Estimating Flood-Affected Houses as an SDG Indicator to Enhance the Flood Resilience of Sahel Communities Using Geospatial Data

The United Nations (UN) framework defines indicator 13.1.1 as the number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected individuals due to disasters per 100,000 population. This indicator is associated with target 13.1, which calls for urgent actions against climate-related hazards and natural di...

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Main Authors: Miguel A. Belenguer-Plomer, Inês Mendes, Michele Lazzarini, Omar Barrilero, Paula Saameño, Sergio Albani
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Remote Sensing
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/12/2087
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author Miguel A. Belenguer-Plomer
Inês Mendes
Michele Lazzarini
Omar Barrilero
Paula Saameño
Sergio Albani
author_facet Miguel A. Belenguer-Plomer
Inês Mendes
Michele Lazzarini
Omar Barrilero
Paula Saameño
Sergio Albani
author_sort Miguel A. Belenguer-Plomer
collection DOAJ
description The United Nations (UN) framework defines indicator 13.1.1 as the number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected individuals due to disasters per 100,000 population. This indicator is associated with target 13.1, which calls for urgent actions against climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. However, there is a lack of official data providers and well-established methodologies for assessing the resilience of populated areas to natural disasters. Earth observation (EO), geospatial technologies, and local data may support the estimation of this indicator and, as such, enhance the resilience of specific communities against hazards. Thus, the present study aims to enhance the capacity to monitor Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using the abovementioned technologies. In this context, a methodology that integrates ecoregion-specific model training and flood potential related geospatial datasets has been developed to estimate the number of houses affected by floods. This methodology relies on disaster-related databases, such as the UN’s DesInventar, and flood- and exposure-related data, including precipitation and soil moisture products combined with hydro-modelling based on digital elevation models, infrastructure datasets, and population products. By integrating these data sources, different machine learning regression models were trained and stratified by ecoregions to predict the number of affected houses and, as such, provide a more comprehensive understanding of community resilience to floods in the Sahel region. This effort is particularly crucial as the frequency and intensity of floods significantly increase in many areas due to climate change.
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spelling doaj-art-b4284285e7b2433790271bed8eea0bfb2025-08-20T03:29:39ZengMDPI AGRemote Sensing2072-42922025-06-011712208710.3390/rs17122087Estimating Flood-Affected Houses as an SDG Indicator to Enhance the Flood Resilience of Sahel Communities Using Geospatial DataMiguel A. Belenguer-Plomer0Inês Mendes1Michele Lazzarini2Omar Barrilero3Paula Saameño4Sergio Albani5European Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, SpainEuropean Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, SpainEuropean Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, SpainEuropean Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, SpainEuropean Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, SpainEuropean Union Satellite Centre (SatCen), 28850 Torrejon de Ardoz, SpainThe United Nations (UN) framework defines indicator 13.1.1 as the number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected individuals due to disasters per 100,000 population. This indicator is associated with target 13.1, which calls for urgent actions against climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. However, there is a lack of official data providers and well-established methodologies for assessing the resilience of populated areas to natural disasters. Earth observation (EO), geospatial technologies, and local data may support the estimation of this indicator and, as such, enhance the resilience of specific communities against hazards. Thus, the present study aims to enhance the capacity to monitor Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using the abovementioned technologies. In this context, a methodology that integrates ecoregion-specific model training and flood potential related geospatial datasets has been developed to estimate the number of houses affected by floods. This methodology relies on disaster-related databases, such as the UN’s DesInventar, and flood- and exposure-related data, including precipitation and soil moisture products combined with hydro-modelling based on digital elevation models, infrastructure datasets, and population products. By integrating these data sources, different machine learning regression models were trained and stratified by ecoregions to predict the number of affected houses and, as such, provide a more comprehensive understanding of community resilience to floods in the Sahel region. This effort is particularly crucial as the frequency and intensity of floods significantly increase in many areas due to climate change.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/12/2087climate securityearth observation (EO)Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)flood resilience
spellingShingle Miguel A. Belenguer-Plomer
Inês Mendes
Michele Lazzarini
Omar Barrilero
Paula Saameño
Sergio Albani
Estimating Flood-Affected Houses as an SDG Indicator to Enhance the Flood Resilience of Sahel Communities Using Geospatial Data
Remote Sensing
climate security
earth observation (EO)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
flood resilience
title Estimating Flood-Affected Houses as an SDG Indicator to Enhance the Flood Resilience of Sahel Communities Using Geospatial Data
title_full Estimating Flood-Affected Houses as an SDG Indicator to Enhance the Flood Resilience of Sahel Communities Using Geospatial Data
title_fullStr Estimating Flood-Affected Houses as an SDG Indicator to Enhance the Flood Resilience of Sahel Communities Using Geospatial Data
title_full_unstemmed Estimating Flood-Affected Houses as an SDG Indicator to Enhance the Flood Resilience of Sahel Communities Using Geospatial Data
title_short Estimating Flood-Affected Houses as an SDG Indicator to Enhance the Flood Resilience of Sahel Communities Using Geospatial Data
title_sort estimating flood affected houses as an sdg indicator to enhance the flood resilience of sahel communities using geospatial data
topic climate security
earth observation (EO)
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
flood resilience
url https://www.mdpi.com/2072-4292/17/12/2087
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