Application of AI-Based Models for Flood Water Level Forecasting and Flood Risk Classification

Owing to global climate change, the frequency of disasters has increased twelve-fold, with a corresponding approximately seventeen-fold increase in economic damages over the past six decades. Notably, severe flood damage has been occurring in Asia along the Pacific coast due to extreme weather events, including torrential rains and typhoons, which have been becoming increasingly frequent and prolonging the rainy season. In the Eastern Visayas region, the management and monitoring facilities for flood observation data, as well as the forecasting and warning systems suitable for the local area, are insufficient. The warning system introduced through overseas grants is limited in operation in some areas of the city. Furthermore, although an organization has jurisdiction over flood forecasting and warning, the system’s operation is not systematic and is limited. Additionally, there is a shortage of technical manpower. In this study, we utilized deep learning models to forecast flood water levels in the CarayCaray Basin on Biliran Island, located in Eastern Visayas, the Philippines. Additionally, a flood risk classification was applied to evaluate the degree of risk associated with the predicted water levels. The predicted water levels for each model were compared with the observed water level data. The evaluation of the predictive performance of each model resulted in an NRMSE value of 9.48. Moreover, the accuracy of the DNN model was found to be the best among the flood water level prediction models. To implement the flood risk classification, we utilized extreme gradient boosting, random forest, and decision tree models. The application of these models resulted in an F1-score of 0.92 for the extreme gradient boost model, which exhibited the highest accuracy. With an increasing need for disaster (flood) management, AI-based predictive models are anticipated to reduce the damage caused by natural disasters and enhance disaster mitigation systems. Real-time collection of rainfall and water level data enables continuous learning. Furthermore, if a clear flood warning based on learned flood level patterns is issued, preemptive measures can be taken before intense flood damage occurs.