Development of flood inundation extent libraries over a range of potential flood levels: a practical framework for quick flood response

Abstract

The aim of the present study is motivated to build an inundation library for a range of gauge heights, which can be used by decision-makers to anticipate the likely extent of inundation and provide quick response towards warning the habitation at threat. In the present study, two approaches for developing a series of static flood-inundation extent libraries for a range of potential flood levels using historical satellite images, gauge heights and digital elevation model (DEM) are demonstrated. First method is based on the geotagging of gauge height data with corresponding satellite observed inundation extent and the other method supplements the first method in the absence of adequate satellite data-sets by simulating inundation using gauge data and DEM for a range of gauge heights. Simulated inundation extents are validated with the satellite-derived reference inundation extents using spatial statistics, which measure the correspondence between the estimated and observed occurrence of events like probability of detection (POD), false-alarm ratio, and critical success index (CSI). A good correlation between the simulated inundation and satellite-derived inundation extents, with POD varying between 87% and 94%, CSI between 75% and 80% is observed.

Keywords

• floods
• satellite
• dem
• inundation library
• fldpln model