Floods continue to pose significant disruptions, especially to our transportation networks. In fact, according to the NOAA, nearly half of all flash flood fatalities are vehicle-related, emphasizing the critical need for advanced flood management tools in the transportation sector. At FloodMapp, our ForeCast, NowCast, and PostCast products can help mitigate these impacts by providing forecasted, real-time, and post-event intelligence about flood impacts on transportation networks.
This blog will highlight how our data can be applied within transportation management, through insights into an exemplary ArcGIS Online dashboard. Through this example, we offer a glimpse into the power and flexibility of our solutions and how they can be leveraged for varying use cases to provide actionable insights during flood events.
Overview of the Impact Analytics Dashboard
Our Impact Analytics Dashboard is an exemplary tool designed to highlight how ForeCast, NowCast, and PostCast can be leveraged to provide real-time and detailed insights to emergency management teams before, during, and after flood events. This retrospective dashboard showcases data from a flood event in Windsor, New South Wales, Australia in July 2022, and highlights impacts to the transportation network.
The Impact Analytics Dashboard is indicative of the types of tools that can be developed using FloodMapp ForeCast, NowCast, and PostCast, serving as an essential resource when responding to flood events and enabling teams to respond swiftly and effectively.
Key Features of the Dashboard
Flood Stages
One of the standout features of this exemplary dashboard is its ability to toggle between five flood stages for your flood event:
Below Minor
Minor
Moderate
Major
Peak
These flood stages enable users to visualize different scenarios of flooding from the July 2022 event and understand the progression and impact of floodwaters over time. Figure 2 shows the flood inundation extent and impacts from the flood event in Windsor in July 2022, highlighting impacted roads and updating important data as the event unfolds. For transportation agencies, this type of feature is crucial for planning and executing timely evacuations and road closures.
Real-Time and Historical Data
When used in an operational context, a dashboard like this can update impact analytics on an hourly basis as it receives data through NowCast (or other FloodMapp products), providing you with fresh insights as flood conditions change. Real-time data is vital for emergency responders to make informed decisions and allocate resources where they are most needed, thus ensuring public safety and minimizing disruption to the transportation network. After a flood event, visualizing FloodMapp’s data in a dashboard like this one can facilitate recovery efforts by providing data essential to formulate a detailed impact assessment (i.e., number of structures, length of roadways, or population impacted) are that crucial when completing preliminary damage assessments or seeking a federal disaster declaration. Moreover, users can explore historical data, where available, to view the sequence of flood stages during past events, enhancing their understanding and preparedness of flood impacts to their region.
Map Symbology
The exemplary transportation dashboard employs intuitive and color-coded map symbology:
Stream Gauges: Color-coded based on flood stages (e.g., red for major floods)
Impacts: Road segments are categorized by depth of water impact:
Severe (> 5m) – Red
Moderate (1m – 5m) – Orange
Minor (< 1m) – Yellow
Flood Extent: The inundation extent is shown based on flood stages
These visual cues are instrumental in quickly assessing which roads and areas are most affected and prioritizing response efforts. The clear, color-coded indicators help streamline communication and coordination among various teams in the field and at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC).
Customizable Analytics
FloodMapp's Impact Analytics Dashboard provides examples for the type of customizable analytics that can be computed for various data points. Some examples include:
Water Levels: Reporting water levels based on flood stages
Bridge Closures: Custom layers to indicate closures
Impact Counts: Reporting the number of impacts visible on the map for each category
Impact List: Listing impacts by depth, with the highest depth impacts on top
Impacts by Road Hierarchy: A serial chart reporting the length of impacted roads by your determined hierarchy
However, in dashboards such as these, emergency responders may tailor the dashboard analytics to their specific needs, ensuring that they can access the most relevant and actionable data. This enables them to optimize their response strategies and improve overall efficiency during flood events.
Practical Applications
Impact on Transportation
Tools such as FloodMapp’s Impact Analytics Dashboard are invaluable for assessing transportation disruptions, including road closures and bridge impacts. Users can visualize these impacts via maps, charts, and lists, facilitating a clear understanding of the extent and severity. This means having a comprehensive overview of affected areas, enabling emergency responders to implement detours, manage traffic flow, and ensure public safety more effectively.
Emergency Response and Planning
Emergency response teams can leverage dashboards such as this one for informed decision-making during flood events. By visualizing potential impacts and computing rapid analytics supported by real-time data, these stakeholders can efficiently allocate resources and plan interventions to protect key assets, maintain operations, and minimize downtime during and after a flood event.
Stay ahead of the floods with FloodMapp — where innovation meets resilience. See for yourself how FloodMapp’s products support this dashboard, request a demo today and discover how we can help you navigate flood management challenges. Experience firsthand how our solutions can transform your response to flood events and protect your community.
Comentarios