Use of GIS and remote sensing to identify flood vulnerable areas : a case study from Northern Riyadh

Abstract EN

Many areas in the city of Riyadh are subject to heavy rainfall, which leads sometimes to a rise in water level on roads and result in traffic disturbance as happened in 1995 and 2010.

It's well known that floods are unpreventable, though it is possible to reduce their risks through taking mitigation measures.

The most important is to construct a database and to produce analytical maps for sensitive areas, besides that to construct monitoring networks and early alarm systems.

This study was carried out in order to locate drainage basins and water courses in areas subjected to flood, especially areas of possible urban growth in north Riyadh.

A spatial analysis was conducted for these basins using remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) for producing thematic maps.

A spatial database was constructed and utilized for topographic and slope analysis using Digital Elevation Model (DEM).