Application of Morphological Active Contour Model for Flood Extent Mapping Using Unitemporal SAR Image: 2023 North Indian Floods

Near-real time and accurate flood maps serve as a crucial element in the success of any disaster management efforts or emergency services. In this study, we have derived flood extent maps using the Morphological Chan-Vese Active Contour Model on Sentinel-1 Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for the 2023 North Indian flood event. We employed a simple and effective morphological version of Active Contour Model for near-real time flood mapping that resulted in a satisfactory F-1 score for a smoothing factor of 3, validated against the flood reference layer generated from PlanetScope optical data. Our work showcases a practical approach towards rapid and accurate flood mapping, enhancing the efficiency of disaster response.