Status: In Development
This project demonstrates an end-to-end flood susceptibility workflow using Google Earth Engine, Python, and QGIS. The model is still being refined and should be interpreted as a relative susceptibility surface, not observed flood extent.
This project maps national-scale flood susceptibility across Kenya using open geospatial datasets and a reproducible GIS workflow.
The workflow includes:
- Google Earth Engine data export
- Python raster processing
- QGIS validation and styling
- QGIS layout production
- QGIS2Web interactive map export
- GitHub documentation
- Static flood susceptibility map:
outputs/static_maps/Kenya Flood Susceptibility.png - Printable PDF layout:
outputs/static_maps/Kenya Flood Susceptibility.pdf - Interactive web map:
outputs/web_maps/qgis2web_2026_06_02-14_36_30_959246/index.html - QGIS project:
maps/kenya_flood_susceptibility.qgz - QGIS style:
maps/styles/flood_susceptibility_refined.qml - Processing notebooks:
notebooks/
| Dataset | Source | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| SRTM DEM | NASA / USGS | Elevation factor |
| Derived Slope | SRTM DEM | Terrain steepness factor |
| CHIRPS Rainfall | Climate Hazards Group | Rainfall influence |
| ESA WorldCover | European Space Agency | Land-cover reference |
| Kenya Boundary | Administrative boundary dataset | Study area boundary |
| World Hillshade | Basemap plugin / ESRI | Cartographic context |
The refined flood susceptibility model uses three factors:
| Factor | Weight |
|---|---|
| Elevation | 35% |
| Slope | 30% |
| Rainfall | 35% |
Lower elevation, gentler slope, and higher rainfall were assigned higher susceptibility.
The final raster was classified into five zones using quantiles:
- Very Low
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very High
An earlier version included a distance-to-water factor.
During QGIS visual validation, this layer introduced circular artefacts in the susceptibility surface. The factor was removed, and the refined model was rebuilt using elevation, slope, and rainfall.
This project intentionally keeps that refinement step documented to show practical GIS troubleshooting and iterative model improvement.
| Plugin | Use |
|---|---|
| QuickMapServices / Basemaps | Hillshade and basemap context |
| QGIS2Web | Interactive web map export |
| GRASS | Available processing toolbox for terrain/spatial tools |
| GDAL | Raster processing and format support |
| DataPlotly / Plotting tools | Planned charts and summaries |
- The output shows relative flood susceptibility, not actual flood extent.
- The current model does not yet include flow accumulation, drainage density, soil type, river discharge, or observed flood validation.
- National-scale analysis prioritizes broad spatial consistency over local hydraulic detail.
- High coastal susceptibility is mainly influenced by low elevation, flatter terrain, and rainfall.
data/
boundaries/
raw/
processed/
docs/
maps/
styles/
kenya_flood_susceptibility.qgz
notebooks/
outputs/
static_maps/
web_maps/
README.md
requirements.txt