UI assistant professor Ibrahim Demir was recognized during the national meeting of the Association of State Floodplain Managers, June 17–21, for his work in flood outreach and education.
Demir was honored for helping to increase awareness of flood issues with the general public. In particular, he was applauded for his efforts to publicize the use of Flood AI Alpha, an artificial-intelligence algorithm that he created to help members of the general public prepare for flooding and other natural disasters.
The algorithm works as part of a digital application available on the Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS), a website managed by the Iowa Flood Center. Members of the public can access the application and, with a smart phone or smart speaker, ask it questions about rainfall and river levels and receive immediate answers.