year.

Given the successful outcome of the project, HydroLogic has undertaken steps to commercialize HydroNET InsureApp and broaden its deployment. A signed agreement is already in place in South Africa, with the next target markets being Germany and the United Kingdom.

ESA ARTES Integrated Applications Promotion programme

The HydroNET InsureApp was developed within the European Space Agency (ESA) ARTES Integrated Applications Promotion programme (https://artes-apps.esa.int). A programme dedicated to the development, implementation and pilot operations of Integrated Applications. These applications combine (or ‘integrate’) data from at least two existing and different space assets, such as Satellite Communication, Earth Observation, Satellite Navigation, Human Spaceflight technologies and others.