Floodplain management in urban developing areas. Part II. GIS-based flood analysis and urban growth modelling

In Part I of this article the very dynamic nature of floodplain management was discussed and the need for modelling the urban growth processes and formulating scenarios of urban development was emphasised. In this second part, the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for addressing those problems is presented. GIS have been recognised as a powerful means to integrate and analyse data from various sources in the context of comprehensive floodplain management. Adequate information and prediction capability is vital to evaluate alternative scenarios for flood mitigation policies and to improve decision making processes associated with flood management. A framework for the comprehensive evaluation of flood hazard management policies is also addressed in this article. This comprehensive approach to flood problems is more than an attitude or a philosophical starting point. It makes use of specific technological tools conceived to be used by different actors, some of them being nonexperts in flood analysis. These tools, based on GIS, are very appropriate for a participatory approach to flood policy formulation and floodplain management because they help communicating with the public in a scientifically correct and yet rather simple manner.