Forecasts for floods and emergency management: Insights from Auckland Council & HydroForecast

Join us on March 17 at 1pm PT / 4pm ET / 9am NZST for a deep dive into how one of the world's most complex coastal cities uses advanced hydrological forecasting to protect its communities and infrastructure.

Following record-breaking floods in 2023, Auckland Council sought proactive tools to gain crucial insights ahead of  storms and heavy rain events. Today, HydroForecast is an integral part of the Council’s emergency response workflows, supporting their commitment to public safety for 1.7 million residents.

In this session, Kolt Johnson (Auckland Council) and Hunter Johnson (Upstream Tech) will discuss the practical application of AI-powered, probabilistic forecasting in a high-stakes municipal environment. Learn how Auckland Council leverages actionable forecasts to drive real-time decisions and coordinate responses across multiple departments.

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We’ll cover key insights from Auckland Council's journey, including:

• Operationalizing emergency response: How Auckland Council integrates real-time, probabilistic forecasts into their emergency command center to drive faster, safer decisions during extreme weather.
• Cross-departmental collaboration: How Auckland uses tailored forecasting insights to streamline communication with internal stakeholders, such as stormwater engineers and emergency responders.
• Multi-use case efficiency: A look at how forecasting data supports diverse needs—from high-stakes emergency action planning to optimizing routine hydrological field operations.
• Building long-term resilience: Auckland’s vision for the full hydrological cycle—applying forecasting insights to both immediate flood response and future drought resilience.‍
• The innovation ecosystem: How Auckland Council layers HydroForecast with other cutting-edge technology to create a comprehensive picture of city-wide risk.

Meet the speakers

Hunter Johnson, HydroForecast

Hunter is a Technical Account Manager for HydroForecast, bringing over five years of experience in hydrology and water resource engineering across academia and industry. His expertise spans flood modelling, groundwater regulatory compliance, and reservoir inflow forecasting. At Upstream Tech, he supports organizations globally in adopting AI-driven forecasting to optimize operations, protect infrastructure, and safeguard communities.

Kolt Johnson, Auckland Council

Kolt is Team Manager, Hydrology and Environmental Data at Auckland Council. Kolt's team is responsible for hydrometric observations of Auckland's complex water systems, data management for a wide range of environmental monitoring programmes, and hydrological science to support regional planning. Kolt and his team provide subject matter expertise, leveraging data-driven tools to inform Civil Defence and internal partners during extreme hydrological events.

For more information about HydroForecast, please reach out to our team.