Large-scale mapping of storm flood hazards tailored to available data

Stormwater flooding poses a growing challenge for Canadian municipalities, particularly in the context of climate change, urbanization, and aging drainage infrastructure. Although many municipalities now have access to high-quality geomatics data, such as LiDAR digital elevation models (DEMs), detailed information on underground networks is often incomplete, inconsistent, or lacking. This reality limits the ability to produce reliable, large-scale maps of stormwater flood hazards.

This project aims to develop and validate a flexible methodology for mapping stormwater flood hazards by tailoring analyses to the level of detail in the available data on municipal drainage systems. The project will thus lead to the development of an open geomatics toolkit to automate stormwater flood analyses, improve municipalities’ risk planning and management capabilities, and support climate change adaptation and urban resilience initiatives.