Google Unveils AI Tool for Urban Growth and Flood Risk Management in Africa

Google Unveils AI Tool for Urban Growth and Flood Risk Management in Africa

Google has launched the Open Buildings 2.5D Temporal Dataset, an AI-powered tool designed to assist urban growth planning and enhance flood preparedness across Africa.

Abdoulaye Diack, Programme Manager of Google Research Africa, announced the development, highlighting the tool’s ability to track building changes, including presence, counts, and heights from 2016 to 2023. This AI-driven dataset is expected to help governments, humanitarian organizations, and researchers better respond to population growth, crises, and urbanization challenges.

The Open Buildings Project, which started in 2021 at Google’s AI Research Lab in Accra, Ghana, aims to address the lack of accurate maps for villages and towns in Africa. According to Diack, nearly 90% of global urban growth is projected to occur in Africa and Asia by 2050, underscoring the need for up-to-date infrastructure data.

The new dataset will assist authorities in flood-prone regions by identifying buildings and neighborhoods most at risk, as well as helping city planners manage resources more efficiently in rapidly growing cities like Kumasi, Ghana. It will also aid disaster recovery efforts, providing valuable data on how communities evolve before and after crises.

“With this new dataset, Google is equipping governments and organizations with enhanced tools to plan, respond to emergencies, and support underserved communities,” Diack said.