Flood management through LANDSAT TM and ERS SAR data: a case study

This paper deals with the experimental activity carried out in the field of flood monitoring at the Civil Engineering Department of Florence University (Italy) in cooperation with EOSAT (USA) and Eurimage (Italy). The aim of the study is to research the possibilities of satellite data utilization to aid in modelling of the hydrological behaviour of a river basin and monitoring flood emergencies. The area selected for the study is the Fucecchio Marsh (Tuscany, Italy), in which flooding events are very frequent. This paper describes the results of the study, with particular reference to the use of Landsat TM data to estimate soil water content, and the use of ERS SAR data to analyse flash flood events. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.