dataset · Global

Global Flood Database v1 (2000-2018)

The Global Flood Database contains maps of the extent and temporal distribution of 913 flood events occurring between 2000-2018. For more information, see [the associated journal article](https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03695-w). Flood events were collected from the [Dartmouth Flood Observatory](https://floodobservatory.colorado.edu/) and used to collect MODIS imagery. The selected 913 events are those that were successfully mapped (passed quality control as having significant inundation beyo

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Source details

Licence: CC-BY-NC-4.0

Evidence quality: 37

Listed in gee public catalogue API on 2026-10-16; relevance/value screened (haiku).

Metadata checked: 2026-10-14T13:20:00.000Z

What's in it

Data offered docs-verified: maximum flood extent per event ('flooded' band, 1 = water, 0 = no water) · inundation duration in days per event ('duration' band) · cloud-free observation counts ('clear_views' days, 'clear_perc' %) · permanent water mask from JRC Global Surface Water ('jrc_perm_water' band) · event attributes from DFO: severity, main cause, people displaced, fatalities, validation type · event identifiers and location: DFO ID, GLIDE index, centroid lat/lon, country codes
Coverage llm-inferred: Global · 2000-02-17 to 2018-12-10
Resolution docs-verified: 250 m classification per the dataset description; the band table lists a 30 m pixel size, so the docs conflict
Formats docs-verified: Google Earth Engine ImageCollection (GEE asset)
Access docs-verified: Google Earth Engine; registration required; free for research, education and nonprofit use; licence CC-BY-NC-4.0 (non-commercial)

Useful for

Use cases llm-inferred: Historical satellite-observed flood-extent context for FRA baselines, as a research cross-check (non-commercial use only) · Permanent-water-masked flood extent to compare against modelled inundation extents at indicative 250 m scale · Inundation-duration statistics from past events for research on flood exposure and recurrence
Audience llm-inferred: hydrologists · GIS analysts · flood risk researchers

Limitations

Constraints llm-inferred: Non-commercial licence (CC-BY-NC-4.0): commercial consultancy deliverables would need permission · Only 913 events that passed quality control are included, so many floods are absent · Time span ends 2018-12-10; no post-2018 events · Optical MODIS imagery: cloud cover reduces observations, indicated by the clear_views and clear_perc bands · Extent and duration only; no flood depth or velocity · Global dataset, not calibrated for UK conditions · Resolution is inconsistent in the docs (250 m vs 30 m) · Requires Earth Engine registration and an Earth Engine environment

Evidence

Check upstream coverage, uncertainty and licence before use. Station observations are not forecasts or design levels.