Floods are amongst the most significant natural disasters countries can face in the world and Spain is no exception, with impacts on economies, food security and agriculture, infrastructures, as well as lives and livelihoods. The Spanish Insurance Compensation Consortium (Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros. CCS) estimates that flooding, in Spain, is the cause of 69 out of 100 euros paid in compensation to property damage alone.  In the context of the latest and most accurate climate predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), rainfall and flood events in Spain and other countries risks are occurring even more frequently and with higher intensity.

In addition to the existing knowledge on flood management approaches and tools being used, what new and emerging trends can boost the effectiveness of our flood preparedness and response?  In the age of exponentially growing data, remote sensing, and computing technologies, digital advances are clear opportunities for improving water modelling, precision forecasting, risk management, interconnecting related water systems and more.

In the framework of the Spanish strategic projects for economic recovery and transformation  of digitalitation (Proyectos Estratégicos para la Recuperación y Transformación Económica “PERTE”), and in particular to the PERTE related to digitalisation of water management in Spain and in the context of urban expansion, development of transport infrastructures and others human activities, all with repercussions on the natural environment, this event seeks to bring and share experiences, knowledge, management techniques and technologies regarding digital approaches to flood risk management from Spanish basin authorities and some outside countries. Its objective is to boost awareness and improve best practices in digital approaches for flood management, create relationships and provide opportunities to use digital technologies in the field of flood management.