FOCUS ON:
Earth Observation essential for geohazard mitigation
More than 250 scientists from around the world gathered for a five-day workshop at ESA's Earth Observation Centre in Frascati.
News Flash
Upcoming Events
Resources & Tools
Vantage Point International Overflowing with Enthusiasm for New Online Flood Mapping Service
Triggered by heavy rain the preceding fall, an uncommonly high winter snowfall, and 90mm of snow in April, the Red River flooded with a vengeance in 1997. The flood, the largest in 171 years to strike the Red River Drainage Basin, forced 28 000 people from their homes in Manitoba and several northern U.S. states and caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage.
When flooding strikes—even on less catastrophic scales—responding quickly and strategically can protect property and save lives. That’s the thinking behind a new online flood-tracking service being developed by Vantage Point International Inc. (VPI) in partnership with RADARSAT International and GeoInnovations, under the GeoConnections initiative.
Putting flood extent maps online
In business since 1991, VPI is an engineering consulting company that serves clients in the defence, space and geomatics sectors. Wearing its geomatics hat, VPI developed FloodTrack, a service that produces maps of flooded areas using proprietary tools and techniques to analyze satellite-delivered radar imagery.
“Funding from GeoInnovations is enabling us to put FloodTrack on the Internet,” says Mr. Ron Saper, president of VPI. “Users will have faster access to flood extent maps, and when the water’s rising and spreading rapidly, quick access is vital.”
How would these maps be used during a flood? The Coast Guard could plan rescue operations and coordinate boat movements, emergency medical operations teams could monitor changing conditions and dispatch aid, the military could shore up threatened dikes, and highway departments could assess road damage and offer alternative routes.
City planners can also use the maps after the fact to design floodway canals and dikes and influence community development choices.
Before developing the online version of FloodTrack, VPI would receive satellite images from RADARSAT, which it would process and then send to users as files on CD. Once they received the CD files, users would have their own professionals prepare maps—a lengthy process that FloodTrack avoids altogether. “Now users simply get on the Internet, and they can see the results of the analysis,” says Mr. Saper. “This approach puts information in the hands of those who need it much faster.”
Increased business opportunities and royalties expected
How is VPI benefiting from the GeoInnovations program? “Without GeoInnovations, we wouldn’t be as far along in using the Internet for geospatial applications,” says Mr. Saper. “Now we have the tools to deliver our flood and shoreline analyses more effectively, and that’s going to increase our royalties and business opportunities.”
VPI intends to license its flood-mapping service to organizations such as RADARSAT International Inc., who would marry it with satellite images and offer the resulting map packages to their customers. VPI would earn royalties on the maps that RADARSAT—or any other such service provider—generates.
“The reaction to the service has been positive,” says Mr. Saper. “We presented it at RADARSAT’s network stations meeting, and it generated a lot of interest. And ground station owners outside of Canada have expressed interest in the service as well.”
By developing FloodTrack using geomatics-industry standards, VPI can easily superimpose flood extent maps onto the online map servers run by governments or other organizations around the world. “Most governments will have online map servers soon in some form,” says Mr. Saper, “and our system’s interoperability will allow us to take advantage of this growth.”
The importance of strong partnerships
Mr. Saper also stresses the importance of having committed partners. “We’ve enjoyed good cooperation from RADARSAT,” he says, “and we’ve appreciated how the GeoInnovations program has been run. GeoInnovations promotes the use of geospatial information on the Internet, but they also give us the room to pursue what we think is important from a business perspective.”
Although FloodTrack in itself won’t stem Mother Nature’s rising waters, it will certainly equip communities to better deal with floods and mitigate their impacts. Given the devastation that flooding can cause, that’s a benefit that everyone living in flood-prone areas will happily welcome.