ArticlePDF Available

Community-based monitoring for flood early warning system: An example in central Bicol River basin, Philippines

Authors:

Abstract and Figures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to integrate the proactive role of communities and the use of flood modeling in the implementation of a flood early warning system. Design/methodology/approach Manual rain gauges were installed in 20 houses of volunteers living within the Bicol River basin to monitor rainfall. Rain information is sent twice daily via SMS message to a receiving computer. The received data are used to run a basin model that was developed in HEC‐HMS, which converts precipitation excess to overland flow and channel run‐off. Findings Different watershed models were developed for different rainfall events. Geomorphic analysis using 3 s SRTM Digital Elevation Model (DEM) processed in a GIS platform was also done to refine the overland flow. The derived hydrographs were used in the HEC‐RAS hydraulic model which has as main output threshold values for the rain‐flood relationship. Research limitations/implications Although SRTM DEM that was used for the geomorphic analysis was sufficient for the purpose of the study, higher resolution DEMs can further improve the mapping of spatial extent of flood areas. Practical implications The results are used for the forecast of flood and the timely issuance of flood bulletins. Originality/value This study is the first to incorporate the involvement of the community in establishing a flood early warning system. The method can also be used as a prototype for other flood models in other parts of the country.
Content may be subject to copyright.
Community-based monitoring for
flood early warning system
An example in central Bicol River basin,
Philippines
Catherine C. Abon and Carlos Primo C. David
National Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, Diliman,
Quezon City, The Philippines, and
Guillermo Q. Tabios III
National Hydraulic Research Center, University of the Philippines, Diliman,
Quezon City, The Philippines
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to integrate the proactive role of communities and the use of
flood modeling in the implementation of a flood early warning system.
Design/methodology/approach – Manual rain gauges were installed in 20 houses of volunteers
living within the Bicol River basin to monitor rainfall. Rain information is sent twice daily via SMS
message to a receiving computer. The received data are used to run a basin model that was developed
in HEC-HMS, which converts precipitation excess to overland flow and channel run-off.
Findings – Different watershed models were developed for different rainfall events. Geomorphic
analysis using 3 s SRTM Digital Elevation Model (DEM) processed in a GIS platform was also done to
refine the overland flow. The derived hydrographs were used in the HEC-RAS hydraulic model which
has as main output threshold values for the rain-flood relationship.
Research limitations/implications – Although SRTM DEM that was used for the geomorphic
analysis was sufficient for the purpose of the study, higher resolution DEMs can further improve the
mapping of spatial extent of flood areas.
Practical implications – The results are used for the forecast of flood and the timely issuance of
flood bulletins.
Originality/value – This study is the first to incorporate the involvement of the community in
establishing a flood early warning system. The method can also be used as a prototype for other flood
models in other parts of the country.
Keywords Philippines, Floods, Rivers, Communities, Modelling, Precipitation, Early warning,
Geomorphology, Bicol River basin
Paper type Research paper
1. Introduction
Flooding is one of the most common natural hazards causing immense damage to
agricultural production, destruction of infrastructure, and loss of lives. Flooding in
most cases cannot be prevented (Chubey and Hathout, 2004); however, the associated
damage due to floods can be significantly minimized through a community
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0965-3562.htm
Disaster Prevention and Management
Vol. 21 No. 1, 2012
pp. 85-96
rEmerald Group Publishing Limited
0965-3562
DOI 10.1108/09653561211202728
This work has been funded by the Christian Aid and Manila Observatory. Rainfall and
hydrologic data from PAGASA-Bicol Region headed by Arturo Balang made the calibration of
the model possible. Grateful acknowledgement goes to Arlene Dayao and to the countless people
of Bicol who have patiently assisted the authors during field surveys. Thanks are also extended
to laboratory members Stephanie Frogoso, Michelle dela Cruz, Darwin Riguer, David Chuy and
Krystelle Banaag for assisting during the field surveys, and Jeremy Rimando and Jun Pellejera
for the laboratory assistance, the UP CSWCD students Jesus Dominic Dizon and groupmates,
supervised by Matt Wamil, and David Michael V. Padua who heads the TPC.
85
Community-
based flood early
warning
flood preparedness program. Aside from an early warning system and civil
protection measures, the program should include flood forecasting through an accurate
quantification of flood risk (Sanders, 2007; Pappenberger et al., 2007; Liu et al., 2004).
Hydrologic and hydraulic modeling and the incorporation of geomorphic analysis is
often employed in flood studies. Lee et al. (2008) emphasized that the rainfall-runoff
process in a watershed is primarily controlled by watershed geomorphic features and
rainfall characteristics. Topographic maps are typically used for characterizing
geomorphic features. Recent high-resolution digital elevation models (DEM) proved
even more useful for flood inundation studies (e.g. Jasrotia and Singh, 2006; Bates and
De Roo, 2000; Correla et al., 1998). The availability of public access DEMS and software
for hydrologic and hydraulic modeling provided a condition for combining geomorphic
data and rainfall data for flood forecasting especially when resources are limited.
The presence of operational models for an early warning system alone is not enough
to effectively minimize or prevent the damages from flooding. The past experiences of
the country from flooding showed that early warning systems are often neglected by
the people. One of the challenges in early warning systems therefore is implementing
and sustaining it. The idea of incorporating the active involvement of the people in the
community with an early warning system aims to increase the effectiveness of such
systems. Learning by actual participation and taking a part in the system enable
people to understand more the value of these systems not only for themselves but for
the whole community that will be affected, and make them become more responsible in
performing their tasks in implementing and sustaining the system.
The Bicol River basin (BRB) with a drainage area of 3,770 km
2
which is among the
largest river basins in the country, is one of the most if not the most frequently flooded
areas in the country. It is an elongate basin of about 130 km length and 25 km width
that is trending northwesterly. It is bounded along its length by the Ragay Hills to the
southwest and a chain of volcanoes to the northeast. The Bicol River is a meandering
river flowing in a gradual slope (0.03) to its only outlet in San Miguel Bay to the north.
The study area is a 2.9-km segment of the Bicol River and the Pawili River, which
drains the southern side of Mt Isarog. It is part of the central BRB with a total
watershed area of 504 km
2
(Figure 1).
The climate in the region is characterized as having no dry season but a very
pronounced period of maximum rainfall from November to February. The average
annual rainfall varies from 2,000 to 3,600 mm in the basin (Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration PAGASA), 2007). Occurrence
of typhoons is relatively frequent in the Bicol Region with an average of three to four
typhoons per year passing through the area. In November 2006, extensive flooding in
the BRB caused by Typhoon Reming claimed 1,200 lives and left 120,000 homeless.
