Flood Mapping Using Multi-temporal Sentinel-1 SAR Images: A Case Study—Inaouene Watershed from Northeast of Morocco

• Published in: Iranian journal of science and technology. Transactions of civil engineering Vol. 46; no. 2; pp. 1481 - 1490
• Main Authors: Benzougagh, Brahim, Frison, Pierre-Louis, Meshram, Sarita Gajbhiye, Boudad, Larbi, Dridri, Abdallah, Sadkaoui, Driss, Mimich, Khalid, Khedher, Khaled Mohamed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01-04-2022; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Civil Engineering; Decision making; Engineering; Environmental aspects; Flood mapping; Floods; Freeware; Human influences; Image acquisition; Impact analysis; Land use; Land use management; Natural disasters; Radar; Radar imaging; Remote sensing; Remote sensors; Research Paper; Risk management; Synthetic aperture radar; Watersheds; Morocco; Flood mapping; Risk management; Sentinel-1; Natural hazard; Inaouene watershed (Morocco)
• ISSN: 2228-6160; 2364-1843
• DOI: 10.1007/s40996-021-00683-y

Natural disasters like floods are happening worldwide. Due to their negative impact on different social, economic and environmental aspects need to monitor and map these phenomena have increased. In fact, to access the zones affected by the flood, we use open source remote sensing (RS) images acquired by optical and radar sensors. Furthermore, we present a method using Sentinel-1 images; we suggest applying Ground Range Detected (GRD) images. For this purpose, pre-processed built and provided by the European Space Agency (ESA), preserved by free software Sentinel Application Platform (SNAP) for data extraction around appropriate demand. Moreover, the principal objective of this article is to assess the capability of Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in order to visualize flood areas in the Inaouene watershed located in north-eastern of Morocco. The origin of this natural hazard is the combination of natural and anthropogenic factors that makes the watershed vulnerable with a sub-annual frequency. The results of this work help decision-makers and managers in the field of natural risk management and land-use planning to implement a strategy and action plan for the protection of the populations and the environment against the negative impact of floods.