Water demand has increased sharply in many regions of the world as a result of population growth and economic expansion. Meanwhile, climate change is expected to decrease water supply, alter the timing of water availability, and increase the severity of droughts and floods. These increasing pressures on water resources undermine water security and contribute to conflict, migration, health crises, and food and energy insecurity around the world.
Accurate and timely information on global water resources is essential for managing these growing risks and challenges. Global Water Watch, supported by Google.org and the Water, Peace, and Security Partnership, will provide free, globally accessible, near-real-time information on water. Deltares, World Resources Institute (WRI), and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) are partnering to create the data platform, which will house information on thousands of global reservoirs and major river systems, helping decision-makers respond to extreme weather events and manage growing risks of climate change. The platform will use modern AI and EO algorithms to map dams, produce near-real-time, high-resolution spatiotemporal information on the amount of water stored in reservoirs, and the water level and flow in major river systems.