Sadeem, a startup founded by KAUST Ph.D. graduates, develops flood and traffic sensors powered by solar batteries and transceivers. The company's technology originated as a Ph.D. project and has been supported by the KAUST Entrepreneurship Center, including participation in the KAUST Hikma IP-based Startup Accelerator program. Sadeem's sensors are designed to mitigate damage and save lives from floods, with ten nodes currently operating on the KAUST campus. Why it matters: The development and deployment of such sensor technologies in Saudi Arabia could improve urban resilience and disaster response in flood-prone areas across the GCC region.
KAUST startup Sadeem, which provides solar-powered smart city solutions for flood, traffic and environmental monitoring, won the Best Global Startup award in Dubai in 2017. Since then, Sadeem has focused on building its business model and infrastructure to accommodate expansion. Sadeem recently installed its smart city sensors, including the Aura air quality monitor, in Madinah, Saudi Arabia. Why it matters: This expansion demonstrates the potential for Saudi-based startups to provide innovative solutions to local challenges and scale their impact internationally.
This paper introduces a deep vision-based framework for predicting coastal floods under climate change, addressing the challenges of limited training data and high-dimensional output. The framework employs and compares various deep learning models, including a custom compact CNN architecture, against geostatistical and traditional machine learning methods. A new synthetic dataset of flood inundation maps for Abu Dhabi's coast is also provided to benchmark future models.
KAUST spinout Sadeem, which develops wireless environmental sensing systems, has secured $2.6 million in co-investment from the KAUST Innovation Fund and Saudi Aramco's Wa'ed Ventures. The funding will support product updates, development of new monitoring technologies, and business development. Sadeem's technology is used in cities including Mexico City and Texas for flood, traffic, weather, and air quality monitoring. Why it matters: The investment highlights the growing venture capital ecosystem in Saudi Arabia and will allow Sadeem to further develop its sensor technology for environmental monitoring and disaster prevention.
A KAUST report, in collaboration with AEON Collective and KAPSARC, warned of increasing flash floods in the Arabian Peninsula due to climate change. The report predicts a 33% increase in annual maximum rainfall by the end of the century under a high emissions scenario. KAUST is supporting MEWA to improve dam management and flash flood warning systems, leveraging its data and supercomputing capabilities. Why it matters: The study highlights the urgent need for infrastructure adaptation and improved warning systems in the region to mitigate the increasing risk of climate-related disasters.