A GIS-Based Spatial Multi-Criteria Approach for Flood Risk Assessment in the Dongting Lake Region, Hunan, Central China

Yamei Wang, Zhongwu Li (), Zhenghong Tang and Guangming Zeng

Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), 2011, vol. 25, issue 13, 3465-3484

Abstract: Floods, the most common natural hazard in the world, cause serious loss in terms of lives, buildings, and infrastructures. As a consequence, the need for flood risk assessment has become critical. Using a semi-quantitative model and fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP) weighting approach, this paper assessed flood risk in the Dongting Lake region, Hunan Province, Central China, an area where flood hazards frequently occur. The model was designed using spatial multi-criteria analysis (SMCA) techniques in a Geographic Information System (GIS). A GIS database of indicators for the evaluation of hazard and vulnerability was created. Each indicator was analyzed, standardized, and weighted; after which, the weights of the indicators were combined to obtain the final flood risk index map. Using the flood risk index, the study area was classified into five categories of flood risk: very low, low, medium, high, and very high. The high and very high risk zones are mainly concentrated in the northern and central plains. The results obtained can provide useful information for decision makers and insurance companies. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Keywords: Floods; Risk assessment; Multi-criteria analysis; Indicators; GIS; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (38)

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DOI: 10.1007/s11269-011-9866-2

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