Raihan Alam

Bangladeshi inventor revolutionizing flood early warning systems through AI

Raihan Alam, a 28-year-old Bangladeshi computer scientist, has developed an AI-driven flood prediction system that's saving thousands of lives annually in South Asia's flood-prone regions. His startup FloodGuard AI combines satellite data, IoT sensors, and machine learning to predict water level surges with 92% accuracy up to 72 hours in advance - three times more precise than existing systems. Deployed across Bangladesh's Brahmaputra-Jamuna-Meghna basin since 2022, it has already reduced flood-related deaths by 40% in implementation areas.

Alam's breakthrough came from analyzing 30 years of meteorological data combined with real-time drone imagery. His algorithm identifies subtle patterns in cloud formations and soil saturation that traditional methods miss. The system's affordability ($500 per village unit) comes from using recycled smartphone components for data processing. This approach has been adopted by UNICEF's Bangladesh Innovation Lab for nationwide scaling.

In 2024, Alam introduced a community-driven aspect where villagers contribute smartphone videos of local waterways to improve prediction models. This crowdsourcing method increased accuracy to 96% in pilot regions. His work earned him the Rockefeller Foundation's $1M Resilience Innovator Award and inspired similar projects in Myanmar and Nepal.

Alam's recent focus is on integrating solar-powered emergency shelters with his flood predictions. The Smart Flood Shelters project (launched 2025) automatically open and power up when AI detects imminent flooding, currently protecting 150,000 residents in 12 districts. His TED Talk "How AI is Fighting Floods in Bangladesh" has become a case study in disaster resilience engineering programs worldwide.