Multitemporal and Multispectral Remote Sensing Approach for Flood Detection in the Elbe-Mulde Region 2002

Abstract

The extreme flood event of the Elbe and Mulde Rivers in August 2002 caused, with its very sharp rise and decline of the water masses, a manifold of damage to the infrastructure as well as toxic deposits in the flooded areas. The paper gives a summary of the processing of multitemporal and multisensor remote sensing data for the purpose of monitoring this event. Methods and results for several thematic questions are presented and discussed. Procedures for the detection of flooded areas with operational satellite data (Landsat-ETM, IRS) are investigated. Further studies are performed regarding the classification of moisture classes in the flood plain in relation to the high water changes, the accumulation of sediments and silts for different land use classes and the erosive impact of the flood by using data with high spatial resolution from satellite (IKONOS) and from aircraft (Daedalus-Scanner). The time series of multispectral scanner data are very well suited for the spatial analysis of the damage and ecological risk, caused by the flood. The results correlate well with the data from in-situ measurements. At the same time they show how the gathering of samples can be optimized by using remote sensing data. The results can be directly integrated in existing GIS of the public authorities for the assessment and management of extreme flood events.