The potential of open-access data for flood estimations: uncovering inundation hotspots in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, through a normalized flood severity index

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Authors

  • Leon Scheiber
  • Mazen Hoballah Jalloul
  • Christian Jordan
  • Jan Visscher
  • Hong Quan Nguyen
  • Torsten Schlurmann

External Research Organisations

  • Vietnam National University Ho Chi Minh City
View graph of relations

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2313-2332
Number of pages20
JournalNatural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
Volume23
Issue number6
Publication statusPublished - 26 Jun 2023

Abstract

Hydro-numerical models are increasingly important to determine the adequacy and evaluate the effectiveness of potential flood protection measures. However, a significant obstacle in setting up hydro-numerical and associated flood damage models is the tedious and oftentimes prohibitively costly process of acquiring reliable input data, which particularly applies to coastal megacities in developing countries and emerging economies. To help alleviate this problem, this paper explores the usability and reliability of flood models built on open-access data in regions where highly resolved (geo)data are either unavailable or difficult to access yet where knowledge about elements at risk is crucial for mitigation planning. The example of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is taken to describe a comprehensive but generic methodology for obtaining, processing and applying the required open-access data. The overarching goal of this study is to produce preliminary flood hazard maps that provide first insights into potential flooding hotspots demanding closer attention in subsequent, more detailed risk analyses. As a key novelty, a normalized flood severity index (INFS), which combines flood depth and duration, is proposed to deliver key information in a preliminary flood hazard assessment. This index serves as an indicator that further narrows down the focus to areas where flood hazard is significant. Our approach is validated by a comparison with more than 300 flood samples locally observed during three heavy-rain events in 2010 and 2012 which correspond to INFS-based inundation hotspots in over 73 % of all cases. These findings corroborate the high potential of open-access data in hydro-numerical modeling and the robustness of the newly introduced flood severity index, which may significantly enhance the interpretation and trustworthiness of risk assessments in the future. The proposed approach and developed indicators are generic and may be replicated and adopted in other coastal megacities around the globe.

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Cite this

The potential of open-access data for flood estimations: uncovering inundation hotspots in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, through a normalized flood severity index. / Scheiber, Leon; Hoballah Jalloul, Mazen; Jordan, Christian et al.
In: Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, Vol. 23, No. 6, 26.06.2023, p. 2313-2332.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearchpeer review

Download
@article{ad6c34c415464d80a0095314ea901c3f,
title = "The potential of open-access data for flood estimations: uncovering inundation hotspots in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, through a normalized flood severity index",
abstract = "Hydro-numerical models are increasingly important to determine the adequacy and evaluate the effectiveness of potential flood protection measures. However, a significant obstacle in setting up hydro-numerical and associated flood damage models is the tedious and oftentimes prohibitively costly process of acquiring reliable input data, which particularly applies to coastal megacities in developing countries and emerging economies. To help alleviate this problem, this paper explores the usability and reliability of flood models built on open-access data in regions where highly resolved (geo)data are either unavailable or difficult to access yet where knowledge about elements at risk is crucial for mitigation planning. The example of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is taken to describe a comprehensive but generic methodology for obtaining, processing and applying the required open-access data. The overarching goal of this study is to produce preliminary flood hazard maps that provide first insights into potential flooding hotspots demanding closer attention in subsequent, more detailed risk analyses. As a key novelty, a normalized flood severity index (INFS), which combines flood depth and duration, is proposed to deliver key information in a preliminary flood hazard assessment. This index serves as an indicator that further narrows down the focus to areas where flood hazard is significant. Our approach is validated by a comparison with more than 300 flood samples locally observed during three heavy-rain events in 2010 and 2012 which correspond to INFS-based inundation hotspots in over 73 % of all cases. These findings corroborate the high potential of open-access data in hydro-numerical modeling and the robustness of the newly introduced flood severity index, which may significantly enhance the interpretation and trustworthiness of risk assessments in the future. The proposed approach and developed indicators are generic and may be replicated and adopted in other coastal megacities around the globe.",
author = "Leon Scheiber and {Hoballah Jalloul}, Mazen and Christian Jordan and Jan Visscher and Nguyen, {Hong Quan} and Torsten Schlurmann",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 Leon Scheiber et al.",
year = "2023",
month = jun,
day = "26",
doi = "10.5194/nhess-23-2313-2023",
language = "English",
volume = "23",
pages = "2313--2332",
journal = "Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences",
issn = "1561-8633",
publisher = "European Geosciences Union",
number = "6",

