Page History

Image Modified

The following is a description of the latest operational release of EFAS v4.6. For v5.2, which was launched on 13 August 2024. For an overview of other EFAS releases, please see: EFAS versioning system. 

Summary

EFAS v4v5.6 2 introduces several minor changes to the system, as well as some general bug fixes. Here is a summary of the main changes: 

1. New version of LISFLOOD

LISFLOOD version 3.2.0 is used in this EFAS release. It includes important developments, such as:

• enhanced code capability to handle inputs;
• new netCDF readers based on xarray that allow for more flexibility and efficiency, dramatically decreasing the time required to load large inputs thus leading to improved computational performances;
• extensive use of unit tests to verify the functioning of the model and enhance collaborative development of the code;
• improvements of the management of latitude and longitude grids to allow maximum precision of the reference system;
• porting of the code to python3.

The modelling of the hydrological processes has not changed compared to the version of the model used in the previous EFAS release.

For more information, please visit the dedicated GitHub space: https://github.com/ec-jrc/lisflood-code/releases

2. Rapid Risk Assessment layers

• The code used to generate the rapid risk assessment layers has been rewritten using python 3 and was integrated to the general product generation framework.
• In the Rapid Impact Assessment layer, the information which appears in the pop out window when a shaded region is clicked has been reformatted:
  • Exposure information appears within a first table which summarises the population, road network and landcover potentially affected.
  • A second table summarises the flood event information, including the start and of the flooding based on the forecast median and mean exceedance probabilities for different return period thresholds.
• In the Rapid Flood Mapping layer, the inundation extent now corresponds to the unprotected scenario which does not consider the role of flood defences. Previously the layer showed the inundation extent when considering the role of flood defences.

3. COSMO-LEPS

• The EFAS suite has been modified to automatically detect an outage of the provision of the COSMO-LEPS forecasts
• In this situation the reporting points product and associated products will proceed without the COSMO-LEPS forecasts
• The ERIC flash flood forecasts will not be produced as they rely solely upon the provision of the COSMO-LEPS forecasts

Technical details

including:

• Revised Notification criteria for Formal and Informal notifications: 
  
  • Optimised criteria for the issue of Formal and Informal notifications are based on a new methodology for the computation of the total probability of exceedance of the 5 yr RP threshold of the grand ensemble encompassing all Numerical Weather Predictions.
    
  • Improved definition of the area of validity of Formal and Informal notifications.
  • Revised layers in the EFAS Map Viewer: 
    • (a)  5-year exceedance < 48 h and 5-year exceedance > 48 h replace the layers Flood Probability < 48 h and Flood Probability > 48 h, respectively;
    • (b) Flood probability layer replaces the former Flood probability persistence layer; 
    • (c) Reporting Points pop-up window has been updated to show total probability and grand ensemble.
  • Improved EFAS notifications email to include a link to a preview feature in the Notifications Archive.

• Stations metadata have been updated to better align them with the hydrological data collected by EHDCC.
• Updated flood protection levels layer using new information in EU member states
• Updated Major Rivers layer derived from 4 different datasets: FAO AQUASTAT, EU hydro, Natural Earth, and GRDC; improved visualisation of river network and river names.
  
• Updated documentation on FTP Access

This upgrade of EFAS has no impact on the EFAS modelling results.

Technical details