Oliver Heald has welcomed the latest two initiatives launched by the Environment Agency to increase awareness of potential flooding in national and local areas. The Environment Agency has launched a Facebook page which will provide Facebook users with the latest flood alerts and graphical representations of flood warning data, with localised updates every 15 minutes; users will be kept informed about the potential flood risks in their area via a Microsoft Bing Map.
In addition to the creation of the Environment Agency Facebook page, the Agency have also created a “widget” (a form of web script) which can be uploaded to websites. This widget then provides live information displaying the number of Environment Agency flood alerts and flood warnings in force.
Commenting, Oliver Heald said, “at a time when we have experienced heavy rainfall, I welcome this initiative to keep the public updated as to possible flooding.”
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More information about the Environment Agency Facebook page and its Flood Alert “widget” can be found on the following two briefings.
Flood Warnings on Facebook
The world's first flood warning Facebook application was launched on
Tuesday 03 April 2012. This innovative application gives people better and
easier access to flood warning information through social media.
Facebook is the most popular ‘app’ downloaded on mobile smart phone devices and has around 29
million users in the UK.
The Facebook application has been developed by a company called Shoothill and uses live flood
warning data from the Environment Agency. It is the first service of this type and allows Facebook
users to get maps and warning information directly through their social network. The application is free
and will increase the reach of the Environment Agency's flood warning service.
It is an excellent example of working with the private sector to develop tools that give people
information in the way that they want to receive it.
Flood warning 'widget'
We have developed a new flood warning 'widget' that web developers can
download and add to any website. The 'widget' shows a live summary of
flood alerts and flood warnings in force. This will extend the reach of our
flood warnings and help provide information where people want it.
What is the flood warning 'widget'?
The flood warning 'widget' is computer script or code that web developers can embed within any
website. It provides live information displaying the number of Environment Agency flood alerts and
flood warnings in force.
The 'widget' retrieves information from the Environment Agency’s website and provides the latest
summary of flood alerts and warnings. The 'widget' will update at the same frequency as the flood
information on the Environment Agency website.
There are eight different widgets available. A national (England and Wales) summary, one for each of
the Environment Agency regions, and a 'widget' for Environment Agency Wales.