How to unlock resilience for emergency response in Australia

Leveraging Esri’s ArcGIS Online and ICEYE’s Flood Insights for actionable intelligence

When a flood hits, emergency responders need answers, not raw or modelled data. For example, water and power corporations must understand which assets are affected, where access is cut, how customers are impacted, and what to do first – all under intense time pressure. By combining ICEYE Flood Insights with ArcGIS Online, utilities can stand up an operational flood intelligence dashboard that turns satellite data into clear, actionable intelligence for control rooms and field teams.

ICEYE and Esri Australia partnered to offer a package designed specifically to deliver the truth about floods from space, including:

• ICEYE Flood Insights annual subscription,
• ArcGIS Online or Enterprise configuration for web maps, dashboards, and 3D scenes,
• Esri Australia services to integrate, configure, and streamline the solution in your environment.
  

By combining ICEYE’s near real-time Flood Insights with Esri’s ArcGIS platform and Esri Australia’s local expertise, emergency responders  across Australia can move from “What just happened?” to “What do we do next?” in a matter of hours – not days.

This blog focuses on that dashboard experience, illustrating how it benefits government agencies, water and power utilities, and outlines a packaged offering: ICEYE Flood Insights + ArcGIS Online + Esri Australia services. Explores how an ICEYE Flood + ArcGIS Online + Esri Australia services package can help you act on flood events with unprecedented clarity. We’ll showcase a 3D Gold Coast flood demonstration powered by ICEYE’s Flood Insights, and share how you can get started through our joint offering.

From flood layers to a live operational dashboard

Data only creates value when it turns into decisions. ICEYE’s Flood product provides high‑resolution, event‑based flood depth and extent. ArcGIS Online provides the environment to map out, assess, and share this information. The flood intelligence dashboard sits on top of both, acting as the primary lens for decision‑makers.

In a typical configuration for utilities and critical infrastructure, the dashboard brings together:

• ICEYE Flood Insights depth and extent layers, updated as the event evolves.
• Critical asset data from your GIS: substations, pump stations, treatment plants, reservoirs, switchyards, major valves, trunk mains, towers, and distribution lines.
• Network and access layers: roads, easements, service corridors, depots, crew locations.
• Customer and community context: service territories, priority customers, critical community facilities.

The result is a single, shared operational view where teams can immediately see:

• Which assets are inundated or at risk.
• How deep the water is, and how that changes over time.
• Which access routes remain safe or have been cut off.
• How many customers are likely impacted in specific zones.

Image dashboards courtesy of Esri Australia, Alan Wong.

Immersive 3D flood simulation for complex infrastructure

For complex, multi‑level environments – think dense urban substations or water treatment facilities near rivers – a 2D map can only go so far. That’s why we showcase the 3D Gold Coast flood simulation in ArcGIS Online as a reference experience. Using ICEYE Flood data and ArcGIS 3D capabilities, the dashboard can:

• Render buildings and key facilities in 3D, with water levels wrapped around them.
• Provide a fly‑through experience that helps operators, executives, and emergency partners intuitively understand what the numbers mean on the ground.
• Highlight elevations, embankments, and critical thresholds (e.g. when water reaches control rooms, basements, or cable trenches).

This 3D view is particularly powerful for:

• Substations and switching yards located near rivers, creeks, and low‑lying areas.
• Water/wastewater plants situated close to catchments or coastal zones.
• Critical depots and logistics hubs that must stay operable during a flood.

The same visual content that appears in social “fly‑through” assets can be opened in a live, interactive ArcGIS Online dashboard during real events.

Key capabilities of the flood intelligence dashboard

Across both water and power use cases, the dashboard is designed to be:

Operationally ready

• Pre‑configured map services and dashboard templates running in ArcGIS Online.
• Intuitive views for operations, planning, and executive stakeholders.
• Role‑based access so different teams see the level of detail they need.

Near real‑time aware

• ICEYE’s satellite constellation automatically monitors evolving flood events.
• New flood layers are published into the ArcGIS environment as events unfold, feeding pre‑built dashboards.

Configurable, not custom‑built

• Built using standard ArcGIS Online capabilities (web maps, web scenes, ArcGIS Experience Builder).
• Adaptable to your existing data model – asset layers, naming conventions, and symbology can be aligned with what your teams already know.

Designed for collaboration

• Views can be shared across utility departments, with partners (such as emergency agencies), and with key stakeholders under controlled permissions.
• The same core content can be reused for internal operations, customer communication, and board‑level briefings.

The packaged offering: ICEYE Flood + ArcGIS Online + Esri Australia services

To make it easier for utilities to move quickly, ICEYE and Esri Australia are collaborating on a packaged flood intelligence offering tailored for local government, energy and utility users.

At a high level, the package brings together three elements:

1. ICEYE Flood Insights subscription

• Event‑based flood extent and depth data for areas of interest across your network for 12 months.
• Consistent, independent, near real-time information covering large regions, day and night, through cloud and smoke.
• Delivery formats created for direct use within ArcGIS environments, including Enterprise.

2. ArcGIS Online configuration

• ArcGIS Online environment configured to receive ICEYE flood layers.

• Pre‑built 2D and 3D web maps, plus a flood intelligence dashboard tuned for utility workflows.
• Integration of your asset, network, and customer context layers into the dashboard views.

3. Esri Australia services

Esri Australia provides the local expertise to design, implement, and streamline the solution, including:

• Reviewing your existing GIS and operational environment.
• Tailoring dashboard layouts, symbology, and alerts for your specific operational processes.
• Training your teams so the dashboard becomes a trusted tool in every flood season.
  

Next steps

Together, ICEYE, Esri, and Esri Australia are working to make advanced flood intelligence from space practical and operational for end users across Australia.

If you’re looking to strengthen your flood situational awareness, visit the ICEYE partner page on the Esri Australia website and connect with the team.