GloFAS User Community and GloFAS 4.0 characteristics
On the first day, two sessions were specifically dedicated to discussing GloFAS, its benefits and its applications. The presentations also covered the forthcoming GloFAS v4.0 updates and how they will improve the current system. The organising team also emphasised the growing number of registered users – which has grown more than fivefold since its operational release in 2018 - within the GloFAS portal was emphasised. This shows an increasing interest and confidence in its usefulness.
The sessions provided a comprehensive overview of the system’s importance in the early warning ecosystem. Likewise, the amount of precious feedback received from the users will contribute to setting the priorities for future developments.
Focusing on the characteristics of GloFAS v4.0, different speakers present the all major features to prepare the community for the upcoming release, with the upgrade expected to be available operationally in 2023.
The major changes to the system will include:
- Four times higher spatial resolution. GloFAS v4.0 will have a resolution of 0.05 degrees (~5km), as opposed to the previous GloFAS versions, which had a 0.1 degrees resolution (~10km).
- An new set of 0.05 degrees resolution input maps was produced using the most recent research findings, remote sensing, and in situ datasets.
- Major improvements to the open-source hydrological model LISFLOOD.
- A new calibration with 1996 in situ gauging stations (212 calibration points in Europe, 250 in Asia, 61 in Oceania, 420 in Africa, 617 in Central and North America, and 436 in South America). Furthermore, a regionalisation was performed to estimate the parameters of catchments for which in situ discharge observations are unavailable.
The GloFAS v4.0 upgrade represents a significant improvement over the previous version, GloFAS v3.1, and it will greatly impact GloFAS’ modelling results.
GFM v2.0.0 and the GFM Archive
The other theme of the event, the latest developments in the Global Flood Monitoring (GFM) tool, also had several dedicated moments. In addition, the sessions showcased the significant progress achieved through the processing of the Copernicus Sentinel-1 imagery archive and how it enhances GFM's accuracy and reliability. Furthermore, attendees received insights into the upcoming GFM updates and improvements, highlighting the ongoing commitment to regularly improving the tool’s performance.
The major innovations introduced with the release of GFM v2.0.0, which was released operationally on 2 January 2023, include:
- Modification of the GFM ensemble flood mapping algorithm to use a consensus-based approach rather than the original majority-based method.
- Update of the GFM’s Sentinel-1 Reference Water Mask - which outlines pixels that are classified as both permanent and seasonal water - based on the 2020-2021 reference period.
- Update of the sub-layers underlying the GFM’s Exclusion Mask - which addresses the negative effects on Sentinel-1-based flood mapping of static factors such as topography or specific land cover types - based on the 2020-2021 reference period.
Further, some representative data and the significance of the GFM archive were presented. The archive will consist of more than 1.4 million automatically analysed Copernicus Sentinel-1 images, from its commissioning in 2015 to the present date. However, it should also be pointed out that the archive does not cover all areas of the globe with the same revisit time, as areas in Europe, Central Asia and Western Americas are covered with a higher frequency than the rest of the globe because of Sentinel-1's orbit.
Overall, the session provided valuable insights into the capabilities and potential of GFM, emphasising its importance in the field of flood monitoring and assessment.
The 13 IGNITE Talks
During the event, a total of 13 use cases for GloFAS and/or GFM data were presented, as shown in the table below. These use cases include improving flood early warning systems, flood depth estimation, multi-reservoir system operation, flood frequency analysis, compound flood modelling/forecasting, and the development of Disaster Risk Financing (DRF) schemes, which are vital for anticipatory humanitarian action and parametric insurance. This diverse range of applications demonstrates the versatility and value of GloFAS and GFM data in addressing different flood-related challenges. The use cases presented also highlight the potential of these tools to support decision-making and response efforts for floods at both national and international levels.
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Use Case/Application
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Speaker(s)
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Improving flood early warning systems through the combined use of GLOFAS, archived information, and hydrological modelling
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Juan Villagran De Leon (UN-SPIDER)
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Exemplary evaluation results of the Global Flood Monitoring (GFM) product for applications in German federal agencies
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Dr Silke Mechernich (Federal Institute of Hydrology, Germany)
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Flood depth estimation from GFM and global DEMs
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Arjen Haag (Deltares)
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Operational bias correction tool for GeoGlows and Glofas forecasts
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Dr Amir Givati (Tel Aviv University)
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Multi-reservoir system operation in the Zambezi River Basin using global hydrological forecasts
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Dr. Andrea Ficchi (Politecnico di Milan)
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Computing flood hazards and impacts using GloFAS data and CLIMADA
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Lukas Riedel (ETH Zürich / Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, MeteoSwiss)
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From GloFAS RRA to impacts from Social Media
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Valerio Lorini (JRC, EC)
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Flood Foresight: Extending GloFAS for forecast-based financing and parametric insurance applications
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John Bevington (JBA Consulting)
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GloFAS dataset for flood frequency analysis in data-sparse regions of Iran
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Ass. Prof. Asghar Azizian (Water Engineering Department, IKIU University, Iran)
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Compound flood modelling/forecasting where one could use GLOFAS forecasts as boundary conditions or GFM products as validation
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Dr. Albrecht Weerts (Deltares)
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Pakistan Floods case
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Rachel Abela (DG ECHO, EC)
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Advanced Disaster Analysis and Mapping (ADAM) for flood monitoring and response
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Michael Manalili (UN World Food Program)
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GloFAS and GFM data usage in the context of the CENTAUR project
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Luisa Bettili (e-Geos)
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