Franch-Pardo et al. (2025) Geospatial Technologies in Crisis Response: Analyzing the 2024 Floods in Valencia, Spain

Identification

• Journal: European Journal of Geography
• Year: 2025
• Date: 2025-08-04
• Authors: Iván Franch-Pardo, Pere Puig, Artemi Cerdà
• DOI: 10.48088/ejg.i.fra.16.2.286.297

Research Groups

• GIS Laboratory, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores Morelia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico
• Soil Erosion and Degradation Research Group, Departament de Geografia, Universitat de València, Spain
• El Tossal cartografies, Spain

Short Summary

This study systematically reviews and critically analyzes the application of geospatial technologies in forecasting, documenting, and managing the catastrophic October 2024 floods in Valencia, Spain, demonstrating their crucial role as the primary reliable information source post-disaster while exposing significant institutional failures in territorial planning and vulnerability protection.

Objective

• To reconstruct and critically analyze how geospatial technologies were used for forecasting, documenting, and managing the 2024 Valencia floods.
• To evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of these tools, propose lines of improvement for future events, and advocate for greater participation in future territorial planning, especially in flood-susceptible urban areas.

Study Configuration

• Spatial Scale: Valencia, Spain, including the metropolitan area, Horta Sud, Albufera National Park, Valencia province, and surrounding areas in eastern Spain.
• Temporal Scale: October 29, 2024 (event date) through November 2024, with a systematic review conducted between November 2024 and June 2025, and references to historical events.

Methodology and Data

• Models used:
  • Flood Mud Index (FMI) for automated flood mapping (developed by Alcarás, 2025).
  • New models for identifying flood impact (developed by Castro-Melgar et al., 2025).
  • GIS-based multi-criteria decision making (GIS-MCDA) and neural networks (mentioned as advanced techniques for pre-impact phases).
• Data sources:
  • Meteorological data: AEMET reports, Meteosat-11 (MSG-11) satellite (infrared and water vapor channels), C-band Doppler weather radars, Automatic Hydrological Information System (SAIH), Agrometeorological Information System for Irrigation (SIAR).
  • Satellite imagery: Landsat-8 (OLI sensor, 30 m resolution), GeoEye-1 (2 m resolution), WorldView-2 (0.5 m resolution), Pléiades-1 A/B (0.5 m resolution), Sentinel-2 (10 m, 20 m, 60 m resolutions), Sentinel-1 (SAR sensor, 20 m resolution), MODIS (Aqua, 250 m resolution), ICEYE OY (2.5 m resolution), COSMO-SkyMed (15 m resolution), SPOT-6 (1.5 m resolution).
  • Aerial photos: Drone orthophotos (5 cm resolution), SPASA photogrammetric flights (0.2 m resolution).
  • GIS outputs: Maps from Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) Rapid Mapping, International Charter: Space and Major Disasters, MapDANA (University of Valencia), street-level flood map (Polytechnic University of Valencia), Cartographic Institute of Valencia (ICV) web map viewer, HERMES GIS web platform (Spanish Ministry of Transport).
  • Ancillary data: 2023 LiDAR data, anonymized mobile phone big data, heritage inventories, citizen participation data.
  • Literature: Systematic review of academic databases (Mendeley, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar), peer-reviewed articles, institutional reports, technical publications, and press reports.

Main Results

• Geospatial technologies, particularly satellite imagery and rapid mapping services (Copernicus EMS, International Charter), were the most reliable information sources for disaster management in the immediate aftermath of the 2024 Valencia floods.
• The disaster response involved four chronological phases: early warning using meteorological data, immediate impact assessment via satellite imagery, development of web platforms for data dissemination, and subsequent research utilizing generated geospatial data.
• International platforms (Copernicus EMS, International Charter) facilitated rapid satellite image processing and mapping of flooded areas, with products like delineation, monitoring, and damage assessment maps.
• Local academic institutions developed innovative tools, such as MapDANA and a street-level flood map, which were widely adopted and improved spatial accuracy. The Flood Mud Index (FMI) achieved an overall accuracy of 97.64% for detecting mud-covered areas.
• The event highlighted significant institutional shortcomings in territorial planning, with 30% of affected homes built in flood-prone areas despite existing risk prevention plans (PATRICOVA since 2003).
• Socioeconomically vulnerable populations were disproportionately affected, with impacted municipalities having household incomes 5 to 10 percentage points below the provincial average.
• The study contrasts climate change-based explanations for the flood's intensity with historical-geographic interpretations, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach to risk management that considers both contemporary climate change and long-term regional exposure to extreme hydrometeorological events.

Contributions

• Provides a comprehensive, systematic review and critical analysis of the real-world application and effectiveness of geospatial technologies in a major, recent natural disaster.
• Offers a detailed chronological reconstruction of how geospatial tools were deployed and evolved throughout the disaster response, serving as a practical case study for future emergency management.
• Underscores the critical role and efficiency of international satellite information networks (Copernicus EMS, International Charter) in providing rapid, reliable data during crises.
• Documents the development and impact of innovative, locally-driven geospatial tools and methodologies that enhanced accuracy and public utility during the emergency.
• Contributes to the ongoing scientific and societal debate on the causes of extreme flood events by integrating both climate change and historical-geographic perspectives, advocating for a holistic understanding of vulnerability.
• Identifies crucial institutional shortcomings in territorial planning and protection of vulnerable populations, offering valuable lessons and recommendations for improving future disaster prevention and resilience strategies.

Funding

This research received no external funding.

Citation

@article{FranchPardo2025Geospatial,
  author = {Franch-Pardo, Iván and Puig, Pere and Cerdà, Artemi},
  title = {Geospatial Technologies in Crisis Response: Analyzing the 2024 Floods in Valencia, Spain},
  journal = {European Journal of Geography},
  year = {2025},
  doi = {10.48088/ejg.i.fra.16.2.286.297},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.48088/ejg.i.fra.16.2.286.297}
}