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A Comparison of ERS‐1 Satellite Radar and Aerial Photography for River Flood Mapping
Author(s) -
Biggin D. S
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
water and environment journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.437
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 1747-6593
pISSN - 1747-6585
DOI - 10.1111/j.1747-6593.1996.tb00009.x
Subject(s) - remote sensing , flood myth , environmental science , flooding (psychology) , synthetic aperture radar , satellite , radar , meteorology , storm , cloud cover , aerial photography , cloud computing , geology , geography , computer science , telecommunications , engineering , psychology , archaeology , aerospace engineering , psychotherapist , operating system
The extent of floodwater inundation, whether caused by river flooding or coastal storm surges, is required quickly (a) to enable the planning of emergency relief and repairs to communications and services, and (b) for the production of river flood risk maps. Unfortunately, by their nature, most floods occur in bad weather, which can severely restrict the use of aircraft, and extensive cloud cover precludes the use of most earth observing satellites which rely on sensors operating at optical wavelengths. Synthetic aperture radar, which can penetrate clouds, allows affected areas to be imaged, regardless of cloud cover or light conditions. This paper compares satellite acquired data of river flooding with photographic records obtained from a light aircraft to demonstrate the accuracy of the technique.