A fuzzy-logic-based approach for flood detection from Cosmo-SkyMed data

The Cosmo-SkyMed mission offers a unique opportunity to obtain radar images useful for flood mapping, being characterized by high revisit time, thanks to the four satellites that form its constellation. In the context of a study aiming at evaluating the usefulness of Earth Observation data for managing flood events, particularly focused on Cosmo-SkyMed, an algorithm to map flooded areas from synthetic aperture radar imagery has been developed. It employs also ancillary data as a land cover map and a digital elevation model. The approach is based on the fuzzy logic because such a theory allows us to exploit the theoretical knowledge about the radar return from inundated areas and to account for simple hydraulic considerations and contextual information.