As Taiwan heads into another Typhoon season, the need for reliable and easily accessible information about where the next storm will hit and how to stay safe has never been more important. That’s why we’re launching Google Public Alerts and a dedicated Google Crisis Map for Taiwan.
Starting today, relevant severe weather alerts for typhoons and flood related events in Taiwan will appear on the Google Public Alerts page as well as on Google Search, Google Maps and Google Now. Google Public Alerts is a platform designed to provide accurate and relevant emergency alerts when and where you need them.If a typhoon alert is issued in Kaohsiung county, for example, the alert information will appear on your desktop and mobile screens when you search for relevant information on Google Search and Google Maps:
Example of a Google Search result showing a flood warning
Example of a typhoon warning on Google Maps for mobile
If you happen to be in Taiwan at a time when a typhoon warning is issued near you, Google Now on your Android or iOS device will show you a card containing information about the alert, as well as any available evacuation instructions:
Example of a typhoon warning card on Google Now
In addition to these Google Public Alerts tools, we’re also launching today a dedicated Google Crisis Map for Taiwan which will provide detailed information in times of crisis, including the ability to apply various layers of information to the map, such as shelter locations, storm radar, evacuation routes and more.
Our goal at Google Crisis Response is to provide citizens with the critical information needed in an emergency. We’re able to provide this crisis map and Public Alerts in Taiwan thanks to the Central Weather Bureau, Water Resource Agency, Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, Directorate General of Highways and the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction - their partnership and commitment to opening this data to the public enables Google and others to make critical and life-saving information more widely available.
We look forward to expanding Google Public Alerts to more countries and working with more warning providers soon. We encourage potential partners to read our FAQ and to consider putting data in an open format, such as the Common Alerting Protocol.
Posted by Eric Chu, Engineering Director, Google.org
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