A constellation of advantages with SPOT SWIR and VHR SPOT 5 data for flood extent mapping during the September 2002 Gard event (France)

After the dramatic flash floods, the French Civil Defence triggered the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" on the 9/sup th/ of September 2002. Images from the different satellites of the SPOT constellation were exploited in order to provide flood extent and flood impact products. The results highlight the benefits of the SWIR channel and the VHR SPOT sensors and these over a large swath.