Seamless flood prediction from global to municipal scales

2.7 Disaster Prevention, Reconstruction (Earthquake, Tsunami, Volcano, Meteorology, Flood, Natural Disaster)

Kei Yoshimura

Institute of Industrial Science

Professor

Extreme precipitation is becoming more intense due to climate change and can no longer be prevented by the current levels of disaster protection in existing infrastructure. To respond to such a situation, the University of Tokyo and JAXA have collaborated to develop a real-time global terrestrial hydrological monitoring system called "Today's Earth (TE)," covering the world to the municipal scales. Here, we analyze and forecast the current status of river discharge and inundation area based on satellite observation and quasi-real-time precipitation data.

Joso City, Ibaraki Prefecture, afternoon, September 10, 2015.
The University of Tokyo

39-hour forecast of Typhoon No. 19, which caused significant damages, from 9:00 a.m. onwards on October 11, 2019. The red areas indicate danger zones, and the circle denotes Chikuma River that has broken its banks.
The University of Tokyo

Research collaborators

・Wenchao Ma, Kenshi Hibino, Dai Yamazaki, Tomoko Nitta (The University of Tokyo)
・Kosuke Yamamoto, Riko Oki, Misako Kachi (JAXA/EORC)

Related publications

Yoshimura, K., T. Sakimura, T. Oki, S. Kanae, and S. Seto, Toward flood risk prediction: a statistical approach using a 29-year river discharge simulation over Japan, Hydrol. Res. Let., 2, 22-26, 2008.
Ma, W., Y. Ishitsuka, A. Takeshima, K. Hibino, D. Yamazaki, K. Yamamoto, M. Kachi, R. Oki, T. Oki, and K. Yoshimura, Applicability of a nationwide flood forecasting system for Typhoon Hagibis, 2019, Scientific Reports, 11, 10213, 2021.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-89522-8