IIT Kanpur Startup Unveils Smart Flood System with NTT DATA

• IIT Kanpur startup TerrAqua UAV launches drone-based flood management system with NTT DATA support.
• The system enables flood mapping, simulations, and population impact analysis, with a successful pilot in 24 flood-prone villages near the Ganga Barrage.
• Officials highlight the platform’s potential to transform flood response, urban planning, and climate resilience across Uttar Pradesh and beyond.

In a major advancement for climate-resilient city infrastructure, TerrAqua UAV Solutions Private Limited, a startup nurtured at the Startup Incubation and Innovation Centre (SIIC), IIT Kanpur, has introduced a sophisticated system for responding to urban flood disasters.

Backed by the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) program of global tech leader NTT DATA, this cutting-edge project utilizes drone and satellite information to assist in immediate flood readiness and catastrophe management.

The initiative consists of a Web-GIS platform that merges drone-based aerial surveys and satellite remote sense to create high resolution, actionable insights for flood risk management. 

The system allows flood mapping, inundation simulations, and estimating population impacts to provide planners and emergency services with a data-driven toolkit to improve disaster response.

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A pilot study in 24 flood-prone villages surrounding the Ganga Barrage has already been completed. The details from the data collection will improve early warning systems, urban planning, and applications where floods are a sensitive area.

“If scaled up, this system could transform flood prediction and town planning in Uttar Pradesh,” remarked Kanpur Commissioner K. Vijyendra Pandian. He emphasized the need to implement the project across the entire Kanpur district and eventually the whole state, given the rising threat of floods due to climate change. “This initiative will particularly benefit farmers by helping to reduce crop losses during floods,” he added.

Mr. Anurag Singh, CEO of SIIC, IIT Kanpur said, “SIIC is committed to empowering deep-tech startups like TerrAqua UAV. This collaboration with NTT DATA is a perfect example of how industry-academia cooperation can lead to transformative outcomes for society.”

Gauri Bahulkar, Senior Director of Global CSR at NTT DATA stated, “Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of natural disasters, especially in urban settings. Through our CSR partnership with IIT Kanpur and TerrAqua, we are enabling smarter governance and more resilient communities.”

Prof. Rajiv Sinha, Founder of TerrAqua UAV and faculty at IIT Kanpur, highlighted the platform’s scalability: “Our system makes geospatial intelligence accessible in real-time. This collaboration has helped us combine UAV and satellite data into an intuitive decision-support framework for flood management.”

The live showcase of the system highlighted the very user-friendly dashboard made for city officials, emergency responders, and urban planners to provide access to real-time information to mitigate the human and financial costs of floods, and foster sustainable urban growth.

The collaboration is a great example of how academia, innovation, and corporate responsibility can align to address the immediate and urgent climate problem. It also aligns with the bigger goals of enhancing India’s disaster resilience and building safer urban environments in the uncertainty of climate disturbances.