Participatory Framework for Urban Pluvial Flood Modeling in the Digital Twin Era

Abstract

The recent advancement in digital twin technology, which creates virtual replicas of real-world processes, offers an interactive testbed for understanding and predicting environmental changes. As pluvial flood damage escalates globally in urban areas, there remains a gap in understanding the most effective collaboration between governments and local residents for sustainable flood risk management. To address this gap, we develop a participatory framework for urban pluvial flood modeling, incorporating open source software, virtual reality, minimum viable product, and gamification components. This framework engages citizens in every phase of the participatory modeling process, from input data preparation, through hydrological model construction, to model verification, and experiments. We present a case study on the recurring pluvial flood damages in South Korea's Gangnam region, demonstrating the practical implications of an interactive, web-based crowdsourcing platform to leverage community engagement and local knowledge. The results underscore the evidence of a proactive role for citizens, not merely as recipients of disaster information but as key contributors collaborating with a range of stakeholders in stormwater management and modeling. Combining digital twin technology with citizen participation can empower informed decision-making and collective actions in the evolving digital era, leading to a disaster-resilient community.