Improving flood forecasting using multi-source remote sensing data – Report of the Floodfore project

Current remote sensing satellites can provide valuable information relevant to hydrological monitoring. And by using available in situ measurements together with the satellite data the information can be even more valuable. The FloodFore project developed new methods to estimate hydrological parameters from multi source remote sensing and in situ data. These hydrological parameters are important input to the watershed simulation model in order to improve the accuracy of its forecasts. In the project several new methods were either developed or demonstrated: satellite based snow water equivalent (SWE) estimation, weather radar based accumulated precipitation estimation, satellite based soil freezing state determination, and SWE estimation with high spatial resolution using both microwave radiometer and SAR data. Also a visualisation system for multi source information was developed to demonstrate the new products to users. The effect of the snow remote sensing estimates to the hydrological forecasting accuracy was studied for the Kemijoki river basin. The commercialisation possibilities of the results of the project were also studied