Navigating Data Scarcity in Flood Risk Assessment

ABSTRACT

The assessment of flood risk is crucial for sustainable planning, policymaking, and emergency management. Even with recent methodological advancements, flood risk assessment in data‐scarce regions still encounters significant uncertainties. Despite the multitude of available methods and data sources, no context‐specific guidance exists for selecting a suitable combination of methods to map risk in a given data‐scarce area of interest. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review of 264 studies on flood risk assessment in data‐scarce regions. First, our study reveals diverse interpretations of “risk” and “data scarcity”, deviating from well‐established definitions. We highlight the use of a standardized definition of flood risk to enhance the comparability of findings and improve the reliability of assessments. Second, we conceptualize data scarcity in the flood risk context to support an informed selection of assessment methods. Third, we systematically compile risk indicators, methods, and data sources applied in the context of data scarcity, and we analyze the interplay between methods for mapping the three key risk components, that is, hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. This interplay enables the design of a three‐step approach for identifying an appropriate methodological combination for flood risk assessment in any data‐scarce application context. Through these three key contributions, our review paves the way for more reliable and consistent flood risk assessment and management in data‐scarce regions, facilitating the reduction and mitigation of flood impacts in vulnerable communities across the globe.

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Science of Water > Water Extremes