NSW Story Maitland Floods

_{NSW Satellite Imagery Hub Story}

The role of Planet imagery in delineating flood extent at Maitland NSW during July 2022

Objectives

In July 2022, Maitland Local Government Area experienced a major flood event (10.41m). Riverine flooding closed 55 roads including the New England Highway and isolated several populated areas for days.

Planetscope imagery from the NSW Satellite Imagery Hub was used in conjunction with freely available Copernicus EMSR586 data (blue lines) to determine maximum flood extents.

Outcomes

Benefits of timely satellite imagery

The imagery was used to identify flood affected land and relate this to flood management planning.

Supporting local councils

Maitland Council continues to use Planet satellite imagery of flood events for the assessment of damage occurring to Council buildings and assets, as well as for the planning of evacuation centres and evacuation routes.

Maitland flooding — 26 June and 7 July 2022 imagery pair showing the massive impact of Hunter River flooding on rural areas surrounding Maitland City.

“Planet imagery confirmed the extent of the flood digitized by EMR586 and provided the first LGA- wide data for flooding in Maitland” – Ben Nicholson, GIS Lead, Maitland City Council

PlanetScope imagery acquired from near-daily satellite availability and has a resolution of 3.7m. For more information, contact [email protected].