Multi-scale early warning system for the operational management of hydrological and hydraulic risk

Floods are common and deadly natural hazards worldwide; the management of flood risk requires the integration of structural and non-structural measures. Among the latter, warning systems have a central role especially because they permit reducing the loss of lives. This note presents the progress of a project, funded by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) in the frame of the innovation ecosystem “Tech4You”, aimed at developing tools for improving flood management – with particular emphasis on early warning systems - in Southern Italy. The project covers different spatial scales, encompassing the regional scale (Calabria region and the entire Southern Italy), river basin scale, with a particular focus on the Crati River basin, and local scale, i.e. selected urban areas. The main results achieved in the initial phase of the project include the geographical and topographic characterization of the study areas, the collection and validation of hydrometeorological data, the preparation of projects for the installation of experimental monitoring devices, and the preliminary calibration of hydrological and hydraulic models. The requirements for a WebGIS aimed at gathering project information have also been identified.