FloodAlerts: Open Data on Windows Azure

Posted by Kerry Godes
Senior Manager, Worldwide Marketing and Operations

Last week customers had the chance to meet Windows Azure and learn how the cloud platform is becoming even more flexible and open.  A great example of this is FloodAlerts, an open data Facebook app in the UK. The service, developed by Shoothill and hosted on Windows Azure, is the world’s first visual representation of flood information, utilizing data supplied by the UK’s Environment Agency. Using Bing Maps to pinpoint accurate flood warnings, FloodAlerts provides users with relevant alerts via wall postings and email notifications. The application recently was a recipient of the Guardian Innovation Nation Awards. You can read more about the app in a blog post by Microsoft’s David Gristwood.  Also, we’ll be highlighting more examples of innovations enabled by the combination of Windows Azure and open data solutions in the coming months, so stay tuned.