Flood studies have been undertaken for many areas of coastal NSW, and with varying level of input from remotely sensed sources. As demonstrated in numerous studies, surface elevation can be estimated and above ground features extracted using data acquired by Airborne Laser Scanner (ALS) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR). Depending on the purpose of the flood study, the input data requirements and accuracy of the derived digital terrain data are variable. Through the integration of spatial information about the floodplain environment, different flood and storm surge scenarios, including those induced by climate change, can be simulated. Translated into digital flood intelligence, this data is useful to land managers, local councils and state emergency services for urban and coastal planning, disaster mitigation and emergency response. Currently, there is no consistent approach to the use of digital terrain data in the context of Emergency Risk Management (ERM) planning. This would form an important component of a State-wide or National Flood Policy. The University of New South Wales node of the CRC for Spatial Information (UNSW CRC-SI) in conjunction with NSW Government agencies have developed a set of guidelines for the GIS component of flood studies. The guidelines outline operational procedures for ALS and InSAR data capture, ground survey, standardised techniques for Digital Elevation Model (DEM) generation and fusion, feature extraction and accuracy assessment. It is anticipated that the Guidelines will assist Local and State Government agencies in undertaking future flood studies. The project was funded through the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program.