Flood prevention solutions using remote sensing and agent-based modeling (Case study: Shoush city)

Among all the natural hazards in the country, according to recorded statistics and observations, floods have been the most destructive, and it has the highest frequency of occurrence. Floods are one of the known natural disasters that cause a lot of financial and human losses. This phenomenon can be controlled by identifying flood-prone areas and proper management. In the current era, due to human encroachment on rivers and land-use change or destruction of vegetation, flood damage has increased. These factors cause, in addition to increasing human and financial losses, damages such as soil erosion upstream and sedimentation downstream. In this research, using agent-based modeling in the NetLogo simulation environment, flood-prone areas in Shush city have been identified. The most important input was topography (digital elevation model) and then dynamic and temporal simulation was done by performing tessellation on the area and considering the rainfall in each cell as an agent. Using spatial analysis in ArcGIS software and comparing the simulation results with the location of the city and land use maps of the region, the possible causes of floods in this region have been investigated. Agent-based models with the incorporation of geospatial information systems (GIS) can be used as a new solution to solve spatial problems such as natural crises, destructive environmental impacts, and so on. Finally, preventive measures to prevent floods in this area are proposed.