Developing in situ flood estimators using multi-date Landsat imagery

Landsat satellite imagery is being used as the primary source of information on flooding in the Black River Basin of northern New York State. Landsat images (Band 7) depicting flood conditions during several flood seasons since 1973 were obtained for analysis. Visual interpretation of these images is providing the basis for quantitatively relating in situ measurements of river discharge with the total area and geographic locations of inundation. This, in turn, will provide real-time estimation of flood losses over the entire river basin. This practical and inexpensive approach can provide sufficiently reliable information, and is applicable in other similar river basins.