— Selected for the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s “SBIR Construction Technology R&D Grant Program,” Contributing to Flood Mitigation in Global South Countries, Including Southeast Asia —
Aqunia Inc. (Headquarters: Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Satoru Demoto; hereinafter “Aqunia”), a provider of global flood forecasting, water resource forecasting, and climate risk assessment services, is pleased to announce that it has signed a joint development agreement with Spectee Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director & CEO: Kenjiro Murakami; hereinafter “Spectee”), a resilience tech startup.
The jointly proposed R&D project, “Development of Integrated Inland and Riverine Flood Forecasting Technology Fusing Social Media Data, AI, and Hydrological Simulation,” has been selected under the FY2026 “SBIR Construction Technology R&D Grant Program (SME/Startup Category)” (*1) administered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). This R&D initiative will be conducted with Aqunia as the lead organization and Spectee as a collaborating partner. By combining Aqunia’s wide-area hydrological simulation technology with Spectee’s social media analytics technology, both companies aim to develop a highly accurate flood forecasting technology that integrates both inland (pluvial) and riverine (fluvial) flooding. The initiative aims to contribute to disaster risk reduction and resilience not only within Japan but also in countries in the Global South, particularly in Southeast Asia.
Background and Objectives of Joint Development
As climate change continues to intensify the severity and frequency of flood disasters in Japan and around the world, urban areas are facing increasingly severe impacts from “inland flooding” (pluvial flooding), which occurs when rainfall exceeds drainage capacity.
However, conventional inland flood forecasting technology relies heavily on detailed infrastructure data, such as drainage network information, making highly accurate forecasting difficult in regions where such data is unavailable. Furthermore, developing and maintaining these datasets requires significant time and financial resources, serving as a major barrier and causing inland flood forecasting technologies to lag behind riverine (fluvial) flood forecasting. This issue is particularly acute in Global South countries where infrastructure data remains limited, creating an urgent need for forecasting technologies that can be deployed regardless of whether drainage network data exists.
Aqunia leverages the research outcomes of “Today’s Earth,” a global water cycle simulation system developed by JAXA and the University of Tokyo, by integrating them with its proprietary localization technology based on physical models and AI to provide flood and water resource forecasting solutions for countries and regions around the world. Spectee possesses technology that uses AI to automatically analyze text, images, and videos from social media posts to identify inundation points and depths, enabling real-time estimation of flood extent. Spectee excels at rapidly capturing pin-point, rapidly changing field-level flood conditions in urban areas.
By combining Aqunia’s simulation technology, which forecasts future flooding, with Spectee’s flood estimation technology, which captures ongoing inundation conditions in real time at the field level, the two companies believe they can establish a highly accurate and versatile Integrated Inland and Riverine Flood Forecasting System without relying on drainage network data. This shared vision has led to the joint development agreement between the two companies.
Overview of Joint Development
In this joint development project, Aqunia will expand its established wide-area hydrological simulation technology by combining physical models and AI with real-time inundation data obtained by Spectee, aiming to develop and commercialize a technology that forecasts urban inland flooding without relying on drainage network data.
Spectee will utilize its proprietary technology (Social Media Flood Estimation Technology), which identifies post locations and flood depths from text, images, and videos on social media and incorporates surrounding topography to estimate real-time flooding conditions. Spectee will focus on validating forecast results against actual flood situations.
Because this technology does not require pre-existing drainage network data, it enables deployment using a unified technical framework across a wide range of regions domestically and internationally. Furthermore, by integrating this with riverine (fluvial) flood forecasting, the partnership aims to develop a comprehensive “Integrated Inland and Riverine Flood Forecasting System” capable of forecasting both pluvial and fluvial flooding within a single system.
Future Outlook
Moving forward, both companies will establish this technology through phased testing and development, promoting its application in Japan for corporate BCP (Business Continuity Planning) in the construction and real estate sectors, as well as disaster prevention measures for public infrastructure. Additionally, the companies will contribute to mitigating flood impacts in Global South nations where infrastructure data is insufficient, focusing especially on Southeast Asia, where both companies are actively expanding their initiatives.
Furthermore, the two companies are already collaborating through a demonstration project in Vietnam selected under the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s “Global South Future-Oriented Co-Creation Program.” In June 2026, they signed an MoU with Gia Lai Province, Vietnam, toward the practical implementation of a flood forecasting and early warning system, marking a significant step toward its practical implementation. Building on these achievements, the companies plan to deploy the technology established through this joint development to support disaster risk reduction and resilience across Asian nations.
*1 Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Press Release: “Results of Selection for the FY2026 SBIR Construction Technology R&D Grant Program”
MLIT Press Rele : Selection Results for the FY2026 SBIR Construction Technology R&D Grant Program
About Spectee Inc.
Spectee is a startup offering a world-class platform in the resilience domain. Driven by the mission “Visualizing Crises,” Spectee analyzes diverse global data 24/7 in real time using AI, striving to realize a resilient society through risk visualization and damage prediction. Adopted widely for disaster prevention, BCP compliance, and supply chain risk management, Spectee holds the No. 1 market share among private enterprises, local governments, and government agencies. (Source: Japan Management Association Research Institute / as of 2025 survey)
■ Sơ lược về công ty
| Company Name | Spectee Inc. (株式会社Spectee) |
| Headquarters | Gobancho YS Bldg., 12-3 Gobancho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0076, Japan |
| Representative Director | Kenjiro Murakami, CEO |
| Website | https://spectee.co.jp |
About Aqunia Inc.
Aqunia Inc. is a climate-tech startup that utilizes the research outcomes of JAXA and the University of Tokyo as the core framework for its forecasting system. Combined with its proprietary localization technology, Aqunia delivers tailored forecasting aligned with the unique characteristics of various countries and regions. Even for governments and administrative agencies in the Global South where ground-based observation networks are underdeveloped, Aqunia supports decision-making for disaster mitigation, water scarcity management, and climate adaptation through heavy rain/flood forecasting, water resource predictions, and mid-to-long-term climate risk assessments. The company aims to advance the social implementation of EWS and forecasting technologies worldwide while promoting the international expansion of Japanese disaster prevention technologies.
■ Sơ lược về công ty
| Company Name | Aqunia Inc. (株式会社Aqunia) |
| Representative Director | Satoru Demoto, Founder & CEO |
| Established | August 2025 |
| Headquarters | Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| Business | Development of global flood, water resource, and climate change risk prediction systems; societal implementation through related consulting services |
| Website | https://aqunia.com |
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