An estimated 3.3 billion pesos of worth of farmlands and property were lost
(National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), 2004, unpublished report). In 2009,
Typhoon Dante also caused extensive flooding in the central and northern portion of
the BRB.
2. Methodology
2.1 Installation of home-based stations
The distribution of the rain gauges within the basin was first designed and
pre-determined using 1:50,000 topographic maps. Two volunteers were then selected
in each marked location. The volunteers were taught of the importance of their
participation to monitor rainfall in the overall early warning system. They were also
86
DPM
21,1
provided with a protocol for sending SMS or text messages in a definite format the
rainfall level as they read it in their rain gauges. These messages will be sent in a
central computer and stored accordingly in an easily accessible database. Rainfall
recording and reporting will be done twice daily, one in the morning around 06:00-08:00
and in the afternoon at 16:00-18:00. More frequent recording and sending of rainfall
data is done during days of heavy rainfall. Volunteers are also encouraged to make any
observations related to monitoring rainfall. The rainfall data are used in simulating the
basin and channel models to be able to evaluate flood potential.
The installation of rain gauges in different households was undertaken for at least a
month. Different reactions were met during the installations. Most of the people easily
understood the importance of their involvement in the early warning system so they
promptly agreed to have the rain gauges installed in their houses. Some of them are
reluctant though because of their monitoring might interfere with their daily activities.
A total of 20 rain gauges were installed in different houses within the central BRB
and grouped in two covering a total of nine cities/municipalities (Figure 2). Locating
two stations close to each other is deliberately done to have redundancy of data,
wherein reported rainfall data can be checked by comparing it with the reports from its
adjacent station.
The manual rain gauges installed employed the use of a funnel collector fastened on
the side of a house’s roof and attached to a graduated container by a plastic hose.
The design implemented allows rainfall reading easier as this can be done inside the
volunteer’s home (Figure 3). This was a critical design aspect, as conventional rain
Mt Isarog
N
km
0510
Legend
Central BRB
Bicol River
Pawili River
Tributaries
Ragay Hills
Figure 1.
The study area (central
BRB) and the index map
(inset) showing the
location of the study area
in the Philippines
87
Community-
based flood early
warning
gauges placed even a few meters away from homes often precludes the measurement of
rainfall at the height of a rain event.
2.2 Flood model development
The flood model development includes the integration of geomorphological analysis
and basin and channel modeling. Each of the processes included are discussed in more
detail below.
Mt Isarog N
km
2024
Lake baao Mt Iriga Legend
Volunteers
Central BRB
Bicol River
Pawili River
Tributaries
Ragay Gulf
Figure 2.
The location of the 20
installed home-based
stations in the central BRB
Figure 3.
Manual rain gauge
installation for home-
based stations by the
students and local
volunteers. Photo
contributed by volunteer
students of UP CSWCD
headed by Jesus Dominic
Dizon
88
DPM
21,1
2.2.1 Historical flood reconstruction from documentary sources and field interviews.
Major rainfall events (those associated with tropical cyclones) were culled out of the
daily precipitation record of PAGASA for the period 1981-2008. However, most
of the corresponding flood extents brought by these tropical cyclones were not
recorded. Written documents about the precise flood extents and timing were scarce
hence, field interviews with local residents especially those living along the rivers
were done. From these interviews, the information obtained included the
characteristics of the different typhoon-induced floods, such as frequency, duration,
spatial extent, flood height, and flood timing with respect to the intensity and duration
of rainfall. Historic flood marks in the trees along the river and in the houses and posts
in the urban areas were also recorded. This information will be used to calibrate the
flood models to be generated.
2.2.2 The geomorphological analysis: ILWIS 3.3. The geomorphological analysis
was done using the DEM extracted from the public access data of the USGS SRTM.
A number of studies have confirmed the sufficiency of SRTM DEM for hydrologic
model applications and flood risk analysis (Schumann et al., 2008; Demirkesen et al.,
2007; Ludwig and Schneider, 2006). SRTM DEM has also been used to the extent of
extracting river cross-section for hydrodynamic modeling (e.g. Pramanik et al., 2009).
Sanders (2007) also concluded that SRTM DEMs are valid for flood models but
emphasized the importance of performing ground surveys of study sites when such
DEMs of limited resolution are utilized. Hence, additional elevation points were
gathered using a handheld GPS during the field surveys and integrated with
the SRTM DEM. Other parameters, such as floodplain characteristics, channel
modifications, and previous flood records were also gathered during the field survey
conducted. Channel width and channel bank height were also estimated given its
importance in controlling flood processes. The field data points and DEM were
integrated in a GIS platform to generate the base map for the study.
The DEM was processed using a hydrologic processing package in ILWIS 3.3
developed by ITC International Institute for Geoinformation Science and Earth
Observation. The processing includes DEM visualization, flow determination, and
network and catchment extraction processing. The digital delineation of sub-catchments
was counterchecked using higher resolution topographic maps and necessary
adjustments were undertaken. The sub-catchment map was then overlaid on a soil
map to further delineate sub-basins with relatively uniform soil type. A total of
22 sub-catchments were generated in the area. The physical parameters of each
sub-catchment such as area, overland flow length, wetness index, and stream power
index were all extracted and represented in tabulated forms.
2.2.3 The basin model: Hydrologic Engineering Center’s Hydrologic Modeling
System (HEC-HMS). The (HEC-HMS), version 3.2 was used to develop the hydrologic
model. The model is developed by the US Army Corps of Engineers, designed
to simulate the precipitation-runoff processes of dendritic watershed systems
(HEC, 2008a). This method was employed to generate peak flows and hydrographs for
selected typhoon events. Historical rainfall events recorded in the PAGASA were
used to simulate historical events while data from the newly installed rain gauges
were used for the recent typhoon events. The inputs include information from the
basin model, the meteorological model, time-series data and paired data, and control
specifications. The Green and Ampt method for calculating water loss due to
infiltration is used, a simplified version of Richard’s equation for unsteady water
flow in soil.
89
Community-
based flood early
warning
Translation of excess precipitation to runoff is done using the Clark unit
hydrograph transformation (Chow et al., 1988) which only requires two parameters: the
time of concentration (T
c
) and storage coefficient (R):
R¼0:6Tcð1Þ
T
c
represents the maximum travel time in the sub-basin and is used in the development
of translation hydrograph. The translation hydrograph is routed using linear reservoir,
which accounts for storage attenuation affects across the sub-basin.
