Microproduct Data GuideIntermediate

Copernicus GloFAS Flood Outlook

Global flood-forecast summary maps for selecting areas needing closer satellite or local-authority checks.

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At a Glance

Difficulty
Intermediate — some data preparation helps
Size
Tiny · ≤0.01 GB
Formats
GeoTIFF
Access
API
API Key
Not Required
Provider
Copernicus Emergency Management Service
Updates
Daily
Last Verified
Sep 28, 2026
Source Type
Intergovernmental Source
Data Terms
CEMS early-warning information permits reuse with source and modification notices; it is informational and not an official local warning.
  • Python Syntax Checked

From Source to Product Signal

Test a Product Idea in Four Steps

GloFAS publishes the sumAL41EGE forecast-summary WMS layer used to target follow-up checks. Start with a small current-day tile; a forecast is not observed flooding or a local warning.

1

Check the Setup

  • Python 3.10 or newer
  • An internet connection
  • The requests Python package
2

Access the Data

  1. 1.Review the GloFAS WMS capabilities and CEMS reuse terms.
  2. 2.Fetch a small dated sumAL41EGE tile.
  3. 3.Compare any forecast signal with independent observed and official information.
Open Official Source
3

Run the Python Example

Install the packages, then run the notebook cell.

python -m pip install requests

from datetime import datetime, timezone
import requests

valid_day = datetime.now(timezone.utc).strftime("%Y-%m-%dT00:00Z")
response = requests.get(
    "https://ows.globalfloods.eu/glofas-ows/ows.py",
    params={"SERVICE": "WMS", "VERSION": "1.1.1", "REQUEST": "GetMap",
            "LAYERS": "sumAL41EGE", "STYLES": "default", "SRS": "EPSG:4326",
            "BBOX": "5,45,5.1,45.1", "WIDTH": 32, "HEIGHT": 32,
            "FORMAT": "image/tiff", "TIME": valid_day}, timeout=20,
)
response.raise_for_status()
assert response.content[:4] in (b"II*\x00", b"MM\x00*"), "Expected GeoTIFF"
print(valid_day, "GloFAS forecast bytes:", len(response.content))
4

Test a Useful Signal

Inspect a Flood-Outlook Tile

Display a small forecast-summary tile with its date and bounds.

  1. 01Fetch the current-day GloFAS WMS tile.
  2. 02Label its forecast date and map extent.
  3. 03Explain that a forecast alone does not establish current local flooding.

Related Datasets

Dataset Details

Copernicus Emergency Management Service is an intergovernmental source. Last verified 2026-09-28. Temporal coverage: dated days-one-to-three flood forecast summary.

Data Types

Raster

Geography

Global

Formats

GeoTIFF

Provider

Copernicus Emergency Management Service

Data Terms

CEMS early-warning information permits reuse with source and modification notices; it is informational and not an official local warning.

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