Development of flood risk maps using Remote Sensing Techniques in Cyprus

Floods are the most devastating natural disasters and are likely to become more frequent, dominant, and severe due to climate change, population growth, urbanization, and other factors related to watersheds and human activities. A flood can be defined as a body of water that causes runoff to land that is not normally covered by water. Ecosystems and floods are closely related. Urbanization across watersheds can lead to many causes of flooding. However, earth observation technologies such as satellite remote sensing can contribute to more efficient flood risk mapping by the European Directive 2007/60/EC on Flood Risk Assessment and Management. An interdisciplinary, integrated approach is used to present current and historical regimes of the selected watershed in Paphos region of Cyprus, combining Earth Observation (EO), Geographic Information Systems (GIS), hydraulics, surveying techniques (such as laser scanning), and crowdsourcing. This article presents a comprehensive examination of the utilization of satellite-based remote sensing techniques for flood detection, monitoring, and integration with flood models, highlighting recent advancements in the field.