Derived maps in ILWIS were loaded to the HEC-HMS as background maps. The
incorporation of hydrologic modeling in GIS redefines the model in spatial context
by giving new possibilities in understanding the fundamental physical processes
underlying the hydrological cycle and the solution of mathematical equations
representing those processes (Castrogiovanni et al., 2005; Liu and De Smedt, 2005;
Correla et al., 1998; Coroza et al., 1997). The maps also aid the visualization of the
hydrologic components in the modeled basin. The hydrologic components include
sub-basin, reach and junction. Each sub-basin was assigned with Green and Ampt
parameters based on soil classes in the area. The soil classes were obtained from the
Bureau of soils, digitized and superposed on the sub-basin map. The soil class map is
necessary in assigning the Green and Ampt parameter values such as suction and
conductivity. Likewise, the digitized land-use map was also overlaid on the sub-basin
map in order to estimate the percentage of impervious area in each sub-basin. Other
required parameters such as sub-basin area and initial discharge are derived from the
DEM processing and field historical data, respectively.
2.2.4 The river channel model: HEC River Analysis System (HEC-RAS). The flood
hydrographs obtained from the basin model were used as input data in the hydraulic
model. The river channel model was developed using the HEC-RAS, version 4.0
(HEC, 2008a). This model was designed to perform one-dimensional hydraulic
calculations based on the St Venant equations when flow conditions are unidirectional,
one phase and gradually varying and can estimate the water surface (from water
height), velocity, and depth profiles, computed from one cross-section to the next by
solving the energy equation with an iterative procedure. Previous flood studies have
validated the usefulness of this model (Shahrokhnia and Javan, 2005; Alho et al.,
2007; Machado and Sajad, 2007; Lastra et al., 2008; Knebl et al., 2005; Horritt and
Bates, 2002).
An important input in the channel model is the river geometry represented by a
series of cross-sections perpendicular to the flow direction. The cross-sections were
obtained by field surveys and higher resolution topographic maps availed from the
NAMRIA. The field survey was conducted using GPS and survey techniques,
obtaining a total of 112 cross-sections through the 35-km modeled river segment of the
Bicol River. The channel geometry was considered only for the Bicol River because
it is the largest stream in the basin. The georeferenced map of the study area was
used as background map in completing the geometry data of the model. Each
cross-section was georeferenced to the basin in order to develop floodplain maps. Other
parameters include left and right bank locations, downstream flow lengths roughness
coefficients (Manning’s n), and contraction and expansion coefficients. These
parameters were obtained using GIS tools and field surveys. The roughness
estimation was accomplished by combining land use data with tables of Manning’s n
values available in HEC (2008b). The hydrographs from HEC-HMS were incorporated
90
DPM
21,1
in the HEC-RAS model by assigning representative cross-section for each group of related
sub-basins as entry of lateral inflow to the main river. The representative cross-sections are
points where a group of associated sub-basins collectively drain to that point.
The HEC-RAS model was simulated using a sub-critical flow. Flow hydrograph in
the upstream, lateral inflow in the middle cross-sections, and normal depth in the
downstream are the boundary conditions used for the simulation. Since the river is
properly georeferenced, the output of the simulation was easily transferred to the
ILWIS. The extent was then digitized to produce a spatial flood extent map.
2.3 Model calibration and val idation
Basin parameters such as infiltration coefficients, time of concentration and baseflow
were iteratively adjusted and modified to produce a best fit between the model and the
observed events. The hydrographs generated from the basin model are calibrated with
observed discharge. The availability of discharge data, however, is scarce in the area.
Only two rainfall events have their corresponding discharge data. For the channel model,
the rain event associated with Typhoon Reming (November 29-December 4, 2006) was
used for calibration and validation. Delineated flood map as a result of the channel model
is validated by actual flood extents during that particular typhoon. This flood extent was
obtained from remote sensing image from the Dartmouth Flood Observatory. Figure 4
summarizes the method employed in model development.
3. Results and discussion
3.1 Geomorphological analysis
The maps derived from DEM-hydroprocessing provided a quick overview and
assessment of the areas that will likely to experience flooding (Figure 5). Flow
accumulation model derived from DEM processing indicates that most areas that
reported to have experienced flooding based on historical accounts fit with the regions
of flow accumulation. Table I shows the parameters obtained from the
geomorphological method and calculations using the mentioned empirical formula.
3.2 Basin model
A continuous record of data particularly for flood discharge in the area is scarce. Only
two rainfall events have corresponding discharge measurements, which were used in
the model calibration. After a number of simulations, the results of the basin model
fairly fit the observations – the hydrograph shape and timing of peaks matched. The
adjustments of initial loss and other parameters of each sub-basin were done to
accurately represent the rainfall run-off relationship over the area. For the transform
method, the time of concentration and storage coefficient were also modified. The
modification indicated that the time of concentration is a more sensitive parameter.
The changes done in the time of concentration yielded a more accurate timing of peaks.
3.3 Channel model
Relatively fewer modifications on the channel model were done to fit peak flood timing.
Most of the calibration was accomplished by adjusting the Manning’s nvalues in the
left over bank (LOB), channel, and right over bank (ROB). LOB and ROB roughness
range from 0.05 to 0.045, while that of the channel is 0.020-0.025.
The final output of the models is a map showing the flood extent over the basin
during Typhoon Reming. A segment of the Bicol River reach was processed and flood
inundation results were generated. The extent was superimposed on the reach map
91
Community-
based flood early
warning
digitized in ILWIS (Figure 6). The flood extent in the MODIS satellite image processed
by the Dartmouth flood observatory was digitized and superposed on the basin map.
The results from the satellite image showed that the model overestimates flooding
throughout the river over banks but underestimates the lateral extent. However, this
discrepancy may be attributed to the time when the image was acquired which was on
the latter part of the flood event (December 4, 2006). In general, the model-derived
points where flooding occurs strongly match the satellite data.
3.4 Test run of the early warning system
The Typhoon Preparedness Center (TPC) was established and stationed in Naga City,
Bicol Region. This serves as the center where flood forecasts will be issued during
typhoons. The operation was first tested during Typhoon Dante, which made landfall
on May 1 and left the country on May 5, 2009. The three-hourly rainfall was recorded in
TPC via text messages from the volunteers. These records were used in the simulation
and a flood bulletin was issued using the model results as guide. The timing of
the flood was predicted to occur at the tenth hour after the high-intensity rainfall
SRTM DEM
Field survey data
Hydrologic model for rainfall
events:
HEC-HMS
Output stream hydrographs
Calibration and
validation
Calibration and
validation
Output: stream breach points,
delineated flood extent, and
flood timing rainfall events
Hydraulic model for each
rainfall event:
HEC-RAS
DEM processing and storage
ILWIS
academic 3.3
Output sub-basins, major rivers
and tributaries, flow
accumulation, flow direction,
flow length, slope
Derivation of
parameters of each
sub-basin
Manual entry of
rainfall data
Control specifications
Field survey data: river
cross-sections and other
geomorphologic data, and
interview data
Figure 4.
