Flooding is one of the most significant natural risks. Its impact
concerns almost all the components of global communities, independently
from their geographic location and their social and economic
structures. The mapping of the hazard component of the
flooding risk is frequently identified as the basic element on which
risk mitigation strategies should be developed. Consequently,
many countries regulate hazard and risk mapping by law. In
1973 the Congress of the United States of America, through the
Flood Disaster Protection Act (Pub. L. No. 93-234; 87 Stat. 975), recognized
the relevance of the flooding hazard and called for the
identification of floodplain areas and related hazard areas. More recently,
in 2007, the European Commission, through the Flood
Directive (2007/60/EC), requires European Union member states
to produce flood hazard and flood risk maps. While adverse effects
on asset values, people and the environment should in perspective