New
New
Year 9

GIS: Analysing flood risk

I can visualise flood risk using a GIS and analyse the impacts of flooding on people and property.

New
New
Year 9

GIS: Analysing flood risk

I can visualise flood risk using a GIS and analyse the impacts of flooding on people and property.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Different groups of people make use of flood risk maps.
  2. The Environment Agency collects data to monitor flood risk.
  3. GIS can be used to visualise flood risk in the UK.
  4. GIS can be used to analyse the impacts of flood risk in the UK.

Keywords

  • Environment Agency - the government body in England responsible for protecting and improving the environment; it manages issues like flooding, pollution and climate change

  • GIS - a GIS (geographic information system) is a computer system that captures, analyses and displays geographic data to help understand spatial patterns

  • Analyse - to break information down into parts, find patterns, relationships or trends, and explain why they are important

Common misconception

Flooding only happens close to rivers.

Flooding can also happen away from rivers, especially after heavy rainfall. When the ground can't absorb the water fast enough, surface water builds up and causes floods — even in places far from rivers.


To help you plan your year 9 geography lesson on: GIS: Analysing flood risk, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Think carefully about where you would like pupils to investigate using the Geography Visualiser in this lesson. It is better if it is somewhere relatively local where river flooding is an issue.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Computers, laptops or tablets with an internet connection.

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision required

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which factor increases flood risk by reducing how much rainwater can soak into the ground?
Correct answer: Urbanisation
Prolonged rainfall
Relief
Q2.
What is a social effect of flooding?
Loss of crops
Correct answer: Damage to homes and displacement of people
Erosion of riverbanks
Q3.
How can deforestation contribute to flooding?
It improves water absorption
It strengthens riverbanks
Correct answer: It reduces interception of rainfall, increasing surface runoff
Q4.
Which river process transports material by bouncing rocks along the riverbed?
Correct answer: Saltation
Solution
Traction
Suspension
Q5.
What is the hydrological cycle also called?
The flood cycle
The river cycle
The erosion cycle
Correct answer: The water cycle
Q6.
What happens to the river channel as it moves downstream?
It becomes narrower
It becomes shallower
Correct answer: It becomes wider and deeper
It dries up

Assessment exit quiz

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4 Questions

Q1.
What does GIS help geographers do?
Make weather predictions
Correct answer: Capture, analyse, and display geographic data
Grow crops in river valleys
Forecast volcanic eruptions
Q2.
What is the Environment Agency responsible for?
Correct answer: Managing flooding, pollution, and environmental issues
Managing only national parks
Forecasting earthquakes
Running public transport
Q3.
Why is GIS useful for analysing flood risk?
It measures earthquake strength
It forecasts daily temperatures
Correct answer: It overlays different data sets to spot risk areas
It tracks wildlife migrations
Q4.
Where can flooding happen?
Only beside rivers
Only in deserts
Correct answer: In low-lying or urban areas far from rivers too
Only in coastal regions

Additional material

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