Fugro’s geo-data helps the City of Bad Homburg assess long-term flood risks

The flood risk scenarios created by Fugro have been shared with city committees, utilities and the fire service to help develop flood defence strategies and safeguard water security for the city’s people, economy and environment. These maps are now available online for local residents.

Fugro developed a high-resolution hydro-numerical model of Bad Homburg to simulate the two-dimensional runoff of heavy rain events. Based on the captured data, such as water depth and flow velocity, detailed flood hazard maps were created to identify areas of vulnerability. With video visualisation of the results, vivid impressions of the runoff processes have been provided, allowing stakeholders to develop effective management strategies.

Heavy rain can cause intense surface runoff resulting in torrential streams. The flow paths of these streams could not be monitored adequately with traditional methods, but Fugro’s state-of-the-art techniques and modelling services provide detailed flow path analysis and insight into the direction and magnitude of surface water flow.

Helmut Hamann, Official of Environment and Landscape Design for the City of Bad Homburg, said: "Fugro's flow path maps have highlighted a high-level exposure to heavy rain in parts of the city. Since their publication, these maps have been beneficial for planning purposes for both our administration and our citizens. Their high level of detail is commendable and we recommend other municipalities take similar preparatory action against heavy rainfall events.”

Marcus Pistorius, Fugro’s Project Manager, said: “Our expertise in water management provides the latest insights into flood risk mapping and evaluation. By integrating high-quality data acquisition with expert engineering services, we’re able to provide key resources for the proactive management of water and flood defence.”