Flood Monitoring Using

Geographic Information
Systems (GIS)

Flooding is a significant worldwide natural

disaster that requires accurate monitoring.

by Sourav Ghose
 Contents
1. What is Flood Monitoring?

2. Overview of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

3. Flood Monitoring Techniques Enabled by GIS

4. Vulnerability Assessment: What is a Vulnerability?

5. Benefits and Limitations of GIS in Flood Monitoring

6. Challenges Faced During GIS-based Flood Monitoring

7. Conclusion and Future Directions of GIS in Flood Monitoring

What is Flood Monitoring?
Flood monitoring is a critical task to
1 predict, prevent, and reduce flooding
hazards.
Traditional/Wireless Flood Monitoring Techniques
• The traditional or wireless method involves
conventional flood gauges that measure water levels in
rivers, streams, and other waterways.
• New wireless flood monitoring systems have come up
with the help of smart sensors to capture flood data
automatically and in real-time, making the flood
monitoring process more efficient.
The understanding of different techniques,
including traditional methods and modern
2
technologies, will provide us with a robust
foundation for effective prediction and
management of floods.
Modern Techniques
• There are different modern techniques for
measuring rainfall intensity and its
distribution, recording data, and the
incidence of water levels with required
levels of accuracy and precision.
• The advanced method includes Doppler
Radar, Satellite Imagery, and Ultrasonic
sensors.
Overview of Geographic Information
Systems (GIS)
GIS is an essential tool for flood monitoring due to its ability to be analyzed geographically and to be used as
a decision-making support system. Here is a brief overview of GIS and its usage in various fields.

What is GIS? How is GIS used for Flood

GIS is a system designed to capture, store, Prediction and Management?
manipulate, analyze, manage, and display
geographically referenced data.
GIS has been used to assess the
It's becoming a multi-billion dollar industry, and impact of floods on different
the usage of GIS in several fields such as public communities and assess how
utilities, real estate industries, health, susceptible areas are to
transportation planning, and more is on the flooding.
increase.
Flood Monitoring Techniques Enabled by GIS

GIS Application in flood monitoring leads to more effective, data-driven decision-making during natural
disasters. Here are some commonly used techniques to monitor floods using GIS.

1 2 3

Flood risk mapping Emergency Watershed flood-

Flood risk maps generated from
GIS technology are the simplest and
most comprehensive way to
demonstrate areas that have the
highest risk of flooding.
Response Planning frequency analysis
When it floods, emergency measures Flood event modeling within
must be taken to protect the affected specific locations of a
population and assets. Flood watershed can create a plan to
simulations using GIS can help help reduce the impact of future
officials plan effective emergency events.
response actions.
Vulnerability Assessment: What is a Vulnerability?

A vulnerability is the convergence of three fundamental reasons: exposure, susceptibility, and lack of adaptation
or resilience. For effective flood management, proper vulnerability assessments are a crucial part.

Risk Assessment Impact Assessment Vulnerability Assessment

By analyzing the potential for
vulnerability to flooding during peak
periods, valuable insights can be
computed for effective planning. GIS
technology is helpful to generate flood
risk maps, which help to perform
detailed risk assessments.
During a flood event, GIS is widely used to
assess its impact and provide a
Vulnerability assessments assess the social-
comprehensive understanding of the
economic, environmental and physical
magnitude of their effects by providing
impacts.
detailed information on submerged areas,
exposed essential facilities, and damage
assessment.
Benefits and Limitations of GIS in Flood
Monitoring
GIS technology has numerous benefits and limitations in flood monitoring. Here's a quick look at a few of
them.

Benefits Limitations

• GIS helps in easy and precision monitoring, • Insufficient data sharing and outdated systems.
emergency response, and recovery when used along
with different technologies such as drones, • Interpretation of GIS data is critical for many water
smartphones, and weather forecasting. managers as they lack expertise in GIS.

• GIS technology is also relatively cost-effective, easy

• GIS is only effective when implemented together with
to use, and helps to take decisions based on hard
other technologies to monitor flooding incidents.
data.
 Challenges Faced During GIS-based Flood
Monitoring
GIS flood monitoring faces several challenges that limit its effectiveness. Here is a brief overview of some of the significant
challenges.

Data Availability Complex Software and Lack of Coordination and

Issues Systems Resources

Flood damage assessment data needs to

GIS systems can be challenging
be updated frequently to improve the In some instances, data captured is only
to learn and use and might
effectiveness of flood management available in specific geographic locations.
require technical expertise.
systems.
 Conclusion and Future Directions of GIS in Flood
Monitoring
The importance of GIS in modern-day flood monitoring cannot be overstated, and it's potential applications
are only set to continue growing. Innovative networks such as Internet of things (IoT), real-time data, and
machine learning could help overcome the current challenges and limitations facing GIS today.

Endnote

Despite the limitations and challenges, GIS is still a valuable tool

for flood monitoring and management, and its potential is
immense!