Articles | Volume 27, issue 18
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3351-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-27-3351-2023
Research article
 | 
21 Sep 2023
Research article |  | 21 Sep 2023

Uncertainty in three dimensions: the challenges of communicating probabilistic flood forecast maps

Valérie Jean, Marie-Amélie Boucher, Anissa Frini, and Dominic Roussel

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Cited articles

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Short summary
Flood forecasts are only useful if they are understood correctly. They are also uncertain, and it is difficult to present all of the information about the forecast and its uncertainty on a map, as it is three dimensional (water depth and extent, in all directions). To overcome this, we interviewed 139 people to understand their preferences in terms of forecast visualization. We propose simple and effective ways of presenting flood forecast maps so that they can be understood and useful.