BEYOND Center of Excellence: flood mapping and modelling

Flood is defined as ‘a covering by water of land not normally covered by water’ in the European Union Floods Directive 2007/60/EC. Human activities, such as agriculture, urban development, industry and tourism, contribute to an increase in the likelihood and adverse impacts of flood events. It is thus important to establish flood risk management plans focused on prevention, protection and preparedness. The ultimate goal of the Flood Hazard activities in the BEYOND Center of Excellence is to reduce and manage the risks that floods pose to human health, the environment, cultural heritage and economic activity. In this direction, we select river basins at high risk of flooding, we study the hydraulic behaviour of the river, and we proceed to the flood modelling validation and enhancement with the integration of satellite and radar data. In the context of the implementation of BEYOND by the National Observatory of Athens, we have launched the Floods Observatory in Greece where we register the major flood events in Greece and we publish the results we produce following process of satellite and radar images. Our first area of interest is Arachthos river basin, a river with several flood events, very close to the city of Arta, where the Public Power Corporation S.A. is operating two hydroelectric plants.