Flood Damage Prevention Using Remotely-Sensed Data and a Mesoscale Atmospheric Model: 

Supported by NASA Solid Earth and Natural Hazards Program, NASA Headquarters, 2000-2003.  This project is a joint effort of several agencies including UAH, Louisiana State University, National Weather Service Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center , Amite River Basin Commission, and Louisiana Governor’s Oil Spill Office.  The objective of the project is to improve real time flood forecasting and inundation capability through improved atmospheric model predictions, distributed hydrologic modeling, and high resolution topographic data.  The topographic data were acquired by a Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) instrument that is essentially an airborne laser (photo 1).  

                                                            Photo 1

Radar based rainfall observations are used in real time to continuously update the NWS atmospheric forecasts with the improved forecasts used as input to a sophisticated distributed hydrologic model called SHEELS (photos 2 and 3). 

                                                            Photo 2

                                                          Photo 3

Hydrologic model forecasts are then employed with the high resolution LIDAR data to obtain predicted flood inundation maps in near real time.  The Amite River flood plain near Baton Rouge, LA is used as a case study (photos 4 and 5).  Project participants include Dr. Ashutosh Limaye (USRA), Dr. William Crosson (USRA) Mr. Keith Stellman (LMRFC), and Mr. Dietmar Rietschier (ARBC).

                                                            Photo 4

                                                              Photo 5