Enhancing flood communication systems

Modeling, Mapping, and Consequences Programming Support

When a natural disaster occurs, communication and clarity are key. The responding Federal agencies need to know where to go—and other people need to know where not to go. We teamed with the US Army Corps of Engineers’ Kansas City District to develop GIS-based tools that will deliver consistent information about flooding potential and responses.

The Integrated Water Resource Science and Services (IWRSS) is a multi-agency initiative with the US Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Weather Service, and the US Geological Survey. The goal? An online map viewer that can create predefined dynamic flood inundation maps.

Making sure the tools are simple and easy to understand, we’re also assisting in the creation of a graphic user interface that will let the user customize the maps. Carrying the project through implementation, we’re writing pieces of the plans for the fully built IWRSS project including testing, training, communication, documentation, and rollout.