}

Download

TY - JOUR

T1 - The potential of open-access data for flood estimations

T2 - uncovering inundation hotspots in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, through a normalized flood severity index

AU - Scheiber, Leon

AU - Hoballah Jalloul, Mazen

AU - Jordan, Christian

AU - Visscher, Jan

AU - Nguyen, Hong Quan

AU - Schlurmann, Torsten

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2023 Leon Scheiber et al.

PY - 2023/6/26

Y1 - 2023/6/26

N2 - Hydro-numerical models are increasingly important to determine the adequacy and evaluate the effectiveness of potential flood protection measures. However, a significant obstacle in setting up hydro-numerical and associated flood damage models is the tedious and oftentimes prohibitively costly process of acquiring reliable input data, which particularly applies to coastal megacities in developing countries and emerging economies. To help alleviate this problem, this paper explores the usability and reliability of flood models built on open-access data in regions where highly resolved (geo)data are either unavailable or difficult to access yet where knowledge about elements at risk is crucial for mitigation planning. The example of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is taken to describe a comprehensive but generic methodology for obtaining, processing and applying the required open-access data. The overarching goal of this study is to produce preliminary flood hazard maps that provide first insights into potential flooding hotspots demanding closer attention in subsequent, more detailed risk analyses. As a key novelty, a normalized flood severity index (INFS), which combines flood depth and duration, is proposed to deliver key information in a preliminary flood hazard assessment. This index serves as an indicator that further narrows down the focus to areas where flood hazard is significant. Our approach is validated by a comparison with more than 300 flood samples locally observed during three heavy-rain events in 2010 and 2012 which correspond to INFS-based inundation hotspots in over 73 % of all cases. These findings corroborate the high potential of open-access data in hydro-numerical modeling and the robustness of the newly introduced flood severity index, which may significantly enhance the interpretation and trustworthiness of risk assessments in the future. The proposed approach and developed indicators are generic and may be replicated and adopted in other coastal megacities around the globe.

AB - Hydro-numerical models are increasingly important to determine the adequacy and evaluate the effectiveness of potential flood protection measures. However, a significant obstacle in setting up hydro-numerical and associated flood damage models is the tedious and oftentimes prohibitively costly process of acquiring reliable input data, which particularly applies to coastal megacities in developing countries and emerging economies. To help alleviate this problem, this paper explores the usability and reliability of flood models built on open-access data in regions where highly resolved (geo)data are either unavailable or difficult to access yet where knowledge about elements at risk is crucial for mitigation planning. The example of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, is taken to describe a comprehensive but generic methodology for obtaining, processing and applying the required open-access data. The overarching goal of this study is to produce preliminary flood hazard maps that provide first insights into potential flooding hotspots demanding closer attention in subsequent, more detailed risk analyses. As a key novelty, a normalized flood severity index (INFS), which combines flood depth and duration, is proposed to deliver key information in a preliminary flood hazard assessment. This index serves as an indicator that further narrows down the focus to areas where flood hazard is significant. Our approach is validated by a comparison with more than 300 flood samples locally observed during three heavy-rain events in 2010 and 2012 which correspond to INFS-based inundation hotspots in over 73 % of all cases. These findings corroborate the high potential of open-access data in hydro-numerical modeling and the robustness of the newly introduced flood severity index, which may significantly enhance the interpretation and trustworthiness of risk assessments in the future. The proposed approach and developed indicators are generic and may be replicated and adopted in other coastal megacities around the globe.

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85164498218&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.5194/nhess-23-2313-2023

DO - 10.5194/nhess-23-2313-2023

M3 - Article

VL - 23

SP - 2313

EP - 2332

JO - Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences

JF - Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences

SN - 1561-8633

IS - 6

ER -

By the same author(s)