Hydroinformatics for River Flood Management

Abstract

Hydroinformatics is about making use of advanced information and communication technologies to handle information concerning the aquatic environment so that we can improve our understanding and management of that environment. Information here should be viewed as having the sense of the capacity to impart knowledge rather than the more narrow sense of classical information theory. The management of flooding in rivers, that is, what happens when the river flow exceeds the capacity of the designated channels, whether they have evolved naturally or been artificially enhanced, is one of the more important areas that can benefit from hydroinformatics. Indeed, because flooding can affect so many communities, sometimes with devastating, life-threatening consequences, it forms an important focus for hydroinformatics generally.