The Environment Agency of England has a long track record of airborne LIDAR surveying for flood risk modelling and mapping. In January 2012 an official request was made by the Philippines Department of Science and technology for technical assistance in setting up a LIDAR and flood mapping capability with the new “Project NOAH”, which aims to utilise the best technology for managing natural hazards such as flooding within the Philippines.

The Philippines is one of the most vulnerable countries to natural hazards such as flooding, and the UK government is committed to supporting developing countries mitigate the effects of climate change, where appropriate. An exchange of technical knowledge between Filipino and English counter-parts during 2012 and 2013 has helped to enable the ambitious project produce accurate digital elevation models for flood modelling and mapping.

The talk  will describe the challenges and progress made by the project since April 2012, when a seminar on the project was hosted by Bristol University, during a visit to the UK by the project leaders from the University of the Philippines.