An integration of geospatial and fuzzy-logic techniques for flood-hazard mapping

Abstract

A hazard is a natural occurrence that might harm humans, animals or the environment. It may cause loss of life, illness or other health consequences, property damage, social and economic crisis or environmental degradation. Various regions around the world are vulnerable to one or more types of disasters. Flooding is one of the worst environmental catastrophes that impacts both civilisation and the environment globally. Various datasets and methods, such as meteorological data, satellite images and GIS, were used to create the hazard assessment map. For a particular region, flood hazards can be developed by integrating an assessment map for several parameter categories. The aim of the study was to evaluate the hazard of flooding and map the areas that will be flooded in Gujarat. This study develops and tests flood-hazard maps to visualise the spatial variation of hazards in Gujarat, India. The parameters for flood-hazard assessment are mainly considered as elevation, slope, aspect, curvature, lithology, soil, land use/cover, drainage density and distance from the river, and rainfall to create a map in the context of a GIS. The acquired data was evaluated using ArcGIS and fuzzy-logic techniques to build a flood hazard map. Five categories have been assigned to the computed flood hazard map: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high. Engineers, planners and local governments may find this study useful in the future when it comes to land use planning and the control of hazards. Flood hazard potential mapping is necessary to manage and mitigate flooding.