An Internet Based Flood Warning System

Abstract

Urbanization often is accompanied with increased overland flow and shorter time of concentration. The threat of flooding from such changes can be serious to residents and governments that are responsible for flood warning and flood damage reduction. This paper presents the development of a flood warning system by integrating Internet, Geographic Information System, and a flood model. It first delineates flooding areas in response to different rainfall amounts and land use scenarios, then overlays the flooding areas with other data layers to identify properties and streets potentially to be affected by the user-specified flooding event. Finally, results from the simulation and overlay analysis are published via Internet as tables and maps. A user may also compare difference between the flooding areas from two scenarios, such as different rainfall amount or different land use plans. This study demonstrates that based on the simulation of changes in land use patterns, the change of runoff and flooding areas can be visualized in a temporal and spatial context. The system can estimate the affect of land development on flooding impact to support better planning and development decisions. In addition, it can help identify critical areas for more effective emergency response. Finally, it can reach out to a broad user base to increase public awareness of flooding impact.

Keywords: Curve number, flooding, geographic information system, internet, internet mapping, land use, modeling