Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Assessment of Floodplain Water Regime Changes: A Scoping Review of Methods, Evidence Gaps, and Implications for Sustainable Floodplain Management

Abstract

Floodplains sustain fisheries, water supply, and climate regulation, and their services depend on the water regime—the extent, depth, frequency, duration, and connectivity of inundation—which dams, drought, and land-use change are altering. Remote sensing and GIS can supply evidence for managing these systems sustainably, yet the methods remain dispersed, and their fit to management needs has not been assessed. Following the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) and a publicly posted protocol, we retrieved peer-reviewed studies from Dimensions and OpenAlex (2004–2026), searched on 13 July 2026 and updated on 14 August 2026, and screened them in two stages with two reviewers. We charted data by study area, sensors, methods, variables, and drivers, then mapped them onto the decisions and Sustainable Development Goal targets they inform. Of 137 studies, 53% appeared since 2021; 2026 is only partially covered. Inundation extent dominates (83%), mapped mainly with Landsat (36%) and radar, whereas water level (28%), connectivity (21%), inundation frequency (14%), storage (13%), hydroperiod (12%), and depth (8%) remain scarce, as does evidence from data-scarce transboundary basins, including Central Asia. The attributes most needed for environmental-flow, allocation, and restoration decisions thus appear to be the least observed—a decision–observation mismatch that shapes monitoring priorities.