# High Resolution Flood Extent Detection Using Deep Learning with Random Forest Derived Training Labels

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.22518 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.22518/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 1 of its 21 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 23 Mar 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [U-Net: Convolutional Networks for Biomedical Image Segmentation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1505.04597/) (2015)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [PiCSRL: Physics-Informed Contextual Spectral Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2603.26816/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Validation of flood models, used to support risk mitigation strategies, remains challenging due to limited observations during extreme events. High-frequency, high-resolution optical imagery (~3 m), such as PlanetScope, offers new opportunities for flood mapping, although applications remain limited by cloud cover and the lack of labeled training data during disasters. To address this, we develop a flood mapping framework that integrates PlanetScope optical imagery with topographic features using machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) algorithms. A Random Forest model was applied to expert-annotated flood masks to generate training labels for DL models, U-Net. Two U-Net models with ResNet18 backbone were trained using optical imagery only (4 bands) and optical imagery combined with Height Above Nearest Drainage (HAND) and topographic slope (6 bands). Hurricane Ida (September 2021), which caused catastrophic flooding across the eastern United States, including the New York City metropolitan area, was used as an example to evaluate the framework. Results demonstrate that the U-Net model with topographic features achieved very close performance to the optical-only configuration (F1=0.92 and IoU=0.85 by both modeling scenarios), indicating that HAND and slope provide only marginal value to inundation extent detection. The proposed framework offers a scalable and label-efficient approach for mapping inundation extent that enables modeling under data-scarce flood scenarios.