Germany's national hazards portal NGP - Updates and developments

Germany’s new natural hazards portal for the general public, “Naturgefahrenportal” (NGP) was released in April 2025. The NGP aims to consolidate various sources of hazard-related data onto a single accessible platform, promoting public understanding and preparedness. To this end, the NGP website presents current warnings for Germany, location-based hazards and risks as well as concrete measures for preparedness and behavior in a case of emergency.

The NGP serves as a central hub of information for the general public, aggregating the most relevant information in a uniform way, while linking to regional or single-hazard portals for further interest. It does not provide push notifications but complements existing public alert systems with a situational overview for Germany and background information on natural hazards.

Since its release, the NGP has expanded its contents and uncovered areas for improvement of consistency between German institutions providing natural hazard-related data and information. The delicate balance between scientific correctness and communicating to an audience with limited prior knowledge or interest in natural hazards has been experienced, and User Experience (UX) has been identified as one major challenge for bringing natural hazard information to the general public.

The presentation gives a balanced overview of Germany's Natural Hazards Portal for Germany as well as the new features since its release, topics of consistency and User Experience.

The NGP represents a major step forward in the communication of natural hazards in Germany. It serves the mutual benefit of reaching the public and featuring existing services and platforms. The integration of all relevant information onto a single, unified platform offers a holistic view of natural hazards in Germany.

Acknowledgements
We would like to express our gratitude to various institutions in Germany for their support and their contributions to this DWD project, among them the German Federal Flood Forecasting Centers, the Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH), the Federal Office of Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK), the Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie (BKG), and the Bundesanstalt für Gewässerkunde (BfG), and our colleagues of various departments at DWD.