Model development
scheme. The SRTM DEM
was processed using
ILWIS 3.3 where the
indicated outputs were
derived and manual entry
of the rainfall data was
done. After the control
specifications were set, the
hydrologic model was run.
The river cross-sections
derived from field works
and elevation data, as well
as the output hydrographs
from the hydrologic model
were then used for the
hydraulic model in
HEC-RAS. Finally, the
plan views and cross-
section of flood extent
derived from the hydraulic
model were overlayed on
the river to produce the
flood inundation maps.
Calibration and validation
in all the models were
also done
92
DPM
21,1
(14.7 mm/hr) during the rainfall’s first three hours. The channel model also predicts
that flooding will start in the southern towns of Bula and Milaor along the Bicol River.
Maximum flood in Bula were recorded to have reached 0.3-1.0 meters, confirming the
model’s prediction.
From the simulated models and the updates of rainfall record from text messages,
the TPC was able to issue three-hourly advisories. A total of 16 advisories were issued
during the most critical hours of the typhoon, which is on May 1-3. The first advisory
was issued on May 1, at 05:00 hours. At 1,200 hours, the third advisory had included
Legend
Legend
1
3
4
5
2
Legend
Legend
Central BRB
Bicol River
Pawili River
Tributaries
Sub-basins
1
16,632
33,264
49,895
66,526
N
NE
E
SE
E
SW
W
N
0 5 10 km
N
0 5 10 km
N
0510km
N
0510km
NW
(a)
(c)
(b)
(d)
Notes: (a) flow direction map; (b) flow accumulation map; (c) river network map;
(d) merged sub-catchment map
Figure 5.
The DEM hydro-
processing derived maps
Minimum Maximum
Physiographic parameters
Sub-basin area (km
2
) 1.2 25.6
Mean slope of the river reach (m/m) 0.002 0.05
Loss rate
Initial loss (mm) 0.36 1.2
Moisture deficit 0.38 0.5
Suction (mm) 41.95 290.2
Conductivity (mm/hour) 0.30 60.8
Impervious (percent) 0 15
Transform
Time of concentration (hour) 0.1 5
Storage coefficient (hour) 0.3 2.3
Tabl e I.
Estimated parameters
obtained from
geomorphological method
93
Community-
based flood early
warning
flooding to be imminent in Bula and Milaor. People therefore were advised to stay alert
and be ready for evacuation if necessary. At 1,500 hours, flooding have occurred
parallel to what the model have predicted. Advisory at this hour was issued with an
emphasis that flooding will continue in these areas. The flood alert level was sustained
until advisory 11, issued on May 2, at 1,500 hours. With the help of the advisories
issued, people were able to prepare for the imminent flooding in the study area.
4. Conclusions
Combining geomorphological methods with basin and channel modeling proved to be
an efficient way to establish an early warning system as far as technical requirements
are concerned. The use of public access software and DEM has maximized the utility of
these available resources for flood inundation modeling in central BRB. The use of
SRTM DEM for regional geomorphological analysis is optimized when integrated with
basin and channel models. This integration consequently enables a more accurate
delineation of flood extents particularly during typhoon events. The models also
produced reliable results as validated by the actual data. This study also confirms the
sufficiency of on-line sources for developing flood models. The methods of this study
can be easily transferable to develop regional flood studies and alert system for hazard
mitigation to other places in the country.
The inclusion of the communities as part of the early warning system itself was
highly successful. While the same rainfall data could have been gathered using
automated weather stations, manually gathered information can be just as accurate as
long as proper instruments and training are provided. The communities’ sense of
ownership of the system also had an impact on their level of understanding of flooding.
This methodology is also promising as it is relatively low cost and relies highly on
volunteerism.
Legend
km
N
Mt Isarog
01234
Ragay Hills
Bicol River
HEC-RAS model
Dartmouth satellite data
Figure 6.
Comparison of modeled
flood extent with the
Dartmouth satellite image
acquired for December 4,
2006
94
DPM
21,1
References
Alho, P., Roberts, M.J. and Kayhko, J. (2007), “Estimating the inundation area of a massive, hypothetical
Jokulhlaup from Northwest Vatnajokull, Iceland”, Natural Hazards, Vol. 41, pp. 21-42.
Bates, P.D. and De Roo, A.P.J. (2000), “A simple raster-based model for flood inundation
simulation”, Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 236, pp. 54-77.
Castrogiovanni, E.M., La Loggia, G. and Noto, L.V. (2005), “Design storm prediction and
hydrologic modeling using a web-GIS approach on a free-software platform”, Atmospheric
Research, Vol. 77, pp. 367-77.
Chow, V.T., Maidment, D.R. and Mays, L.W. (1988), Applied Hydrology, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY.
Chubey, M.S. and Hathout, S. (2004), “Integration of RADARSAT and GIS modeling for
estimating Red River flood risk”, GeoJournal, Vol. 59, pp. 237-46.
Coroza, O., Evans, D. and Bishop, I. (1997), “Enhancing runoff modeling with GIS”, Landscape
and Urban Planning, Vol. 38, pp. 13-23.
Correla, F.N., Rego, F.C., Saraiva, M. and Ramos, I. (1998), “Coupling GIS with hydrologic and
hydraulic flood modelling”, Water Resources Management, Vol. 12, pp. 229-49.
Demirkesen, A.C., Evrendilek, F., Berberoglu, S. and Kilic, S. (2007), “Coastal flood risk analysis
using landsat-7 ETM þImagery and SRTM DEM: a case study of Izmir, Turkey”,
Environmental Monitoring Assessment, Vol. 131, pp. 293-300.
HEC (2008a), Hydrologic Modeling System: Technical Reference Manual, US Army Corps of
Engineers Hydrologic Engineering Center, Davis, CA.
HEC (2008b), River Analysis System: Technical Reference Manual, US Army Corps of Engineers
Hydrologic Engineering Center, Davis, CA.
Horritt, M.S. and Bates, P.D. (2002), “Evaluation of 1D and 2D numerical models for predicting
river flood inundation”, Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 268, pp. 87-9.
Jasrotia, A.S. and Singh, R. (2006), “Modeling runoff and soil erosion in a catchment area, using
the GIS, in the Himalayan region, India”, Environmental Geology, Vol. 51, pp. 29-37.
Knebl, M.R., Yang, Z.-L., Hutchison, K. and Maidment, D.R. (2005), “Regional scale flood
modeling using NEXRAD rainfall, GIS, and HEC-HMS/RAS: a case study for the San
Antonio River Basin Summer 2002 storm event”, Journal of Environmental Management,
Vol. 75, pp. 325-36.
