Eifel Flood 2021 - Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) and Orthophoto Data

The GFZ Potsdam HART (Hazard and Risk Team) in cooperation with the DFG research training group 2043 NatRiskChange at Potsdam University has enabled the acquisition of Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS) and high-resolution optical data which were acquired between 22 September 2021 and 24 October 2021 by the Milan Geoservice company, Spremberg, Germany. This data acquisition took place in the Eifel regions of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and Rhineland-Palatinate (RLP), which were hit by the 14 July 2021 precipitation event leading to widespread severe inundations, flash floods and caused around 185 victims and massive damage to settlements, river geometry and other geomorphic features. The high-resolution ALS and optical data acquisitions aimed at the documentation and quantification of the extent of flood related changes and destructions as well as their reappraisal before diffusion erases traces. Thus, the generated data are valuable for forensic event analysis and future attempts on flood forecasting and warning in the context of scientific and practical purposes.