floodsr: A lightweight Python toolkit for terrain-conditioned flood map super-resolution

Coarse flood maps support regional risk assessment but omit terrain detail relevant to local exposure. We present floodsr, a Python framework for reconstructing fine-grid flood depths using a trained residual U-Net (ResUNet) or the existing terrain-based CostGrow method. We trained the terrain-conditioned ResUNet on paired Canadian hydraulic simulations and evaluated it on withheld spatial tiles and independent simulations at two external sites. Wet-loss training improved reconstruction on five selected tiles, although internal validation favoured the deployed baseline. External depth errors decreased, but wet-depth errors and spatial agreement did not improve consistently. CPU benchmarks quantified runtime and memory for both methods, and repeatability and input-validation checks passed in the tested configurations. The framework supports comparison and reuse of reconstruction methods; application-specific validation remains necessary because finer grids do not guarantee more accurate flood maps. Non-peer-reviewed preprint. Includes the manuscript and supplementary material. Software: https://github.com/cefect/floodsr . Documentation: https://floodsr.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ .

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-10-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23823349
Primary Topic
Flood Risk Assessment and Management
Type
preprint
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
preprint

floodsr: A lightweight Python toolkit for terrain-conditioned flood map super-resolution

Seth Bryant, Heiko Apel, Walter Gordy
4 links
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Flood Risk Assessment and Management
preprint

floodsr: A lightweight Python toolkit for terrain-conditioned flood map super-resolution

Seth Bryant, Heiko Apel, Walter Gordy
preprint en

Abstract

Coarse flood maps support regional risk assessment but omit terrain detail relevant to local exposure. We present floodsr, a Python framework for reconstructing fine-grid flood depths using a trained residual U-Net (ResUNet) or the existing terrain-based CostGrow method. We trained the terrain-conditioned ResUNet on paired Canadian hydraulic simulations and evaluated it on withheld spatial tiles and independent simulations at two external sites. Wet-loss training improved reconstruction on five selected tiles, although internal validation favoured the deployed baseline. External depth errors decreased, but wet-depth errors and spatial agreement did not improve consistently. CPU benchmarks quantified runtime and memory for both methods, and repeatability and input-validation checks passed in the tested configurations. The framework supports comparison and reuse of reconstruction methods; application-specific validation remains necessary because finer grids do not guarantee more accurate flood maps. Non-peer-reviewed preprint. Includes the manuscript and supplementary material. Software: https://github.com/cefect/floodsr . Documentation: https://floodsr.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ .

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (DE)
Clean water and sanitation
Flood Risk Assessment and Management
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.

Laika access coming soon
floodsr: A lightweight Python toolkit for terrain-conditioned flood map super-resolution — Seth Bryant, Heiko Apel, et al. · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS