The South Florida Water Management District is partnering with Google Public Sector to use the company’s data visualization and trend analysis tools, according to a press release by Google Inc. The tools will help inform water management decisions across the district.
"The South Florida Water Management District is proud to continue our water quality improvement efforts using the best available science and tools," says Sean Sculley, South Florida Water Management District's chief of applied science. "Our partnership with Google Public Sector and Climate Engine comes at a pivotal time in Florida's history and recently enhanced environmental restoration efforts. These sustainability solutions will help us to make better decisions for the communities and environment in South Florida."
Through the partnership, Google Public Sector is deploying its Climate Insights for natural resources solution, which will provide geographic data to help support the availability of drinking water for Florida residents. The cloud-based technology will also help the district combat harmful algal blooms (HABs), assist with natural resource restoration, and undertake other important sustainability work.
Google Cloud solutions help the district reduce manual work, provide centralized access to analysis-ready data, and connect research and development platforms. The South Florida Water Management District is also building a prototype artificial intelligence (AI) model to better understand and anticipate HABs before they occur. This will help prevent adverse impacts to regional water quality and wildlife, while supporting recreational activities like fishing, swimming, boating, and waterskiing.
"Climate impact is one of the world's most complex 'big data' problems, and Google Public Sector is uniquely positioned to solve it," says Brent Mitchell, managing director for Google Public Sector’s U.S. State and Local Government, and Education. "We're combining our technology know-how and leadership in analytics to help South Florida unlock data insights to better understand and mitigate against the impacts of a changing climate, weather patterns, development, and water use on natural resources, as efficiently as possible."
The South Florida Water Management is the largest and oldest water district in Florida, overseeing water resources for more than nine million residents from Orlando to the Florida Keys.
To help its workforce onboard to Google Cloud, South Florida Water Management District is leveraging Google Cloud Skills Boost, building the team's Google Cloud knowledge through self-paced labs, quests, and role-based learning paths. Core team members will also participate in a six-week Professional Cloud Architect (PCA) learning journey, supported by technical mentorship and exam review sessions with a dedicated trainer.
