Flood management is becoming more and more important to society, and flood modelling is seen as an integral part of flood management.

Models are used for planning and design as well as for forecasting floods so that mitigating measures can be taken in time. Decision support systems (DSS) based on models are increasingly being used by engineers and scientists in flood management.

Learning objectives

Following this online course will help in answering the questions such as: How are floods generated and how do they develop in time? What are better ways of designing flood protection schemes using models? What models can be used for forecasting floods? How should model results be used to inform decision makers?

Students will develop the ability to:

identify the cause of a flood;
identify the type of a flood;
simulate a type of flood;
interpret and evaluate the impacts of a flood;
prepare and advise/communicate on possible flood prevention and mitigation actions, including technical and ethical considerations.

Target group

The course is designed for young and mid-level professionals who are involved in flood modelling or flood management, or who want to develop competences in this field, it is a postgraduate study ideally suited for flood managers, water managers, flood modellers/engineers and scientists dealing with floods.

Course structure

This online course is to be completed in 4 months at 8 study hours per week. The online learning environment is used for downloading training material and communication. Communication with fellow-students and course moderators can be posted on the 'Ask-the-trainer' page or on the discussion forum eliciting responses from fellow participants.