Online flood information system: REST-based web service

This paper implements a cyber-platform which visualizes and analyzes spatial patterns of flooding with a user-oriented spatial intelligence. The paper is organized from three perspectives: first, why representation and modeling of flooding data set is vital; second, how the design of flooding analysis involves spatial intelligence; third, why flooding analysis should be integrated into Cyber-infrastructure. The flood is one of the most common and devastative disasters. Flood disasters bring huge damages to the affected communities and beyond. Hence, a fast and effective flood information inquiry system is critical to reduce the loss. REST-based Web Service illustrates its great advantages in web map re-rendering, attribute information retrieving, and advanced GIS functions. This research introduces how to use REST-based Web Service to build a user-friendly online flood information inquiry system.