FLOWS - FLOod crisis management With Earth observation Solutions

Context and objectives

The dramatic 2021 floods in Belgium and Germany underscored the severe impact of climate change, revealing the vulnerability of land to floods and the risks faced by populations. Earth observation (EO) can play a crucial role in flood crisis management but the timely provision of relevant EO data needs improvement. The FLOWS project aims to optimize the use of EO for future flood crisis management by learning from the 2021 flood events in Belgium and Germany and by creating valuable EO-based products meeting the operational needs of flood crisis managers. It will determine how and when EO data and derived products can best support the flood management at three time steps: flood crisis, aftermath and reconstruction. Drawing on the experience of flood crisis managers and on the retrospective analysis of the acquisition, processing, and use of 2021 EO data, the project hypothesizes that existing EO data and technologies can meet crisis managers’ spatial information needs.

Project outcome

Expected scientific results

The expected scientific results of the FLOWS project include the development of innovative geospatial solutions to address information challenges during flood events. Needs and challenges faced by crisis actors will be identified. Advanced AI-based tools will be developed to automate flood mapping and enhance situational awareness using satellite, airborne and UAV imagery. Enhanced damage assessment will be achieved, leveraging very high-resolution imagery to classify and assess flood-related damages. Improved techniques for tracking displaced populations will be implemented by analysing social media data and mobile phone signals, creating more accurate maps of population movements during floods. Additionally, disaster hot spot maps will be generated by integrating diverse geospatial data, such as flood information, infrastructure damage, and population data, to support timely and effective emergency response.

Expected products and services

The project will result in tools and procedures that will provide assistance and support to crisis managers. The main final product will be the hot spot mapping that will be directly used by field actors to focus their actions on the places and people most in need.