May 14, 2002

NASA RESEARCH HELPS COMMUNITIES PREPARE FOR FLOOD SEASON

Next to fire, floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters. As communities around the nation prepare for this year's flood season, Earth scientists at NASA's Stennis Space Center are at work on several projects to help communities better understand flood risk.

Flood insurance ? not typically included in traditional homeowner's nsurance ? is one essential element of flood-risk planning. Communities must meet Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-approved flood mapping requirements to be eligible for flood insurance. Flood insurance premiums are based, in part, on flood-risk maps, which contain detailed information on a community's risk of flood. These maps are prepared using remotely sensed data?data about the Earth collected from distant vantage points.

One type of remote sensing system called light intensity detection and ranging (LIDAR) collects data by sending and receiving pulses of light. Scientists interpret LIDAR data to detect tiny changes in the Earth's topography and thus predict exactly where floodwaters will go and how they will behave. The accuracy of LIDAR data depends on the number of pulses that are sent and received per meter of coverage. However, the more accurate the data, the more expensive it is for communities to acquire. The optimal pulse rates and coverage for LIDAR data for flood mapping is not yet known.

To get the best flood-risk mapping results for their money, communities need technical requirements guidelines. This is where NASA's Earth scientists can help.

Current and future NASA research projects in North Carolina, Texas and Mexico will help determine appropriate LIDAR accuracy in flood-risk mapping by examining optimum light-pulse rates and the costs associated with those levels of accuracy. These data will help FEMA update their minimum LIDAR accuracy requirements and assist communities considering flood-risk mapping.

"Qualifying results is critical for the most efficient use of LIDAR in flood mapping," said Dr. Bruce Davis, NASA's acting chief of engineering for the Earth Science Applications Directorate. "This project is the first one of its type and has the potential to help FEMA set flood mapping standards and save communities money in flood risk mapping and insurance costs."

"As a research and development agency, NASA has a fundamental understanding of how remote sensing works," said Davis. Since NASA does not provide flood-risk mapping services to communities, it can remain objective in its technical recommendations for mapping requirements.

Davis, who hopes to organize a workshop in the early summer for flood mapping experts, notes that continued applied research in this area is critical for finding the balance between flood mapping accuracy and cost savings. "NASA's flood mapping projects are a first look at optimal LIDAR requirements," he said. "Much more work is needed in order to apply the best information to the most critical questions about flood mapping."

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Contacts:
Lanee Cooksey
NASA Stennis Space Center
228-688-3341

This text derived from http://www.ssc.nasa.gov/~pao/news/newsreleases/2002/MWS-02-070.txt

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