Could better understanding groundwater (plus machine learning, new modelling and regulatory change) transform flood risk mapping?
Mark Fermor is CEO and a co-founder of GeoSmart Information, a UK-based environmental consultancy and flood data analytics company. He has spent decades working to understand water and flooding (of all types) and developing technology to help map, analyse and forecast.
In this interview with host Helen, Mark gives his expert insights into why this is an exciting time in the groundwater and flooding sphere.
Discussion points include:
- The step change improvement machine learning is delivering in terms of making flood mapping and forecasting more robust and detailed, especially when it comes to groundwater
- Why he is advocating for a more integrated national and catchment based approach to understanding flooding
- How groundwater's influence on fluvial flooding is often underestimated and misunderstood
- Why he believes groundwater flooding should be added to the UK's national risk register