The Netherlands: Deltares Introduces Global Flood Risk with IMAGE Scenarios

Many developing countries have no adequate tools for an efficient flood risk management. With the increasing availability of large scale datasets, and new generations of weather and flood forecasting models, tools for assessing floods risk at the large scale are currently being developed. Recently, Deltares developed Global Flood Risk with IMAGE Scenarios (GLOFRIS).

Increase or reduction of flood risk

GLOFRIS can assess changes in flood risk at the global scale under a wide range of climate and socioeconomic scenarios. In this way, scientists, governments and industry can determine whether flood risk may increase or reduce as a result of naturally occurring variations in the climate system as well as consistent changes.

World Bank is enthusiastic

GLOFRIS is described in the report “Understanding Risk, The evolution of Disaster Risk Assessment”, from the World Bank – Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). In this report, launched during the Understanding Risk 2014 forum in London this week, an overview is given of worldwide methods and practices to assess natural hazards and their impact. In terms of impact and frequency, floods are the biggest natural disasters worldwide and cause the largest insured loss. The World Bank mentioned: “What we love about GLOFRIS is that it provides us a quick and not so dirty estimate of flood risks as a basis for discussion on risk reduction with governments.”

User-friendly web-environment

GLOFRIS was developed in cooperation with The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, Utrecht University and VU University Amsterdam, Institute for Environmental Studies. The datasets will be made available to the public in a user-friendly web-environment by the World Resources Institute. This web-environment will be launched during the 2014 Climate Summit, held 23 ^rd of September in New York.

Press Release, July 4, 2014