The track will provide well-rounded training on Flood Inundation Mapping (FIM), focusing on the operational OWP HAND-FIM framework as well as other FIM models and supporting tools. The workshop lineup and schedule are designed to follow the FIM application and development schema: compilation, evaluation, development, and application. Workshops will include an introduction session, software setup, OWP HAND-FIM and remote sensing application, evaluation against benchmark datasets, dissemination, and tool development.
Lead: Sagy Cohen, University of Alabama
Workshop Listings
FIMserv – An automated Python Wrapper for Operational flood modeling across the US
Day 1 Session 1
Anupal Baruah
Supath Dhital
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-Office of Water Prediction’s (OWP) Operational HAND (Height above the nearest drainage) based FIM (Flood Inundation mapping) is a terrain-based flood inundation model that runs using the national water model (NWM) streamflow producing flood inundation maps at the watershed scale. We have developed an automated, open-source, user-friendly, and cloud-enabled Python package (FIM-Serve) to run this operational framework with some additional functionalities for producing FIMs across the country. The framework provides seamless integration of retrospective NWM, forecasted, and recurrence streamflow for flood inundation mapping. It is capable of producing multiple flood rasters simultaneously and offers sub-setting the flood raster based on user-defined polygon or coordinates. The framework also provides a comparison of NWM streamflow with the observed USGS streamflow. The workshop will provide hands-on training to the participants on generating FIM using the OWP operational FIM framework. Participants will learn how to download and extract NWM retrospective and forecast streamflow based on riverIDs , and understand the uncertainty between the NWM streamflow and USGS gauge streamflow used in FIM.
Day 1 Session 2
Abdul Siddiqui
Scott Lawson
This workshop offers a comprehensive introduction to leveraging flows2fim, a command-line utility for rapid near real-time flood inundation mapping (FIM) using National Water Model (NWM) streamflows along with precomputed reach-specific FIM Libraries and Rating Curves. Participants will also get a conceptual overview of the process of repurposing existing 1D HEC-RAS models with Ripple1D software to generate these foundational datasets.
The session will provide training on how to apply flows2fim to create composite flood maps across HUC8 basins for scenarios like return-period flows or operational forecasts, while also covering the tool’s theoretical framework, the required structure of FIM Libraries and Rating Curves, and configuring flows2fim to utilize cloud-hosted FIM Libraries for scalable, efficient processing.
This workshop provides a concise yet comprehensive introduction to the theory and practical applications of remote sensing flood mapping. Participants will explore:
- Theoretical foundations of remote sensing flood mapping, including an overview of data sources, their availability, and properties.
- Hands-On demonstration of two powerful software tools:
- An automated SAR-based flood mapping tool for efficient flood extent detection.
- A tool for enhancing remote sensing flood maps by filling gaps and estimating water depth.
- An introduction to a GEE-based web app for visualizing flood extent interactively and accessing relevant data outputs.
FIMPEF- A Python package for automatic evaluation of flood inundation mapping predictions
Day 2 Session 2
Dipsikha Devi
Supath Dhital
Sagy Cohen
The accuracy of the flood inundation mapping (FIM) is critical for model development and disaster preparedness. Evaluating FIM with a high-quality benchmark dataset identifies the inconsistencies and discrepancies associated with the model FIM. Evaluating flood maps from different sources using geospatial platforms can be tedious and requires repeated processing and analysis for each map. FIMPEF, a Python-based FIM prediction evaluation framework, enables large scale FIM evaluation using a streamlined comparison of predicted FIM against a large number of benchmark FIMs. FIMPEF includes an option to incorporate permanent waterbodies as non-flood pixels with a user input file or pre-set dataset. In addition to traditional evaluation metrics, FIMPEF offers a comparison of the number of buildings inundated using a user input file or a pre-set dataset. This workshop will cover FIM evaluation theory and hands-on application using FIMPEF.
Hydrodynamic Flood Inundation Modeling – An Introduction to TRITON
Day 3 Session 1
Mariam Khanam
Sudershan Gangrade
This hands-on workshop will introduce TRITON (Two-dimensional Runoff Inundation Toolkit for Operational Needs), an open-source 2D hydrodynamic model for simulating flood wave propagation and surface inundation. Participants will gain an overview of TRITON’s capabilities and receive guidance on installation, setup, and execution of simulations for relevant test cases. Additionally, attendees will learn to analyze outputs and visualize results from TRITON.
Generating Forcing Scenarios for Compound Flood Inundation Mapping
Day 3 Session 2
Hamed Moftakhari
Soheil Radfar
Understanding and mitigating the risks associated with compound flooding requires robust statistical tools and scenario analyses. This workshop provides practical hints for generating compound forcings scenarios for flood inundation mapping using the Multi-hazard Scenario Analysis Toolbox (MhAST)—a Matlab-based user-friendly toolbox designed for joint hazard assessment and return period analysis. Participants will gain theoretical insights into key statistical concepts, such as copula functions, return periods, and dependence structures, which are critical for multivariate analysis. The workshop highlights the importance of considering joint relationships in multi-hazard scenarios compared to univariate scenario selection. It includes a practical case study of compound flooding analysis in Washington, DC, United States, to demonstrate these principles.