Patent ID: 8914266
Filing Date: 2014-12-16
Classification: G06F,Y02A

Abstract:
1. A flood modeling system, comprising: memory for storing terrain data, the terrain data defining a plurality of land cells and a plurality of channel cells, the land cells representing areas of terrain within a geographic region, the channel cells representing areas of a channel passing through the geographic region, wherein the terrain data defines at least one overwater (OW) land cell representing an area over one of the channel cells; a land flow estimator configured to model a flood in the geographic region in a series of time steps and to respectively associate the plurality of land cells with surface water indicators, each of the surface water indicators indicative of an amount of surface water virtually in the associated land cell, wherein for each of the time steps the land flow estimator calculates an amount of surface water that virtually flows to each respective land cell and an amount of surface water that virtually flows from each respective land cell, wherein the land flow estimator, for each of the time steps and each of the plurality of land cells, updates the associated surface water indicator based on the amount of surface water calculated to virtually flow to the respective land cell during the respective time step and the amount of surface water calculated to virtually flow from the respective land cell during the respective time step, wherein the plurality of land cells include at least a first land cell and a second land cell that is adjacent to the first land cell, and wherein the land flow estimator is configured to calculate an amount of surface water that flows from the first land cell to the second land cell for one of the time steps based on the surface water indicators associated with the first and second land cells; and a channel flow estimator configured to calculate, for each of the time steps and each of the channel cells, an amount of water that virtually flows to each respective channel cell and an amount of water that virtually flows from each respective channel cell, the channel flow estimator further configured to respectively associate the channel cells with channel water indicators, each of the channel water indicators indicative of an amount of water virtually in the associated channel cell, wherein the channel flow estimator, for each of the time steps and each of the channel cells, updates the associated channel water indicator based on the amount of water calculated to virtually flow to the respective channel cell during the respective time step and the amount of water calculated to virtually flow from the respective channel cell curing the respective time step, the channel flow estimator configured to calculate an amount of overflow water that virtually overflows one of the channel cells to the OW land cell for one of the time steps based on a water surface height associated with the one channel cell, wherein the land flow estimator is configured to associate the OW land cell with a surface water indicator indicative of an amount of surface water virtually in the OW land cell above the one channel cell, wherein the land flow estimator is configured to calculate an amount of water that virtually flows from the OW land cell to the first land cell based on the surface water indicator associated with the first land cell and the surface water indicator associated with the OW land cell, and wherein the first land cell is adjacent to the OW land cell.