LiDAR Geospatial Modeling of Flooding in Houston in Harvey

Researchers in HuRRI have developed a new model for high resolution mapping of flooded areas in Houston during Harvey using elevation information generated with Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and recorded High Water Marks (HWMs). Amin Kiaghadi, Post-doctoral researcher in Civil and Environmental Engineering at UH developed this technology with his advisor, Dr. Hanadi Rifai.

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The researchers developed their model in ArcMap from ESRI (ArcGIS Desktop: Release 10.4.1). Digital elevation data at a resolution of 1 m from LiDAR were merged with high water marks recorded during Harvey from the Harris County Flood Control District (HCFCD) to map the depth of floodwater in each watershed in Houston. Kiaghadi and Rifai then used their model to identify environmental infrastructure located within FEMA floodplains and at risk from flooding during hurricanes and severe storms. Environmental infrastructure includes water and wastewater plants, water wells, Superfund sites, hazardous waste facilities, and municipal and industrial landfills. Their modeled results for Harvey captured reported flooding of wastewater plants and other environmental infrastructure in Houston.

The image on the left shows flooding of Houston’s Turkey Creek wastewater plant recorded in Harvey. The image on the right shows the modeled flooding for the plant using the LiDAR Geospatial model. Kiaghadi and Rifai’s modeling tool can be used to predict areas that will flood in Houston for any storm and any watershed and can be used to develop more resilient strategies for flood mitigation.

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