Application of Nonhydraulic Delineation Method of Flood Hazard Areas Using LiDAR-Based Data

Abstract

Fluvial dynamics are an important aspect of land-use planning as well as ecosystem conservation. Lack of floodplain and flood inundation maps can cause severe implication on land-use planning and development as well as in disaster management. However, flood hazard delineation traditionally involves hydrologic models and uses hydraulic data or historical flooding frequency. This entails intensive data gathering, which leads to extensive amount of cost, time, and complex models, while typically only covers a small portion of the landscape. Therefore, alternative approaches had to be explored. This study explores an alternative approach in delineating flood hazard areas through a straightforward interpolation process while using high-resolution LiDAR-based datasets. The objectives of this study are: (1) to delineate flood hazard areas through a straightforward, nonhydraulic, and interpolation procedure using high-resolution (LiDAR-based) datasets and (2) to determine whether using high-resolution data, coupled with a straightforward interpolation procedure, will yield reliable potential flood hazard maps. Results showed that a straightforward interpolation method using LiDAR-based data produces a reliable potential flood zone map. The resulting map can be used as supplementary information for rapid analysis of the topography which could have implications in area development planning and ecological management and best practices.