KEY TAKEAWAYS: The Water Institute is partnering with ICEYE to expand FloodID in the U.S. and internationally. FloodID combines predictive modeling with localized information to help officials prepare for and respond to flooding. More than 200 government users have enrolled in a FloodID pilot supported by Amazon during the 2026 hurricane season. Several FloodID team members have joined ICEYE as the technology moves toward broader commercial deployment.   The Water Institute has partnered with satellite technology company ICEYE to expand FloodID, a Louisiana-developed flood intelligence platform, across the United States and internationally. The Baton Rouge-based research organization announced the partnership Thursday, saying it will combine FloodID’s predictive technology with ICEYE’s satellite-based Earth observation capabilities to provide emergency managers, infrastructure operators, businesses and communities with more timely information about potential flooding. FloodID was developed by The Water Institute to help Louisiana officials make decisions before, during and after floods. The platform uses predictive modeling to provide localized information about where flooding could occur and which people, infrastructure and properties could be at risk. The technology has since expanded beyond Louisiana and is being used in emergency operations centers in several hurricane-prone states and municipalities, according to the institute. More than 200 users also have enrolled in a FloodID pilot program available to federal, state and local government organizations during the 2026 hurricane season. The pilot was developed with support from Amazon and access to Amazon Web Services technology. The partnership with ICEYE is intended to accelerate FloodID’s expansion. ICEYE operates in more than 30 countries and owns a constellation of synthetic aperture radar satellites capable of monitoring the Earth’s surface day or night and through cloud cover and severe weather. “FloodID began with a clear purpose: to put better, faster, more localized flood intelligence into the hands of the people making decisions when lives, property, and communities are at risk,” Beaux Jones, president and CEO of The Water Institute, said in a statement. Jones said the Gulf Coast’s experience with hurricanes, flooding and other water-related threats has helped Louisiana develop technology and expertise that can be applied elsewhere. “Louisiana and the Gulf Coast have long been on the front lines of water-related challenges, and that experience has helped generate science, expertise, and technology with relevance far beyond our region,” Jones said. “By partnering with ICEYE, we are giving FloodID the pathway to reach more decision makers, in more places, at the moments when better information can make all the difference.” ICEYE’s satellite observations will be combined with FloodID’s predictive capabilities to give users information about both existing flood conditions and what could happen next. The Finland-founded company employs more than 1,000 people globally and provides satellite-based intelligence for government, defense, environmental monitoring, insurance and emergency management customers. “ICEYE has built its flood intelligence platform around delivering trusted information throughout every stage of a flood event, from early warning through active response and post-event assessment,” Will Panchaud, senior director of product solutions at ICEYE, said in a statement. “FloodID adds another important dimension to that capability by strengthening our predictive intelligence.” As part of the agreement, several members of the Water Institute team responsible for developing and operating FloodID have joined ICEYE. The organizations said they are working to maintain continuity for agencies and other partners already using the platform. Hugh Roberts, formerly senior vice president at The Water Institute, has joined ICEYE as head of predictive intelligence. “The methods that underlie FloodID are designed to be uniquely scalable, not only for flood prediction but for a range of use cases that build upon hydrologic predictions,” Roberts said. “Joining ICEYE creates an extraordinary opportunity to build upon the foundations established at the Institute and scale those capabilities globally.” The partnership could also lead to collaboration between the organizations on coastal resilience issues beyond flooding, according to The Water Institute. Amazon, which supported the FloodID government pilot, said expanding access to predictive flood information could help communities prepare earlier for increasingly complex flooding events. “From Louisiana to Texas and beyond, we’ve watched flooding become harder to predict: atmospheric rivers dropping 30 inches of rain, storm surge colliding with inland flooding, and thousand-year floods arriving with unsettling frequency,” Jeffrey Schweitzer, Amazon’s disaster relief technology and innovation lead, said in a statement. “This collaboration can help communities across many states prepare in advance. Better information means communities that are ready before the water rises.” The FloodID expansion also is connected to the Water Innovation Studio of Louisiana, an initiative housed at The Water Institute and created with Louisiana Innovation, a division of Louisiana Economic Development. The studio is designed to help move Louisiana-developed water technologies from research into commercial applications. Josh Fleig, LED’s chief innovation officer, described FloodID as an example of Louisiana research reaching a broader commercial market. “This is exactly why we created the Water Innovation Studio,” Fleig said. “Louisiana has long been a laboratory for solving some of the world’s most complex water challenges.” Founded in 2011, The Water Institute is an independent applied research organization headquartered in Baton Rouge that focuses on reducing risks to communities, ecosystems and economies from environmental challenges. ...read more read less