Communities worldwide face increasing challenges from climate-induced inland flood events, necessitating effective flood mitigation strategies. Florida’s Comprehensive Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Plan to characterize community asset vulnerability to climate impacted flood hazard is being used to assess the impacts of flooding from current and future precipitation on critical infrastructure in the communities to support development of adaptation strategies.
This study employs hydrological and hydraulic (H&H) geospatial analysis to evaluate the future flood events impact from climate change on critical assets and infrastructure. H&H modeling software Hydrologic Engineering Centers – River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) was used to simulate flood depths for various climate impacted events. Then, ESRI Model Builder was leveraged to analyze and identify vulnerable areas and assets prone to flooding within the community.
The comprehensive analysis provides actionable insights for strategic stormwater management projects aimed at mitigating flood risks. Results identify specific locations and infrastructure most susceptible to flooding, guiding the placement of infrastructure improvements and adaptation measures. To facilitate planning efforts, a user-friendly web application has been developed for planners and engineers to interactively access and utilize the analysis results.
This integrative approach not only improves flood resilience planning but also supports informed decision-making processes for sustainable community development in the face of increasing climate challenges.
Topobathymetric LiDAR has long been a technology available exclusively on fixed wing manned aircraft making it costly and inefficient for smaller targeted surveys. Recent innovations have allowed for the development of more compact systems, allowing organizations to utilize unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to provide more timely, efficient, and affordable topobathymetric LiDAR. On a UAS platform, a topobathymetric survey can produce 200 points of elevation per square meter, capturing microtopography, scours, sediment impoundment and other geomorphologic characteristics. Whiteout Solutions is one of the first commercial vendors leveraging these technological advancements working with engineering firms, scientists, governments, and conservation groups to map ecosystems experiencing the first order impacts of climate change.
The rural community of Lyndon, Vermont has been subject to substantial flooding in recent decades. In 2023, the Town of Lyndon contracted SLR Consulting to conduct a flood study and to identify flood mitigation strategies. Utilizing its topobathy capabilities Whiteout Solutions surveyed roughly six miles of the Passumpsic river and adjacent floodplain. SLR leveraged the topobathymetry data to develop high-resolution 2D hydraulic modeling, allowing them to test and validate the effectiveness of various flood mitigation strategies. The results of this work provided the community with a series of options for how to improve the flood capacity and reduce flood impacts on the community. The high-resolution data not only is providing the engineering firm with more confidence in their models but also results in Lyndonville becoming more resilient to the expected future increases in flood magnitude and frequency.
With technologic advancements in LiDAR and new programs like USGS’s 3DHP, floodplain maps across the nation will benefit from higher accuracy models, better designs and safer communities.
Director, Product & Business Development, Whiteout Solutions
Whiteout Solutions is a geospatial technology company with a service bureau that collects high resolution geospatial data, processes and analyzes it. We also offer the GeoSAP, an application that automates the complex workflows and generates actionable insights and visualizations... Read More →
Flooding is a growing concern in the United States and occurs across the country resulting in significant damage to property and infrastructure. Sanborn has been working with Huitt-Zollars and CDM Smith to develop a tool for the City of Oklahoma City to identify a flooding risk score for infrastructure within the city. This was accomplished by aggregating a wide range of information (FEMA and USGS floodplain data, digital elevation models, buildings, roads, and critical infrastructure) to create a score for each drainage basin, intended to identify the risk of flooding to infrastructure during a weather event. The process for building the risk scores was developed using Esri’s ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension. Sanborn configured an ArcGIS Experience Builder application to display the score within each major basin within the city.
