CaMa-Flood developer/user international meeting 2026

We will have the 2nd international meeting on CaMa-Flood and global hydrodynamics
on 10th and 11th September, 2026 (Thursday and Friday) at ECMWF headquarters in Reading, United Kingdom.

Registration for participation and abstract submission is now open Registration (Google Form)

(Group photo of 2024 meeting in IIS-UTokyo)

About the meeting

Over the past 15 years since its initial development, the global river model CaMa-Flood has undergone substantial advancements, evolving into a physically consistent and versatile framework for large-scale river hydrodynamics. Based on the catchment-based macro-scale floodplain (CMF) approach, the model explicitly represents water surface elevation, enabling realistic simulations of river discharge, water level, and floodplain inundation across continental to global scales.

Recent developments have further expanded its capabilities, including the integration of high-accuracy global topography datasets, advances in computational performance (e.g., parallelization and GPU implementations), and the incorporation of new process representations such as levee effects and tracer transport. In parallel, the increasing availability of satellite observations has opened new opportunities for model validation and data assimilation, strengthening the link between simulations and real-world observations.

As a result, CaMa-Flood is now widely used in a broad range of applications, including global flood risk assessment, Earth system modelling, real-time hydrological monitoring, and studies of biogeochemical and ecosystem processes.

We are pleased to announce the 2nd international meeting for CaMa-Flood developers and users. This meeting aims to bring together the growing community to exchange knowledge and expertise, share recent scientific and technical advances, and discuss future directions in global river hydrodynamics and its applications.

While the meeting is centered on CaMa-Flood, we strongly encourage participation from the broader community working on global and large-scale hydrodynamic modelling, including researchers developing and applying other modelling frameworks.

All CaMa-Flood developers and users are cordially invited to participate. We also warmly welcome researchers interested in global river hydrodynamics, Earth system science, flood risk, and related fields, regardless of whether they are currently using CaMa-Flood. We look forward to a stimulating and productive exchange of ideas and collaborations across different modelling approaches and research communities.

Meeting Info

Date and location

The CaMa-Flood meeting will take place on 10th and 11th September, 2026 (Thursday and Friday).

The venue is ECMWF (European Center for Medium-range Weather Forecast) headquarters in Reading, UK.
Shinfield Park, Reading, RG2 9AX, United Kingdom.
(Maps)

Schedule

  • 10 Apr 2026: Registration and abstract submission open.
  • 31 May 2026: Deadline - Registration with abstract submission
  • 31 May 2026: Deadline - Request of invitation letter for visa support (for participants requiring a visa)
  • June 2026: Announcement of the program.
  • 31 Jul 2026: Deadline - Registration without abstract submission
  • 10-11 Sep 2026: CaMa-Flood developer/user meeting.

Registration Form & Deadlines

Registration for participation and abstract submission is now open Registration (Google Form)

Participants who wish to give a presentation are required to submit their registration together with an abstract (up to 600 words) by 31 May 2026. You may also include supplementary materials (e.g., figures or extended documents) if needed. Please note that giving a presentation is not mandatory. Participants who do not plan to present may complete their registration by 31 July 2026. Participants who require an invitation letter for visa application purposes must complete their registration and request the letter by 31 May 2026.

Registration Fee

There is no registration fee for the meeting.

Please note that we are unable to offer any financial support for travel expenses at this time, as we do not have any sponsors secured yet.
We kindly ask participants to make their own arrangements for travel and accommodation. Thank you for your understanding.

VISA for the United Kingdom

Please note that any foreign visitor entering the United Kingdom must possess a valid passport for the duration of their stay and must comply with UK immigration requirements.

For short stays (usually up to a few months) for purposes such as attending conferences, business meetings, tourism, or visiting friends and relatives—without engaging in paid work—visitors should check the requirements for a Standard Visitor visa.

Depending on your nationality, you may:

  • enter the UK without a visa, or
  • be required to obtain a visa in advance, or
  • be required to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) prior to travel.

For full and up-to-date information, please visit the official UK government website: [https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa]

A list of visa nationals and visa-exempt countries is also available on the same website.

If you require an invitation letter for visa application purposes, please indicate this by checking the appropriate box in the registration form. Deadline of Registration with VISA invitation letter is 31 May.

Note: Information on visa application procedures has been sent via email to registered participants.

Program

We are considering the following sessions for the CaMa-Flood meeting:

  • Opening keynote speeches & icebreaker session
  • Oral presentation session focusing on CaMa-Flood development
  • Oral presentation session highlighting CaMa-Flood applications
  • Poster session scheduled for Thursday evening

These sessions aim to facilitate comprehensive discussions, knowledge sharing, and networking opportunities among participants.

Logistics

CaMa-Flood developer/user international meeting 2026 is co-organized by

  • Yamazaki Lab (Global Hydrodynamics Lab)
  • Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo
  • ECMWF (European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecast)

The meeting is supported by

  • KAJIMA Foundation, International Joint Research Grant

Organizing Committee

As of April 2026

  • Dai Yamazaki (Chair, UTokyo)
  • Michel Wortmann (Local Organizer, ECMWF)
  • Minako Yokoyama (Secretary, UTokyo)
  • Yuki Tsukada (Secretary, UTokyo)

Please email to Dai Yamazaki ( yamadai [at] iis.u-tokyo.ac.jp ) for questions about the meeting.

 

Past meetings

We had the first-ever international meeting on CaMa-Flood and global hydrodynamics
on 5th and 6th July, 2024 (Friday and Saturday) at the Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo.

2024 Program

2024 Meeting program is available here

2024 Presentation Abstracts are available here

2024 Awards

Based on the votes by all participants, three presenters are awarded for their huge contribution to CaMa-Flood modelling community.

=== CaMa-Flood best developer award ===
Shengyu Kang (Wuhan University)
A Computationally-efficient practice for global river hydrodynamic models

=== CaMa-Flood best user/application award ===
Michel Wortmann (ECMWF)
CaMa-Flood as part of the ECMWF Integrated Forecasting System

=== CaMa-Flood early career award ===
Mizuki Funato (The University of Tokyo)
Development of a Modified Reservoir Operation Scheme for Improved Global Flood Modelling