scholarly journals Assessing the utility of social media as a data source for flood risk management using a real-time modelling framework

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 370-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Smith ◽  
Q. Liang ◽  
P. James ◽  
W. Lin
2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luiz Fernando Assis ◽  
Flavio Horita ◽  
Benjamin Herfort ◽  
Enrico Steiger ◽  
João Porto De Albuquerque

Flood risk management requires updated and accurate information about the overall situation in vulnerable areas. Social media messages are considered to be as a valuable additional source of information to complement authoritative data (e.g. in situ sensor data). In some cases, these messages might also help to complement unsuitable or incomplete sensor data, and thus a more complete description of a phenomenon can be provided. Nevertheless, it remains a difficult matter to identify information that is significant and trustworthy. This is due to the huge volume of messages that are produced and which raises issues regarding their authenticity, confidentiality, trustworthiness, ownership and quality. In light of this, this paper adopts an approach for on-the-fly prioritization of social media messages that relies on sensor data (esp. water gauges). A proof-of-concept application of our approach is outlined by means of a hypothetical scenario, which uses social media messages from Twitter as well as sensor data collected through hydrological stations networks maintained by Pegelonline in Germany. The results have shown that our approach is able to prioritize social media messages and thus provide updated and accurate information for supporting tasks carried out by decision-makers in flood risk management.


Author(s):  
Natainia S. Lummen ◽  
Hajime Shirozu ◽  
Norio Okada ◽  
Fumihiko Yamada

Purpose In Kumamoto, Japan flood risk information is made available on several websites. In the event of heavy rainfall, local citizens need to access these websites and make household-level decisions. It is difficult for citizens to monitor all these sites, analyze and make effective decisions. Evacuation orders are issued by the local government who then filters the information to the relevant multiple stakeholders and local citizens. This takes time and reduces the response lead time of citizens especially in fast-onset floods. There was a therefore a need for illustrative integrated approaches, integrating these data sets. Design/methodology/approach Using precipitation, river water and tide level data, user-friendly real-time graphs were set up for the Shirakawa River, Kumamoto, Japan. Flood data were collected and used to create numerical simulations, and electronic community-based hazard maps were created. Findings The data gathered from the July 2012 flood event were used as a demonstrator, illustrating a flood event, as well as how to utilize the information provided on user-friendly real-time graphs’ website, to determine the location, future time and possibility of flooding. Additionally, an electronically generated flood hazard map-making process was developed for distribution across Japan. Research limitations/implications These illustrative approaches are relatively new and have only been tested and evaluated in communities across Kumamoto, Japan. As such, it is too early to determine robustness and generalized applications worldwide, especially in data-scarce countries and communities. Improvements and maintenance are ongoing. Practical implications These illustrative approaches can be adopted and utilized in cities and communities around the globe, thereby helping in overall disaster risk-reduction initiatives and better flood risk management strategies. Originality/value These illustrative approaches are new to Kumamoto City and Japan. These provide citizens with user-friendly real-time graphs that can be accessed anytime and used in flood hazard preparations, warnings, response or recovery.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (13) ◽  
pp. 285-290
Author(s):  
Nurul Ashikin Mabahwi ◽  
Hitoshi Nakamura

Objectives of this study is to identify the real issues and challenges of flood related agencies in Malaysia. By using qualitative thematic analysis, this study found that limited authorities, lack of enforcement power, lack of cooperation among agencies, lack of man-power and assets for logistics, insufficient funding for flood risk management and communication problems are the issues faced by the flood-related agencies. The government needs to solve the issues and challenges in order to strengthen the flood-related agencies capacities.Keywords: flood risk management; flood-related agencies; issues; authorityeISSN: 2398-4287 © 2020. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v5i13.2069


2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 87-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Winterscheid

It is now commonly accepted that the management of flood risks has to be fulfilled within an integrated framework. About two decades ago flood risk was managed from a limited perspective predominantly by means of structural measures aimed at flood control. In contrast integrated flood risk management incorporates the complete management cycle consisting of the phases prevention, protection and preparedness. In theory it is a well described concept. In the stage of implementation, however, there is often a lack of support although a consistent policy framework exists. Consequently, the degree of implementation must be rated as inadequate in many cases. In particular this refers to the elements which focus on preparedness and prevention. The study to which this paper refers emphasises the means and potentials of scenario technique to foster the implementation of potentially appropriate measures and new societal arrangements when applied in the framework of integrated flood risk management. A literature review is carried out to reveal the state-of-the-art and the specific problem framework within which scenario technique is generally being applied. Subsequently, it is demonstrated that scenario technique is transferable to a policy making process in flood risk management that is integrated, sustainable and interactive. The study concludes with a recommendation for three applications in which the implementation of measures of flood damage prevention and preparedness is supported by scenario technique.


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