Mapping and assessing the spatial extent of floods using Sentinel 1 SAR Data – An approach based on Flood Index Estimation

Water alone accounts for more than 70% of global fatalities, mainly the floods and droughts, among other natural disasters. In a highly populated country like India, accurate rapid flood mapping plays a vital role in disaster response activities. Brahmaputra is one of the perennial rivers in India that experiences frequent floods, and the present study aims at developing a flood index for the identification of the flooded regions using Sentinel 1 SAR datasets over middle Brahmaputra River basin. Images acquired before and during the flood will be used to develop the flood index. Flood extent identified using the index will be used to classify the vulnerable zones, that can be utilized by the concerned government authorities for various mitigation and management purposes.