| Satellite images and airborne SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) imagery are increasingly
widespread and they are effective tools for measuring the size of flood events and for
assessment of damage. The Hurricane Katrina disaster and the tsunami catastrophe in Indian
Ocean countries are two recent and sadly famous examples. Moreover, as well
known, the inundation maps can be used as tools to calibrate and validate hydraulic
model (e.g. Horritt et al., Hydrological Processes, 2007). We carry out an application
of a 1D hydraulic model coupled with a high resolution DTM for predicting the
flood inundation processes. The study area is a 16 km reach of the River Severn, in
west-central England, for which, four maps of inundated areas, obtained through airborne
SAR images, and hydrometric data are available. The inundation maps are used for
the calibration/validation of a 1D hydraulic model through a comparison between
airborne SAR images and the results of hydraulic simulations. The results confirm the
usefulness of inundation maps as hydraulic modelling tools and, moreover, show that 1D
hydraulic model can be effectively used when coupled with high resolution topographic
information. |