29 June 2016
Last updated at 08:34
News
FCI launch flood reports with new high-resolution 5 metre groundwater data
Future Climate Info (FCI), have introduced JBA’s high-resolution 5 metre groundwater flood data to their reports.
The new groundwater data, which indicates the risk of flooding in every 5 metre square across the country, gives a greater level of detail and allows more specific reporting using a simple ‘traffic light’ system. By incorporating this ground-breaking new data into FCI reports it will add further invaluable insight into the potential flood risks so FCI can continue to provide the most complete and accurate data in the market.
Groundwater flooding is affecting a growing number of UK properties and is predominantly caused by unusually high groundwater levels often following prolonged rain. It tends to be more persistent than surface water flooding and can last for weeks or months often resulting in significant damage to property. With this in mind the JBA team modelled how and where groundwater levels would rise following prolonged periods of rainfall, taking into account factors such as topography, groundwater recharge volumes and spatial variations in aquifer storage and transmission properties. The model outputs were validated against recorded groundwater levels for past flood events and checked against areas historically affected by groundwater flooding.
Geoff Offen, Managing Director of FCI, commented on the new dataset
"Our flood module is identical in Essential, Standard and Premium, and it’s also identical to the module used in our stand alone flood report. With FCI there is no customer confusion as to what’s in and what’s been left out, you don’t have to buy another flood risk product from us to get the full flood risk picture.
We’ve included the new JBA 5 metre resolution groundwater flood risk data in all of our reports because our customers want to have the most complete and the most accurate and the best available flood risk data, in the one search. Accurate data combined with our unique Land Registry boundary search means that we can use tighter reporting distances, and that our customers get more accurate results and fewer and more relevant flood further actions".
Figure 1 caption: Example of traffic light system and 5 metre mapping on an individual property.
The enhanced 5 metre resolution of the JBA data allows FCI to apply a much tighter buffer when the property boundary is used, allowing for property specific risk assessment for the homebuyer.
Developed by Dr Maxine Zaidman and the JBA team, the new 5 metre groundwater flood map delivers enhanced resolution which makes it easier to pinpoint and report risks on a much finer scale. Commenting on the 5 metre data, Dr Zaidman said,
“The detailed groundwater maps will help potential homebuyers identify if a property is at risk of groundwater flood in a 100-year return period and will also assist flood risk management authorities in meeting their responsibilities under the Flood and Water Management Act.”
This ground-breaking 5 metre data combined with the new Flood Re scheme is a great move towards helping to identify and protect homes from flooding.
The full FCI range is availble to order from PSG, contact your local office for more details.
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