US-headquartered firm Jacobs is introduceing Flood IQ, an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled solution to help cities, utilities and government agencies anticipate, manage and recover from flooding events.
The solution brings together Jacobs’ decades of flood engineering expertise with advanced AI to transform fragmented water and drainage system data into actionable intelligence for preparedness, response and long-term resilience planning.
Flood risk is increasing worldwide as weather extremes, aging infrastructure and urban growth place greater pressure on water systems. At the same time, communities face constrained budgets and rising expectations for transparency and protection. Flood IQ addresses these challenges by applying machine learning and AI to improve situational visibility across critical infrastructure, surface water and sewer networks, and to enable rapid flood forecasting, multi-scenario operational planning, and data-based emergency response.
Jacobs Executive Vice President Amer Battikhi said:
“Flood IQ represents a fundamental shift in how flood resilience is delivered, helping cities and utilities move beyond static models and reactive responses. It provides continuous intelligence into how water systems are performing, supporting real-time decisions and long-term planning, while boosting resilience against recurring and major events. It reflects how Jacobs is applying artificial intelligence across infrastructure to help clients make faster, more informed decisions in increasingly complex environments, as part of our growing portfolio of AI-enabled solutions supporting critical infrastructure systems worldwide.”
Flood IQ brings together capabilities already deployed across multiple projects globally, integrating sensors, hydraulic models, operational data, AI analytics and mobile emergency response applications.
Examples of project deployment include:
- United Utilities (U.K.– Applied machine learning across 78,000 kilometers of sewer network, reducing sewer flooding and pollution events by approximately 20% through predictive operations.
- Oxford–Cambridge Arc (U.K.) – Evaluated billions of mitigation pathways across 27 climate and growth scenarios to inform long-term resilience planning.
- Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority – Integrated more than 7,700 sensors and 3,000 assets into a unified digital storm-response platform, strengthening operational coordination across the island during hurricanes.
The deployments demonstrate how AI-enabled flood intelligence can reduce flood impacts, improve service continuity, and guide smarter infrastructure investment.
Flood IQ provides a unified operational view by combining rainfall radar, river and coastal conditions, stormwater and wastewater network data, and critical infrastructure data. Using AI-powered analytics, the platform forecasts where flooding may occur and when, identifies system stress points and supports coordinated actions during severe weather events to protect communities.
The technology leverages Jacobs’ novel combination of decades-long infrastructure expertise and advanced digital capabilities, including AI development, cloud-scale data engineering and rapid application development. The solution integrates seamlessly with existing tools including Aqua DNA, Flood Modeller and Flood Platform, creating a comprehensive ecosystem for flood resilience.
Two integrated solution suites
Flood IQ includes two integrated solution suites:
Preparedness Suite
- Rapid forecasting to provide 24- to 72-hour lead times ahead of potential flooding
- AI resilience planning to evaluate mitigation strategies across future climate scenarios
- Smart asset upgrades to provide predictive identification of infrastructure most at risk of failure
Real-Time Response Suite
- System-wide visibility across rainfall, runoff, water infrastructure, local drainage systems, rivers, and coastal conditions; multi-agency visibility enabling coordinated emergency response and traffic management
- AI operational decision support for pumps, gates and storage assets
- Public alerts and localized risk updates for communities and stakeholders
Through this approach, organizations can expand flood forecasting coverage more quickly, evaluate thousands of resilience strategies, prioritize infrastructure investment and improve coordination during severe weather events.
Click here for more information about Flood IQ
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