If you've ever been a victim of flooding after a serious storm or horrified watching video of people, homes and property being swept away, you'll be pleased to learn that the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has developed a new computer tool known as the Global Flood Monitoring System (GFMS), which maps flood conditions worldwide. Users anywhere in the world can access the system online to determine when flood waters might impact their communities.

"On our global interactive map, you can zoom into a location of interest to see whether the water is at flood stage, receding, or rising," explains the University of Maryland's Robert Adler, who developed the system with colleague Huan Wu. "You can also look around to see whether there is a rain event upstream, whether the rain is over, and how the water is moving downstream."

GFMS works 24/7, even when there is cloud cover or other interference. "At times, our system might be the only way people can get information," says Adler.

How GFMS works

GFMS relies on precipitation data from NASA's Earth observing satellites. Originally, the system relied on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite; however, earlier this year, GFMS transitioned to the new Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite. Rainfall data from GPM is combined with a land surface model that incorporates vegetation cover, soil type, and terrain to determine how much water is soaking in—and how much is feeding the streamflow.

Users can view statistics for rainfall, streamflow, water depth, and flooding every three hours at each 12 km gridpoint on a global map. Forecasts for these parameters go out to five days. For a close-up view, users also can zoom in to see inundation maps (areas estimated to be covered with water) as fine as one km resolution.

Organizations like the Red Cross and the U.N. World Food Program are already using GFMS before, during and after floods when ground information is lacking—which is often the case. "They use it to figure out when and where a flood has occurred and to estimate how big it is. They use that information in tandem with population maps to target relief efforts," Adler says.

Major improvements planned

Adler is already looking forward to major improvements to the system, courtesy of the new GPM satellite. "Advances by GPM will allow us to estimate floods and landslides across the globe more accurately. Also, GPM's global coverage, as compared to TRMM's tropical latitude focus, will allow more accurate [forecasts] at middle and high latitudes."

Adler plans to work with international groups like the Global Flood Partnership to help spread the word. This kind of information also would help insurance companies predict where catastrophe will strike and possibly mitigate losses before they escalate.

NOT FOR REPRINT

© Arc, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to TMSalesOperations@arc-network.com. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.