Lastra, J., Fernandez, E., Diez-Herrero, A. and Marqueinez, J. (2008), “Flood hazard delineation
combining geomorphological and hydrological methods: an example in the Northern
Iberian Peninsula”, Natural Hazards, Vol. 45, pp. 277-93.
Lee, K.T., Hung, W.C. and Meng, C.C. (2008), “Deterministic insight into ANN model performance
for storm runoff simulation”, Water Resource Management, Vol. 22, pp. 67-82. DOI 10.1007/
s11269-006-9144-x.
Liu, Y.B. and De Smedt, F. (2005), “Flood modeling for complex terrain using GIS and remote
sensed information”, Water Resources Management, Vol. 19, pp. 605-24.
Liu, Y.B., De Smedt, F., Hoffman, L. and Pfister, L. (2004), “Assessing land use impacts on flood
processes in complex terrain by using GIS and modeling approach”, Environmental
Modeling and Assessment, Vol. 9, pp. 227-35.
Ludwig, R. and Schneider, P. (2006), “Validation of digital elevation models from SRTM X-SAR
for applications in hydrologic modeling”, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry & Remote
Sensing, Vol. 6, pp. 339-58.
Machado, S.M. and Sajad, A. (2007), “Flood hazard assessment of Atrato River in Colombia”,
Water Resources Management, Vol. 21, pp. 591-609.
National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) (2004), “‘Typhoon Durian Update’ Pacific
disaster management information network”, available at: www.coe-dmha.org/Durian/
Dur120406.htm (accessed June 25, 2009).
95
Community-
based flood early
warning
Pappenberger, F., Beven, K., Frodsham, K., Romanowicz, R. and Matgen, P. (2007), “Grasping the
unavoidable subjectivity in calibration of flood inundation models: a vulnerability
weighted approach”, Journal of Hydrology, Vol. 333, pp. 275-87.
Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA)
(2007), “The Bicol River Basin”, available at: www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/ffb/pabc.htm
(accessed November 23, 2007).
Pramanik, N., Panda, R.K. and Sen, D. (2009), “One dimensional hydrodynamic modeling of
river flow using DEM extracted river cross-sections”, Water Resources Management,
DOI 10.1007/s11269-009-9474-6.
Sanders, B.F. (2007), “Evaluation of on-line DEMs for flood inundation modeling”, Advances in
Water Resources, Vol. 30, pp. 1831-43.
Schumann, G., Matgen, P., Cutler, M.E.J., Black, A., Hoffmann, L. and Pfister, L. (2008),
“Comparison of remotely sensed water stages from LiDAR, topographic contours and
SRTM”, ISPRS Journal of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Vol. 63, pp. 283-96.
Shahrokhnia, M.A. and Javan, M. (2005), “Performance assessment of Dorrodzan irrigation
network by steady state hydraulic modeling”, Irrigation and Drainage Systems, Vol. 19,
pp. 189-206.
Further reading
Aurelio, M.A. and Pena, R.E. (2002), “Geology and mineral resources of the Philippines”, Department
of Environment and Natural Resources, Mines and Geosciences Bureau, Vol. 1 p. 1-43.
Brakenridge, G.R., De Groeve, T., Nghiem, S.V. and Hiser, R. (2009), “Current flooding display,
Dartmouth flood observatory”, available at: www.dartmouth.edu/Bfloods/ (accessed June
25, 2009).
Ko
¨mu
¨s¸cu, A.U
¨., Erkan, A. and C¸elik, S. (1998), “Analysis of Meteorological and Terrain Features
Leading to the Izmir Flash Flood, 3-4 November 1995”, Natural Hazards, Vol. 18, pp. 1-25.
About the authors
Catherine C. Abon has been a Teaching Instructor/Instructor at the National Institute of
Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, Diliman, since 2006, and is also studying for
an MS in Geology at the same institution. She also completed her BS in Geology at the National
Institute of Geological Sciences, in 2006. Catherine C. Abon is the corresponding author and can
be contacted at: catherineabon@gmail.com
Carlos Primo C. David has a PhD in Environmental Science and Geology from Stanford
University (1997-2003), and obtained his MS and BS in Geology from the National Institute of
Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, Diliman. He is currently an Associate
Professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences, and previously worked as a
hydrologist for the US Geological Survey, and as a Teaching Associate/Instructor at the National
Institute of Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, Diliman.
Guillermo Q. Tabios III has a PhD in Environmental Science and Geology from Stanford
University (1997-2003), and obtained his MS and BS in Geology from the National Institute of
Geological Sciences, University of the Philippines, Diliman. He held an Associate Professor
position in the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of the Philippines, Diliman
(1995-2008) and was the Director of the National Hydraulic Research Center, University of the
Philippines, Diliman (2006-2009). He is currently a Professor at the Department of Civil
Engineering, University of the Philippines, Diliman.
To purchase reprints of this article please e-mail: reprints@emeraldinsight.com
Or visit our web site for further details: www.emeraldinsight.com/reprints
96
DPM
21,1
... Alternatively, participants had a more active role in carrying out monitoring themselves. For example, Abon et al. (2012) describe how volunteers monitored rainfall using rain gauges. In some cases, participants monitored and also produced the warning (Junnaedhi et al., 2017;Smith et al., 2017), where in others an authority played a role. ...
... Participants were rarely solely responsible for the EWS. The other actors included: the government (Mulyasari and Shaw, 2013;Arias et al., 2016;Ghazali et al., 2018) or specific government department, such as a disaster agency or similar (Hori and Shaw, 2012;da Cunha Luz Barcellos et al., 2017); meteorological office (Espinueva and Nilo, 2011;Henriksen et al., 2018), NGOs (Smith et al., 2017;Sari and Prayoga, 2018) and research bodies or universities (Valdivia et al., 2010;Abon et al., 2012;Marchezini et al., 2017;Thapa and Adhikari, 2019). These actors were often responsible for initiating the participatory EWS, such as by providing equipment and recruiting volunteers. ...
... Other identified issues surround the suitability of participatory monitoring. Abon et al. (2012) note that volunteer observers were concerned that time-consuming monitoring activities may interfere with their daily lives. Further, Smith et al. (2017) note that manual monitoring may not be possible, or may be dangerous under severe conditions or during the night, for example. ...
