Infoterra and Geomer Provide

Flood Information Online

Damage potentials and indication of dangers derived from satellite imagery and historical maps. The major cross-border river areas already completely captured. Key aim of FloodServer is a more efficient flood management across Europe.

By Mareike Doepke and Stefan Jäger

Application Example from the FloodServer. Flood extent at Rivers Aller and Weser (Germany), April 1994: The system enables the user to select different information layers such as land use or road networks, and to search for specific place names.

The FloodServer, a novel platform designed to provide extensive flood risk information for the whole of Europe quickly, reliably and easily accessible for everybody is now available online at www.floodrisk.eu. The geo-information service providers Infoterra and Geomer present detailed maps and information about past and potential future flood events at the rivers Rhine, Elbe and lower Weser.

“Detailed information on the extend and impact of past flood events supports the responsible authorities and teams,” explains Marek Tinz, responsible project manager at Infoterra. “While it can of course not prevent an actual flood event, the FloodServer significantly supports the efforts to reduce the impact of future events.”

Not only satellite-based maps of recent flood events are used: For example, historical maps of the river Rhine flood in the winter 1881/82 are available. “The more information we can gather, the more precisely we can define potential flooded areas”, explains Tinz further. A combination of this data with up-to-date land use maps allows the identification of areas particularly at risk, as well as the damage potentials involved. Based on these maps, authorities in charge can implement targeted and efficient preventive measures.

Historical and potential flood areas, information on potential damage as well as up-to-date land use maps - all this can be acces­sed easily through an info button on www.floodrisk.eu. Additionally, the information system allows the user to access particular locations through a comfortable search function and to print high-resolution maps.

Mapping of Flood Events. Flood extent at Rivers Aller and Weser (Germany), April 1994: Information on flood extent along with land use information supports flood risk management in this particular flood event and for the future

Future Users

“We have developed this platform in close cooperation with the future users,” reports Dr. André Assmann, responsible member of the General Management at geomer GmbH, “thus we can be sure, that the FloodServer will really make a considerable contribution to an improved anticipation of flood events, the initiation of systematic protection measures, an efficient preparation, a targeted reaction in case of crisis and, last but not least, to an optimal implementation of subsequent restoration works.”

In addition to the two geo-information providers user organisations such as the International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) as well as the transnational Interreg III B Project ELLA (ELbe and LAbe) dealing with risk prevention in the Elbe catchments, have supported the definition of the information layers implemented on the FloodServer today. The novel approach of developing up-to-date geo-information services in close cooperation with the user organizations is a key aspect of the European Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) initiative. Within this program, the European Commission (EC) and the European Space Agency (ESA) work together to establish a long-term operational European Earth observation program. GMES is intended to provide authorities and administrations in Europe with environment and security related information. The FloodServer was developed within the GMES projects RISK-EOS and Preview, which addresses the development and validation of GMES applications in the field of risk management.

The use of the FloodServer, which is jointly operated by Infoterra and Geomer is free

of charge. Organisations and authorities interested in making flood risk maps and existing additional information accessible for their own responsibilities, can also utilize the platform. Minor charges may apply for individual editing and integration of data.

Mareike Doepke  (mareike.doepke@infoterra-global.com) and Dr. Stefan Jäger (sj@geomer.de). More information on this subject: www.floodrisk.eu, www.infoterra.de, and www.geomer.de .