Water expertise by Finnish Environment Institute
Flood modelling and mapping services for informed decisions
Understand where flooding may occur, what could be affected and how to prepare. We provide hydraulic modelling, flood mapping and risk assessment for authorities, planners, infrastructure owners and water-sector organisations.
Turn flood scenarios into practical planning information
Flood risks vary by catchment, terrain, infrastructure and the type of event. We model river, pluvial, dam-break and ice-related flood scenarios and translate the results into maps and assessments that support land-use planning, rescue preparedness, communication and flood-risk management.
Finnish Environment Institute combines hydraulic modelling, flood-risk expertise and geographic information analysis. We can support a complete assignment or focus on a specific phase, from preparing river geometry and calibrating a model to producing hazard and risk maps. We also tailor training to the client’s data, tools and level of experience.
Services we provide
Choose a complete modelling and mapping package or targeted expert support for one stage of your work. We adapt the scope to the flood scenario, available data and intended use of the results.
Hydraulic modelling
Dam-break modelling
River-ice modelling
Pluvial and catchment-scale mapping
Flood hazard mapping
Flood risk assessment and mapping
Flood risk assessment and mapping
EU Floods Directive support
GIS analysis
Tailored training
References
Our international assignments show how hydraulic modelling, flood mapping and training can be adapted to different institutional settings and levels of technical capacity.
Flood Map Service (waterinfo.fi)
Implementation of the EU Floods Directive. Finnish Environment Institute provides national coordination, assistance and guidance for the implementation of the EU Floods Directive in Finland. The work includes guidance on flood risk assessment, support to regional authorities in flood hazard and risk mapping and flood risk management planning, as well as maintenance and development of national flood information systems, map services and EU reporting.
- Country: Finland
- Organisation: regional Centres for Economic Development and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Scope: National coordination, guidance, flood risk management implementation support, information systems and services, and EU reporting
- Years: continuing since 2007
2D surface flow modelling for flood mapping
Finnish Environment Institute has developed a 2D surface flow model for efficient, large-scale flood mapping. The model has been used for nationwide pluvial flood mapping since 2018, providing municipalities with information for preliminary flood risk assessment and land use planning. Since 2022, the model has also been applied to catchment-scale flood mapping and, more recently, to general-level dam-break modelling.
- Country: Finland
- Organisations: municipalities, rescue services, regional authorities, consultants, dam safety authority and catchment planners
- Scope: 2D surface flow modelling, nationwide pluvial flood mapping, catchment-scale flood mapping and general-level dam-break modelling
- Years: continuing since 2018
Regional Andean programme
Finnish Environment Institute participated in the Regional Andean Programme to Enhance Weather, Water and Climate Services and Development (PRASDES). The assignment is a documented example of our flood-modelling and mapping expertise in South America.
- Region: Andean countries, South America
- Programme: PRASDES
- Year: 2016
Frequently asked questions
These answers cover common questions about service scope, methods, data and training. We define the details together for each assignment.
Can you also support only one phase of a modelling or mapping project?
Yes. We can provide a complete package or focus on a specific phase, such as river geometry, HEC-RAS model preparation, calibration, scenario simulation, uncertainty analysis, GIS work or map production. We tailor the scope to your needs, expertise and intended use of the results, taking into account the available data.
Which flood scenarios can you model?
Our services cover detailed fluvial flood modelling, including frazil ice-related flooding, as well as general-level pluvial, catchment-scale and dam-break modelling using our in-house surface flow model. The appropriate method depends on your needs and the decisions the analysis needs to support, taking into account the available data.
How can flood maps support planning and preparedness?
Flood maps show where water may spread under selected scenarios and can include information such as flood depth and flow velocity. They provide a shared evidence base for land-use planning, rescue and emergency planning, infrastructure assessment, risk communication and the prioritisation of flood-risk management work.
Can you account for uncertainty?
Yes. Hydraulic modelling can include uncertainty analysis and simulations for different flood probabilities or assumptions. We agree the scenarios and level of analysis with you so that the results are appropriate for their intended use.
Do you provide training for our own specialists?
Yes. We can tailor training to cover the full hydraulic modelling and flood-mapping workflow or selected phases. Training can use your own data and open-source software. This makes it easier to connect the learning with your organisation’s practical tasks.
What information is needed to get started?
The requirements depend on the assignment. A first discussion should cover the study area, flood scenario, intended use, available terrain and hydrological data, existing models, required outputs and your timetable. We can then help define a suitable scope and identify any additional data needs.
Plan your flood assessment with us
Tell us about your study area, planning question or training need. Our experts can help you define a suitable modelling, mapping or risk-assessment approach.