FastFlood Global: Enabling Rapid High-Resolution Flood Modelling at Global Scale

Global flood hazard assessments increasingly rely on large-scale modelling frameworks, yet practical use is often constrained by trade-offs between spatial resolution, computational cost, and interactivity. Due to higher computational costs, often global flood products are commonly available only as static maps, which are often limited to predetermined return periods. Such high-resolution global flood maps are not interactive and often restrict event-specific analysis and rapid response mapping. We introduce a new dynamic global flood model, FastFlood Global, which combines higher spatial resolution, interactivity, and computational efficiency to provide flood information for any point in the world with no additional input.  

 FastFlood Global integrates a computationally efficient flood simulation core with automated global parameterization derived from openly available Earth observation datasets, including topography, land cover, and soil parameters. It supports simulations of fluvial, flash flood, and dam break events and enables the generation of interactive flood maps with custom mitigation options integrated. It also supports an efficient global early warning system for pluvial and flash floods, which is based on the forecasts by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).  

We will present this new model with a series of showcase applications demonstrating the model’s performance across diverse geographic and hydrological contexts, highlighting its potential for global early warning and rapid impact assessment.