Built in Abu Dhabi to put natural hazards on the map, before they strike.

Who founded Gistin?

Dr. Justine Sarrau

Founder · Project lead · Alumna, United Arab Emirates University

Dr. Justine Sarrau leads Gistin and the underlying G3DAR research project (GIS & 3D Solutions Applied to Risk Assessment). She conducted the research at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) before transitioning the methodology into Gistin’s commercial platform. In March 2026, G3DAR won 1st place at the ESGRS Challenge: Earth Observation Edition, organised by the Emirati Society of GIS and Remote Sensing in partnership with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC).

Her work focuses on Geographic Information Systems, 3D simulation, Earth Observation, hydrological modelling and climate adaptation, applied specifically to the geomorphology and climate context of the United Arab Emirates.

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Why does Gistin exist?

The April 2024 rainfall event was the UAE’s first clear public signal that hyper-arid urban environments are no longer immune to extreme precipitation. The 14-16 March 2026 event repeated the message: several emirates received in 48 hours the equivalent of an annual rainfall budget. Roads turned into rivers, drainage was overwhelmed, and emergency-response plans drafted in drier years lost their grip on the actual geography of risk.

Reactive resilience (deploying emergency services after the fact, assessing damage once the water has receded) is no longer sufficient. What the UAE’s authorities, municipalities and infrastructure operators need is the ability to anticipate, simulate and prepare before the next event strikes.

Gistin was built to answer that need with one engine and one application per hazard. For floods, Gistwin: a high-fidelity 3D digital climate twin of UAE territory, stress-tested against rainfall, flooding, submersion and infrastructure-cascade scenarios. The output is not a slide deck: it is an operational map an urban planner, a transport authority or a civil-defence dispatcher can act on within the same week the data lands.

The summer of 2026 added a second hazard. The team comes from Biscarrosse, in the Landes forest, and when it is your own pines that burn it is hard to stay a spectator. Gisfire, a free live map of active fires built on satellite detections, was put online in a few weeks, absorbed millions of requests at the peak with the help of SARO, and reached 2.6 million views on Instagram and more than 450,000 views on the map. Firefighters got in touch, and their messages went straight into improving it. It is still online today.

Which hazards does Gistin cover today?

Floods · Gistwin

Urban digital twin and 3D simulation of heavy rainfall and flooding on live, historical or forecast weather. Per-building vulnerability scores, submersion points on road and rail networks, configurable alerts. In production in the United Arab Emirates.

Wildfires · Gisfire

Live map of active fires from satellite thermal detections (NASA FIRMS, VIIRS and MODIS), clustered into fire events, with aerial firefighting assets tracked, lightning strikes, AI cross-checking of the news and a seven-day replay. Covers the whole of France. Free, no sign-up, volunteer-run.

More applications are in the works; the pipeline is the same for each hazard. See the applications.

What is the G3DAR research foundation?

G3DAR (GIS & 3D Solutions Applied to Risk Assessment) is the methodological foundation of Gistin’s commercial platform. Led by Dr. Sarrau at UAEU, the project established the five-stage geospatial pipeline that Gistin runs today: acquisition, digital twin, 3D simulation, targeted alerts, adaptation plans. (See the applications.)

The award by the Emirati Society of GIS and Remote Sensing recognised, in particular, the depth of the geospatial pipeline and the alignment with the Abu Dhabi Climate Change Adaptation Plan. Earth Observation imagery (including MBRSC-source data) is one of the inputs that feeds the unified geo-base.

Which UAE public frameworks does Gistin align with?

Gistin’s product roadmap is explicitly built to advance the following federal and emirate-level frameworks. Every pilot we scope is justified against at least one of them so the client’s reporting line stays compliant by design:

• · Abu Dhabi Climate Change Adaptation Plan
• · UAE National Climate Change Plan · 2017-2050
• · UAE National Adaptation Plan · 2017-2050
• · UAE Net Zero 2050 Strategy
• · Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC)
• · UAE National Biodiversity Strategy
• · UAE National Strategy for Coastal and Marine Environment
• · Abu Dhabi Climate Change Strategy · 2023-2027
• · Abu Dhabi 2030 Urban Structure Framework Plan
• · Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan
• · UAE’s Green Agenda · 2030

Who does Gistin serve?

Gistin works with UAE federal and emirate-level authorities, municipalities, transport operators and civil-defence agencies. Specific sectors served include government & authorities; urban planning & smart cities; infrastructure & transport; coastline & water management; ecosystems & biodiversity; water & sanitation; aviation & airports; and ports & maritime logistics.

We also operate as an external consultancy (including in academic and university contexts) for geospatial analysis, data-driven methodology design and project structuring. The G3DAR research lineage means we speak the same vocabulary as UAEU and ESGRS-affiliated researchers.