Article
This paper seeks to improve the conceptual understanding of the process of participation in early warning systems (EWS) through a review of participatory EWS examples in the academic literature. Specifically, the paper asks: who is involved, what responsibilities do participants hold, what activities are they involved in, and what are the associated successes, issues and outcomes? Thirty cases of participation in EWS documented in the academic literature were identified through online searches. Existing concepts in participation (power and responsibility, communication) and people-centred early warning (risk knowledge, monitoring and warning, communication and dissemination and response capability) were used to examine each paper. Participation was found to take place through a range of activities across all elements of the EWS. Participation also varied in breadth of inclusion, ranging from the general public to selected volunteers. The majority of cases received support and facilitation from other actors, such as government and NGOs, but the extent of power and responsibility held by participants varied greatly within this. Common successes and issues associated with participatory EWS and the potential outcomes are presented, and the opportunities, challenges and gaps in knowledge are discussed. This paper links participation and EWS literature to form a clearer conceptualisation of participation in EWS in support of future research in the field. It provides unique insights into who participates, their roles and relations with other actors, and the outcomes of participation.
... Where multiple hazards are included, they are typically multiple single hazards (Aguirre-Ayerbe et al. 2020; Khan, Gupta and Gupta 2020) rather than interacting hazards (Tilloy et al. 2019). A great deal of work has been done on community-based EWS (CBEWS) for single hazards (Fakhruddin, Kawasaki and Babel 2015;Gautam and Phaiju 2013;Macherera and Chimbari 2016)though the meaning of 'community-based' varies from community operated (e.g Abon et al. 2012) to 'in a community' but techno-scientific (e.g., Thapa and Adhikari 2019). There are also some concerns about the potential for such systems to enable governments to shirk their responsibility to citizens (Gladfelter 2018): while the existence of warnings is positive, putting the onus on citizens can also undermine the social contracts of governments. ...
Article
This Progress Report reviews the geographical literature concerning environmental hazards and risk focussing particularly on areas that require and enhance interdisciplinary working between human and physical geographers. Although there are still substantial gaps between disciplinary siloes, there is a growing recognition that critical interdisciplinary work is vital. Key areas include early warning, urban planning, hazard and risk mapping, scientific advisory processes, risk communication and institutional geographies. We review some of this work, examine emerging theory and consider the opportunities for greater knowledge exchange between disciplines using critical physical geography and cognate approaches.
... Early flood warning systems and the broadcast system will not prevent flooding but information from an incoming flooding disaster that can save lives. Information from the data can be used for disaster mitigation and disaster preparedness of the area because it provides early flood monitoring and warning services [1]. ...
... One of the challenges in early warning systems therefore is implementing and sustaining it. The idea of incorporating the active involvement of the people in the community with an early warning system aims to increase the effectiveness of such systems [3]. Apparently, local researchers could assist the agency in monitoring flood levels by providing flood monitoring systems in the local scenario immediately alerting those who will be affected. ...
Article
Full-text available
Current flood monitoring device uses ultrasonic ranging sensors to detect water level. Oftentimes, false reading is encountered due to stacked debris. Also, these designs are prone to tampering because these sensors are exposed outside. The main focus of study is to provide real-time information to flood prone area. The designed prototype will ensure the elimination of false reading due to the path blocking of the washout debris under the ultrasonic ranging sensor and to ensure the device is tampered proof. This will help local government units to immediately respond in times of flood disaster. The system is capable of measuring the water level using infrared light enclosed in a cylindrical tube with reflective buoy. The system used satellite to sense its location and transmit data using cellular communication. Flood information is collected thru a database server and displays the status using web application. This will also determine the ingress protection, accuracy and thermal performance of the system. The test results shows the accuracy of eliminating false reading was 99.36% given the different mean size of debris. Also, the device has passed the IP69 standard using ISO 20653 test procedure to determine the degree of ingress protection of electronic enclosures. Furthermore, the device casing was able to dissipate the heat inside and the maximum temperature was 36 degrees as shown by the thermal simulation.
... This system in Taiwan characteristically creates cooperation between communities and government officers and encourages public participation in disaster risk information through rain gauges. Such a community-based rain gauge system has spread in various countries (Oi et al. 2016;Smith et al. 2017;Gautam et al. 2013;Catherine et al. 2012). ...
Article
A disaster response switch is a tool for incorporating public participation into disaster risk information and response and is considered by communities themselves in determining the timing of disaster response actions through the combination of local information in the community and public information from local government and professional organizations. In this study, a trial on disaster response switch for landslide risk was conducted in the Taisho District, Shimanto-cho, Kochi, Japan, and a method for implementing the switch as well as the effects of this public participation was verified. The results showed that the communities highly considered switches based mostly on local information. In addition, they improved their understanding of the relationships between subjective local information and objective public disaster risk information through bosai (disaster prevention) recording, where communities take pictures of places around the disaster response switches as community records. This trial showed the importance of taking into consideration communities’ participation when they evacuate. The public participation of the disaster response switch moved the focus of risk information from the contents or accuracy of the information to the social system of evacuation action in the community, based on the acceptance of uncertainty in the information.
Chapter
Full-text available
This paper examines the idea of Multi-Hazard Early Warning System (MH-EWS) from the perspective of its historical evolution, current relevance, feasibility, and challenges. It is argued that the contemporary efforts towards operationalization of such a system require a focus beyond hydro-meteorological hazards and overcoming considerable coordination challenges at various levels. Taking the case of India, this analysis shows that the existing mechanism favors hazard-specific warning and within that framework there exists scope for only limited scale of integration among different EWS components. However the recent initiatives aimed at development of people centered EWS and institutional deliberations for the multi-hazard platforms are ideal conditions to develop an effective disaster risk based EWS. Realization of this goal requires sustained political and institutional commitment, appropriate changes in policies and procedures and importantly participation of citizens and the promotion of inclusiveness as a key feature.KeywordsMulti-hazard EWSIndiaEarly warningHydro-meteorological hazardDisaster management
Article
Full-text available
Along the inclining events of flooding events, maintenance towards water infrastructure such as urban small dam is needed. The maintenance needs interdisciplinary approach involving hydrology, hydraulics, water quality, and sediment factors. Due to lack of studies in those fields, the study aims to construct a model by using RESOURCE MODELLING ASSOCIATES program to study behaviours of hydraulics and water quality as small dam management. Numerical modelling, hydrology analysis, hydraulics assessment, water quality tests, and field works are employed in this study, with Agathis small dam as a case. The model could run successfully which the result concludes that the model produces reasonable result with acceptable errors and value of R2. A scenario of constructed wetland is proposed and has good accuracy for future maintenance for hydrology, hydraulics, and environmental management. In addition, the models also could be applied to other problem such as an agricultural field also. In the near future, studies about hydrodynamics and water quality modelling especially sediment on small dams need to be more explored because few studies still have limited information meanwhile they have essential impact towards urban water management.
