Inundation Extent and Flood Frequency Mapping Using LANDSAT Imagery and Digital Elevation Models

Abstract

We modeled the extent of inundation around Poyang Lake, China using 13 Landsat images and two digital elevation models (DEMs). Boundaries of the observed inundation extents were (a) labeled with lake-level measurements taken at a representative hydrological station and (b) interpolated to create a Water Line DEM (WL-DEM) that was used to map inundation frequency. A 30 m contour-based DEM produced slightly better results than the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission DEM, but neither DEM was accurate for medium and low lake levels. The WL-DEM exhibited improved accuracy at medium lake levels, but had relatively high errors at low lake levels.