A comprehensive web-based system for flood inundation map generation and comparative analysis based on height above...

Area of Science:

• Hydrology and Water Resources
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
• Environmental Modeling

Background:

• Accurate and timely flood extent prediction is crucial for mitigating flood impacts.
• Existing flood inundation models often require extensive data and computational resources, limiting their accessibility.
• There is a need for user-friendly, customizable flood mapping tools for rapid response.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and present a client-side, web-based real-time flood inundation mapping system.
• To enable customizable flood modeling and analysis with minimal data requirements.
• To support timely decision-making for flood mitigation and evacuation planning.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) model for flood inundation mapping.
• Developed a client-side web application performing all functions within a browser.
• Integrated tools for hydro-conditioning terrain, custom mapping, performance evaluation, and spatial analysis.
• Implemented a multi-depth inundation mapping approach using various water depth inputs.

Main Results:

• The system operates entirely client-side, requiring no GIS software or server-side computation.
• It is adaptable to any global region with minimal data input, primarily elevation data.
• The multi-depth approach allows for accurate flood mapping using sensor-based, crowdsourced, or model-predicted water depths.
• The system provides an easy-to-use interface for both technical and non-technical users.

Conclusions:

• The developed system offers a readily accessible, efficient, and customizable solution for real-time flood inundation mapping.
• It empowers decision-makers and the public with crucial information for flood preparedness and response.
• The client-side approach democratizes flood modeling, overcoming previous data and computational barriers.