NVE Selects ICEYE for Norway Flood Monitoring

ICEYE has been selected by the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate, known as NVE, to provide satellite-based flood monitoring across mainland Norway and Svalbard. The one-year contract began in February 2026 and includes an option for a further two years. ICEYE’s Flood Rapid Impact service will update flood extent as often as every six hours during active events, while Flood Insights will provide water-depth and impact analyses every 24 hours. The service is intended to strengthen flood hazard mapping, emergency response and situational awareness during severe weather.

Continuous Flood Event Monitoring

Awarded through a competitive tender process, the agreement covers onboarding, operational delivery and continuous service improvement. NVE plans to use the data to monitor and document floods, assess their impacts and inform decisions before, during and after storms.

ICEYE said its synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, satellite constellation can image the Earth’s surface regardless of weather conditions or daylight, which is particularly critical in Norway, where persistent cloud cover, complex terrain and seasonal darkness can limit traditional optical satellite monitoring. Revisit rates above the company’s global average of 12 times per day are available over Norway.

Andy Read, VP of Global Government Solutions at ICEYE, said:

“Our always-on SAR monitoring gives NVE a persistent, all conditions view of flood impacts across Norway, delivering continuous, actionable intelligence that protects people and critical infrastructure.”

Hazard Maps And Forecasting

The service is designed for Norway’s recurring snowmelt- and precipitation-driven flooding. NVE will use the information to calibrate hydraulic models, improve flood hazard maps, evaluate flood forecasts and support the design of flood protection measures.

It will also support operational emergency response during major or long-lasting flood events. NVE plans to document flood extent, including publication on Naturhendelser.varsom.no, and has indicated it will enable data-sharing collaboration with other Norwegian authorities and municipalities as results become available.

Torsten Starkloff, Flood Discipline Group Leader at NVE, said:

“This service has the potential to strengthen how we monitor and document major water events across Norway. The resulting data will support improvements to our flood warning and hazard mapping efforts and provide valuable insights for future planning and preparedness for years to come.”

Satellite Data For Response

Flood Rapid Impact and Flood Insights will give NVE two levels of event information: automated flood extent updates as frequently as every six hours during an active flood, and more detailed analysis of water depth and impacts updated every 24 hours throughout an event. The contract extends ICEYE’s work with public agencies using satellite data for disaster preparedness, infrastructure resilience and environmental monitoring.