With the rainy season upon us once again, it’s time to stop getting surprised by the bad weather and start prepping. Thankfully, we now have advanced technology that lets us check for flood risks right from our phones. The University of the Philippines’ Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) platform – which has been helping Filipinos since 2012 – has finally launched its official app on iOS and Android. That means flood hazard maps and disaster risk info are now just a few taps away.

UP NOAH is now available on iOS

UP NOAH has become a go-to platform for flood risk info in the Philippines. Developed by scientists from UP, the project started as a web-based tool, giving people access to flood hazard maps and emergency data for safer route planning. But this year, it officially launched on the App Store and Google Play.

The app offers more than just flood warnings. It provides real-time hazard maps for floods, landslides, and storm surges, along with proximity information for key facilities such as hospitals, schools, and emergency services.

You also get access to a checklist of emergency supplies you can prep in advance and localized assessments of your area’s exposure to multiple hazards.

How can you use UP NOAH?

But even if you haven’t downloaded the app, you can still reap the benefits of UP NOAH via its website. It works similarly to the app. Just plug in your location, and it will show a 3D hazard map with flood risk levels—red for high-hazard areas, orange for medium-hazard areas, and yellow for low-hazard areas. These levels are based on flood simulations, as well as satellite and historical data.

It will also let you know your area’s landslide and storm surge hazard level. Scroll a little further, and Noah will also show critical facilities near you.

For a deeper dive, you can click on the Noah Studio. It lets you customize the hazard layers you want to see, including data on flood, landslides, storm surges, and volcano hazards.

The story of UP NOAH

Project NOAH was first launched in 2011 by the late President Noynoy Aquino after Tropical Storm Sendong devastated the country. It was led by geologist Mahar Lagmay and designed to bring together science and tech to save lives during disasters.

Although the government discontinued the project in 2017, UP stepped in to adopt and continue it through the UP Resilience Institute, with NOAH as its flagship program. Today, a dedicated team of scientists, researchers, and developers is working to provide Filipinos with timely, life-saving data, now more accessible than ever with the app.

Whether you’re planning your commute, visiting a new place in the Philippines, or bracing for a typhoon, you can rely on UP NOAH to help you plan for your safety.

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