Risk analysis

E.g. information processing on flood risk; risk analysis and use of geographical information in managing disasters and disaster control

In recent years, the CartoGIS unit of the Department of Geography has been carried out research in the study field of risks, and in particular of flood risks. In cooperation with Flanders Hydraulics Research, a methodology has been developed to asses flood risks in Flanders, both in river plains and in coastal areas. Economic losses and casualties are estimated on the basis of hydraulic/hydrologic models, detailed land use information, value of goods and population density. Recently, the methodology has been extended by a number of refinements, among which are as the inclusion of time dependency for flood damage to agriculture, and a revision of the land use maps by means of high-detailed cadastral information. The entire methodology has been converted into a GIS based tool, called LATIS. This tool is currently being employed by researchers at Flanders Hydraulics Research and the Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) to support decisions regarding flood risk reduction strategies and measures.

Besides the calculation of flood risks in Flanders, other study fields are now explored, in particular the examination of the public's flood risk perception and its implications for risk communication (cf. research by Wim Kellens) and the assessment of social vulnerability and resilience towards flooding (cf. research by Kristien Schelfaut). By considering social aspects – next to the traditional technical aspects -, both research themes aim to provide a more holistic approach to cope with flood hazards and to propose means to further mitigate the adverse consequences of flood risks, in particular through "soft" measures such as risk communication.

Relevant publications:

  • Kellens, W., Zaalberg, R., Neutens, T., Vanneuville, W., De Maeyer, Ph. (2011). An analysis of the public perception of flood risk on the Belgian coast. Risk Analysis (forthcoming).
  • Schelfaut, K., Pannemans, B., van der Craats, I., Krywkow, J., Mysiak, J., Cools, J. (2011). Bringing flood resilience into practice: the FREEMAN project. Environmental Science and Policy (forthcoming)
  • Deckers, P., Kellens, W., Reyns, J., Vanneuville, W., De Maeyer, Ph. 2010. A GIS for flood risk management in Flanders. In: Showalter, P. S., Lu, Y. (Eds.), Geospatial Techniques in Urban Hazard and Disaster Analysis, Springer-Verlag, pp. 51-69
  • Kellens, W., Deckers, P., Saleh, H., Vanneuville, W., De Maeyer, Ph., Allaert, G., De Sutter, R. (2008). A GIS for flood risk management in Flanders (Belgium), Sixth International Conference on Computer Simulation Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation (Risk Analysis VI), pp. 21-27
  • Vanneuville, W., Maddens, R., Collard, C., Bogaert, P., De Maeyer, P., Antrop, M. (2006) Impact op mens en economie t.g.v. overstromingen bekeken in het licht van wijzigende hydraulische condities, omgevingsfactoren en klimatologische omstandigheden. MIRA/2006/02, MIRA, Flemish Environment Agency.