Article
The unexpectedly outbreak of COVID-19 in early 2020, as a public emergency, has impacted the way of human behavior deeply and widely in today's society, including the countermeasures of typhoon-related disaster risk reduction and preparedness in the Members of Typhoon Committee (TC). This paper briefed the impacts due to COVID-19 pandemic on activities of the Committee in 2020; introduced the countermeasures took in National Hydrological and Meteorological Services (NHMS) of TC Members during typhoon season in 2020 for coping with the Crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic; summarized the innovative strategies and countermeasures for dealing with the crisis of special or emergency public situation for typhoon-related disaster risk prevention, preparedness and reduction in future based on the review and analysis of the experiences from Members and international/regional agencies, and the outcomes from TC Integrated Workshop and Annual Session, including strengthening meteorological and hydrological Services and value of preparedness; enhancing multi-sectoral coordination mechanisms; promoting the mobile-based data transmission and information dissemination; and increasing installation of home-based hydro-meteorological monitoring stations. The paper also discussed the impact-based forecasting and the application of big-data and AI technology in typhoon-related disaster risk reduction as two new key areas to be taken into consideration in TC updating Strategic Plan 2022-2026.
Article
Full-text available
Restoration of sub-watershed needs a comprehensive point of views because the climate change factors could affect any environment aspects inside it. The paper investigates the Belik River sub-watershed in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The research aims to analyze the characteristics of the river in the study area and to assess its vulnerability level. The observation employs HEC-RAS supporting tool to simulate 1-D frames of the river to visualize the characteristics of the river. Then, the vulnerability level is evaluated by field survey to conclude the restoration strategy in the sub-watershed. There are two findings in this research: first, the river has a high level of vulnerability to the water-related disaster and second, the sub-watershed is classified as high-risk level of the endangered environment. Hence, the proposed restoration strategy is compulsorily needed to mitigate and to rehabilitate the sub-watershed. To conclude, the Belik River sub-watershed could be categorized as a red zone of high-risk level towards environmental vulnerability to flooding, contaminants, aquatic habitat, and social prosperity.
Article
Full-text available
Flood mapping requires the combination and integration of geomorphological and hydrological-hydraulic methods; however, despite this, there is very little scientific literature that compares and validates both methods. Two types of analysis are addressed in the present article. On the one hand, maps of flood plains have been elaborated using geomorphological evidence and historical flood data in the mountainous area of northwestern Spain, covering an area of more then 232km2 of floodplains. On the other hand, a hydrometeorological model has been developed (Clark semidistributed unit hydrograph) in the Sarria River basin (155km2, NW Spain). This basin is not gauged, hence the model was subjected to a goodness-of-fit test of its parameter (curve number) by means of Monte Carlo simulation. The peak flows obtained by means of the hydrological model were used for hydraulic modeling (one-phase, one-dimensional and steady flow) in a 4 km2 urban stretch of the river bed. The delineation of surface areas affected by floods since 1918, as well as those analyzed subsequent to the geomorphological study, reveals a high degree of reliability in the delineation of the flooded areas with frequent recurrence intervals (<50years). If we compare these flooded surface areas with the estimate obtained by the hydrological-hydraulic method we can see that the latter method overestimates the extent of the surface water by 144% for very frequent recurrence intervals (>10years) and underestimates it as the recurrence interval increases, by up to 80% less floodplain for exceptional events (>500years). Finally, a management map is put forth combining the most reliable results available by integrating both methods.
Article
Full-text available
A new geomatics-based approach for flood prediction was developed and used to model the magnitude and spatial extent of a future Red River flood in southern Manitoba. This approach combines the statistical modelling capabilities of Markov (non-spatial) analysis and logistic regression (spatial) within a geographic information system (GIS) environment, utilizing modelling inputs derived from remotely sensed RADARSAT imagery and other digital geographic data. The 1997 Red River flood was the second largest in recorded history, and the largest for which accurate data are available. The results indicate: (i) a flood “one time interval-in terms of 3 days time unit measurement- larger in area” than the 1997 flood is expected to affect 17.6% more land (an additional 47.6 km2) within the study area compared to 1997 levels based on Markovian probability derived from observations from the 1997 event; and (ii) the majority of this excess flooding will take place on agricultural land; no additional communities are expected to be at risk. Quantitative assessment verified the capability of this modelling approach for producing statistically significant results. The methodology used in this research would be easily transferable to other areas, and may provide the basis for a viable alternative to conventional hydrologic-based flood prediction approaches
Article
Full-text available
River cross-sections are the prime input to any river hydraulic model for simulation of water level and discharge. Field measurements of river cross-sections are labour intensive and expensive activities. Availability of measured river cross-sections is scanty in most of the developing countries, thereby making it difficult to simulate the water level and discharge using hydraulic models. A methodology for extracting river cross-sections from Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission digital elevation model (SRTM DEM) of 3-arc second has been proposed in the reported study. The extracted river cross-sections were used to simulate the magnitude of flood in the deltaic reaches of Brahmani river basin located in the eastern India. Forty cross-sections along the reaches of the rivers were extracted from the DEM and were used in the MIKE 11 hydrodynamic (MIKE 11HD) model. Prior to using the DEM-extracted river cross-sections in the model, the cross-sections were modified based on the results of the DEM error analysis. Four available measured river cross-sections were compared with the DEM-extracted modified cross-sections to examine their geometric and hydraulic similarity. By changing Manning’s roughness coefficient (n), same stage-discharge relationship could be obtained in both types of cross-sections. Subsequently, the DEM-extracted cross-sections were used in the MIKE 11HD model for the simulation of discharge and water levels at various sections of the rivers. The model was calibrated for the period of June 15–October 31 of the year 1999 and validated for the year 2003. The model validation results showed a close agreement between the simulated and observed stage hydrographs. The calibrated values of Manning’s n were found to vary within the range of 0.02 to 0.033. The study revealed that freely available SRTM DEM-extracted river cross-sections could be used in hydraulic models to simulate stage and discharge hydrographs with considerable accuracy under the scarcity of measured cross-section data. KeywordsHydrodynamicmodel-SRTMDEM-MIKE11-Hydraulicparameters
Article
Full-text available
A distributed hydrologic modeling and GIS approach is applied for the assessment of land use impact in the Steinsel sub-basin, Alzette, Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg. The assessment focuses on the runoff contributions from different land use classes and the potential impact of land use changes on runoff generation. The results show that the direct runoff from urban areas is dominant for a flood event compared with runoff from other land use areas in this catchment, and tends to increase for small floods and for the dry season floods, whereas the interflow from forested, pasture and agricultural field areas contributes to the recession flow. Significant variations in flood volume, peak discharge, time to the peak, etc., are found from the model simulation based on the three hypothetical land use change scenarios.
