1. Paper Number__________
Course ENG4903 Professional Practice 2: Project, 2011
ASSESSING ROCKHAMPTON CITY 2011 FLOOD EXTENTS AND
IMPACTS USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS
Sponsorship: Department of Transport and Main Roads, Rockhampton
John WORRALL
Degree: Bachelor of Spatial Science (GIS)
Supervisor:
Kithsiri Perera
1. INTRODUCTION:
Flooding is considered as the world’s most costly
type of natural disaster in terms of both human
causalities and property damage (ESA, 2011). The
population growth and urbanisation in areas of
vulnerability has added to the severity of flooding.
Remote Sensing (RS) and GIS techniques are
important tools in measuring, monitoring and
assessing flooding disasters.
Today’s sensors have the ability to collect large
amount of spatial, temporal and spectral
characteristics of an area. While advances in GIS
capability to analyse this information, particularly
through Object Based Image Analysis (OBIA) has
extended the effectiveness of quantifying floods.
2. BACKGROUND:
In late 2010 and early 2011 frequent heavy rainfalls
lead to widespread flooding across eastern Australia.
Built on the banks of the Fitzroy river,
Rockhampton was one of the first effected and most
prolonged flooded areas.
Core infrastructures such as the main highways,
railways and airport sustained considerable damage.
Major arterials routes were cut to the south and west
isolating Rockhampton causing significant financial
impacts to local industries and services.
Organisations such as the Department of Transport
and Main Roads have particular interest in
modelling these phenomena against current assets
and future strategies. With long term impacts in
environmental, social economic and financial needs
of a society.
3. OBJECTIVE:
The aim of the project is to estimate flood damage
over a prescribed region. In achieving the objectives
will included:
• Improving knowledge resources through
quantify the spatial extents and terrain of floods
and inundated areas.
• Develop object based image processing
techniques for feature extraction in inundated
areas
• Apply matrix overlay analysis.
• Evaluate results and produce thematic model.
Figure 1. Spectral profile of land classification
5. CONCLUSION:
The flood model of Rockhampton will provide a
valuables addition to the knowledge base of the
Fitzroy catchment, flood models and infrastructure
impacts.
Further collection of information and integration
with GIS/Hydrological models is desirable for
accurate and future assessments.
6. ACKNOWLDGEMENT:
I would like to acknowledge and thank my
supervisor, Dr Kithsiri Perera and Mr William
Bowtell for their support, and all the DTMR staff
who have assisted me with this project
REFERENCE:
ESA 2011, Civil protection assistance, viewed 13
March 2011,
<http://www.esa.int/esaEO/SEMQFF3VQUD_envi
ronment_0.html>