Search

Technological advances in remote-sensing (RS) science and cultural changes brought about by the 'digital revolution' are combining to bring the worlds of remote sensing and land-use planning closer together. The University of Connecticut is engaged in a series of three projects that investigate RS-based decision support systems (DSS) for local land-use officials. The NEMO Project is focused on town-level decisions, the Connecticut River Watersheds Project is focused on watershed-level decisions, and the NAUTILUS Project is working on specific tools addressing urban sprawl. Each DSS is built upon a delivery systemof professional outreach educational programs, based on RS information, and enhanced through the use of geographic information systems (GIS). A review of this work demonstrates that, when integrated with applications and outreach to form tailored decision support systems, RSinformation can be a powerful force in assisting local officials to plan better the growth of their communities." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of a decision support system for flood plain risk assessment and its applications and benefits are examined. The paper focuses on an application in the insurance industry and describes the use of airborne Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) map products data in the development of a large-scale flood risk assessment system for the River Thames in the United Kingdom. Airborne radar technology was originally developed for military applications. In recent years, applications in telecommunications, oil exploration, and agriculture have proven that radar technology can also be used commercially. The innovative use of digital elevation model (DEMs) and orthorectified radar image (ORI) map products derived from IFSAR for flood risk assessment is discussed in the context of other risk assessment methodologies and techniques. The wider applications of this technology are considered for any organization exposed to flood risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]