Quantification and reduction of uncertainty
Safety on sandy coasts
Overall picture of the safety of water defences
Global Flood Observatory
Real time safety on sedimentary coasts
Better forecasting and direction
GLOBAL FLOOD OBSERVATORY
The aim of the project is to develop an almost Real-Time Global Flood Observatory with a combination of freely accessible ESA and NASA satellite data. The observatory is not a ‘to order’ disaster responder but a systematic and automated tool for an overall designation of flooded areas. The system to be developed in 2011 and 2012 must be suitable for issuing daily or more frequent alarms on the basis of a combination of a range of satellite images. The system will use expert knowledge and interpretation criteria for that purpose.
High-resolution data has to be used so that smaller rivers (such as those in Great Britain and the Netherlands) can also be modelled accurately and efficiently. The Sentinel-1 satellite, that was launched in 2012, guarantees that data with high temporal and spatial resolution is available freely and quickly.
The Global Flood Observatory will have an efficient and fast algorithm and interface for producing flood maps. These flood maps are available at all times.
Fig. The floods in August 2010 in Pakistan ranked among the most serious ever (left: Reuters report map). The system can be used retrieve worldwide data about floods in a systematic way.