Findings from University of Potsdam Yields New Findings on Flood Risk Management (Remote Sensing-based Mapping of Structural Building Damage In the Ahr Valley): Risk Management – Flood Risk Management

Insurance Daily News

2024 APR 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Risk Management - Flood Risk Management is the subject of a report. According to news reporting originating in Potsdam, Germany, by NewsRx journalists, research stated, “Flood damage data are needed for various applications. Structural damage of buildings can reflect not only the economic damage but also the life-threatening condition of a building, which provide crucial information for disaster response and recovery.”

Financial supporters for this research include German Research Foundation (DFG), Federal Ministry of Education & Research (BMBF), Ministry for Homeland, Municipal Affairs, Building and Equality.

The news reporters obtained a quote from the research from the University of Potsdam, “Since traditional on-site data collection shortly after a disaster is challenging, remote sensing data can be of great help, cover a wider area and be deployed earlier in time than on-site surveys. However, this has its challenges and limitations. We elucidate on that by presenting two case studies from flash floods in Germany. First, we assessed the reliability of an existing flood damage schema, which differentiates from minor (structural) damage to complete building collapse. We compared two on-site raters of the 2016 Braunsbach flood, reaching an excellent level of reliability. Second, we mapped structural building damage after the flood in the Ahr valley in 2021 using a textured 3D mesh and orthophotos. Here, we evaluated the remote sense-based damage mapping done by three raters.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Although the heterogeneity of ratings using remote sensing data is larger than among on-site ratings, we consider it fit-for-purpose when compared with on-site mapping, especially for event documentation and as basis for financial damage estimation and less complex numerical modelling.”

For more information on this research see: Remote Sensing-based Mapping of Structural Building Damage In the Ahr Valley. Journal of Flood Risk Management, 2024. Journal of Flood Risk Management can be contacted at: Wiley, 111 River St, Hoboken 07030-5774, NJ, USA. (Wiley-Blackwell - http://www.wiley.com/; Journal of Flood Risk Management - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(ISSN)1753-318X)

Our news correspondents report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Guilherme Samprogna Mohor, University of Potsdam, Inst Environm Sci & Geog, Potsdam, Germany. Additional authors for this research include Tobias Sieg, Aaron Buhrmann, Annegret H. Thieken, Oliver Koch, Holger Maiwald and Jochen Schwarz.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12983. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.