Article
Full-text available
Flash floods associated with heavy precipitation has become a hazardous phenomenon along the Mediterranean coasts of Turkey in recent years. During 3 and 4 November 1995 heavy and intense rainstorm activity over the Aegean coast led to flash flooding in the city of İzmir. Damage exceeded $50 million and 61 people died as a result of the flood. The Karşıyaka district suffered the most severe damage. This study presents an analysis of the meteorological settings that led to the development of these intense storms and describes the role of the terrain features involved in the İzmir flood. The important mesoscale features which initiated the severe weather outbreak included pronounced low-level advection, positive vorticity and strong upper level divergence. A surface low centered over the Aegean Sea enhanced the advection of warm and moist unstable air masses coming from the southwest over the Mediterranean Sea along a southwesterly low level jet (LLJ). A squall line oriented NE-SW over the Aegean Sea also contributed to the storm development, and intensity of the storms was further enhanced by the orographic effect. The presence of a frontal system, the stability indices associated with the event, and other meteorological features are all reminiscent of the synoptic type flash floods identified by Maddox. While the pressure and moisture patterns were favorable for severe storm activity, nonmeteorological factors including the topography, geomporphology, and and land-use contributed to the flooding to a great extent. Settling in the flood-prone zone, insufficient floodwater structures, and the lack of channel improvements in the creeks enhanced flood damage to the city. Many of the deaths occurred in the settlements located in the flood-prone zone of the Ilıca and Dallık creeks.
Article
A geospatial sensor web can be seen as a complex observation system consisting of distributed nodes with different functions and web-based access interfaces. Because of its heterogeneous characteristic, the precise discovery and efficient allocation of available nodes have become key problems in the field of sensor web resource integrated management. Considering the management requirements of a flood monitoring system, we propose a sensor web heterogeneous node meta-model and discuss the development of five basic metadata components, the design of a nine-tuple node information description structure. A prototype system GeosensorNodeManager is implemented to provide the functions of modeling, querying, and visualizing node resources. For the application scenario of flood monitoring, the flood forecasting task is selected as an example to test the versatility of the proposed node meta-model and the applicability of the formal expression based on the nine-tuple metadata framework. Results show that the proposed meta-model can be used in the modeling of three different types of sensor web nodes with the extension mechanism. By querying and visualizing the sensor web node instances in the Yangtze River basin, the node meta-model provides an effective way for the resource management of a flood monitoring sensor web system. Compared with the typical flood monitoring platform “Sentinel Asia,” the proposed meta-model can offer a succinct description of the system and lay the component model foundation for architecture design.
Article
The aim of this work has been to implement a set of procedures useful to automatise the evaluation, the design storm prediction and the flood discharge associated with a selected risk level. For this purpose a Geographic Information System has been implemented using Grass 5.0.One of the main topics of such a system is a georeferenced database of the highest intensity rainfalls and their assigned duration recorded in Sicily. This database contains the main characteristics for more than 250 raingauges, as well as the values of intense rainfall events recorded by these raingauges. These data are managed through the combined use of the PostgreSQL and GRASS-GIS 5.0 databases. Some of the best-known probability distributions have been implemented within the Geographical Information System in order to determine the point and/or areal rain values once duration and return period have been defined. The system also includes a hydrological module necessary to compute the probable flow, for a selected risk level, at points chosen by the user.A peculiarity of the system is the possibility to querying the model using a web-interface. The assumption is that the rising needs of geographic information, and dealing with the rising importance of peoples participation in the decision process, requires new forms for the diffusion of territorial data. Furthermore, technicians as well as public administrators needs to get customized and specialist data to support planning, particularly in emergencies. In this perspective a Web-interface has been developed for the hydrologic system. The aim is to allow remote users to access a centralized database and processing-power to serve the needs of knowledge without complex hardware/software infrastructures.
Article
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have been recognised as a powerful means to integrate and analyse data from various sources in the context of comprehensive floodplain management. As part of this comprehensive approach to floodplain management, it is very important to be able to predict the consequences of different scenarios in terms of flooded areas and associated risk. Hydrologic and hydraulic modelling plays a crucial role and there is much to gain in incorporating these modelling capabilities in GIS. This is still a rather complex task and research is being done on the full integration of these models. Interfacing between these models and GIS may be a very efficient way of overcoming the difficulties and getting very good results in terms of engineering practice. This paper presents results based on the use of Intergraph GIS coupled with Idrisi GIS. Using these two systems substantially increased the flexibility of using GIS as a tool for flood studies. A lumped (XSRAIN) and a distributed (OMEGA) hydrologic models were used to simulate flood hydrographs. The well known HEC-2 Hydraulic model was used to compute flooded areas. These models were applied in the Livramento catchment with very good results. The computation of flooded areas for different flood scenarios, and its representation in GIS, can be used in the assessment of affected property and associated damages. This is a very useful GIS-based approach to floodplain management.
Article
There is a need for improvement in the operation and management of many irrigation and drainage systems worldwide. Computer models are used widely for better management. One of such models is HEC-RAS that was applied to Ordibehesht Canal at the Doroodzan irrigation network, northwest of Fars province in the southern Iran. The model was calibrated and validated for two irrigation seasons during 2001 and 2002. The present gate opening rules used to control the offtakes were simulated by the model and the discharge reductions were evaluated. Discharge reduction of offtakes due to discharge reductions at system source were evaluated by the model. Results show that the present rule is not appropriate for the present system. Fluctuations of discharge at the beginning of canal show considerable and nonuniform changes in discharge of offtakes along the Ordibehesht Canal. The head offtakes show more reductions in the water delivered than middle and tail offtakes. A new sensitivity indicator was defined and used to show the response of offtakes due to discharge changes at system source. The study also shows that HEC-RAS model can be used successfully for a large and complex irrigation system for evaluation of its performance in the absence of observed flow data and improvement of irrigation management plans.
Article
The flood hazard caused by Atrato River in Quibdó, northwest of Colombia is assessed using statistical modeling techniques (Gumbel and GRADEX), hydraulic modeling with HEC-RAS and the Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Three flood hazard maps for return periods of 10, 20 and 50 years are generated. The flood hazard modeling reveals that the flooded zone is more significant out of the left (West) bank than out of the right (East) bank of Atrato River. For the three return periods the maximum depth of water reached by the river and extent of flooding are estimated. Sensitivity analysis on roughness coefficient and peak discharge is performed. For 50 year return period (Q =3054 m3/s), water depth on the left and right bank of Atrato River is 3.7 m and 3.1 m, respectively. This information is useful in defining the minimum height of flood protection structures such as dikes to protect the area from flooding. The results can be useful for evacuation planning, estimation of damages and post flood recovery efforts.