Case Study: Caerphilly County Borough achieves faster, safer flood response with Ordnance Survey mapping

Caerphilly County Borough - Customer Case Study

Caerphilly County Borough Council, the local authority for the valleys north of Cardiff, faced severe river and surface-water flooding on 5 September 2008 after about 61 mm of rain, which led to property evacuations, school closures and blocked transport routes. To coordinate response and visualise incoming reports, the council’s Emergency Planning team deployed simple GIS tools using Ordnance Survey mapping products, including 1:10 000 Scale Raster and 1:50 000 Scale Colour Raster.

By integrating Ordnance Survey maps into the emergency control room and overlaying them with council leisure-centre data and the Environment Agency’s flood maps, staff rapidly identified the best rest-centre location, safest travel routes and at‑risk council infrastructure. The Ordnance Survey‑based GIS gave real‑time situational awareness that significantly improved the speed and accuracy of decisions, enabling safer evacuations and more effective resource deployment during the event.

Caerphilly County Borough

Ian Martin

Emergency Planning Officer