Title
Crowdfunding Sensor Data for Flooding
Great Lakes Region, MI
THE IDEA
The Great Lakes team implemented an open source platform for resource-strapped communities to assist with hazard modeling and mitigation planning efforts.
THE CHALLENGE
Rural coastal communities need tools and resources that can be easily used at low-cost or no-cost to enhance community resilience to flood hazards. Improved flood hazard modeling and geospatial visualization tools, along with information on community resilience indicators, will lead to effective hazard mitigation plans and enhanced community resilience and adaptation.
THE TEAM
Research Partners:Â
- Michigan Technological UniversityÂ
- University of WashingtonÂ
Civic Partners:Â
- Western Upper Peninsula Planning and Development RegionÂ
THE APPROACH
The team developed tools and information that emergency managers can use with limited resources to understand the flood risk in rural coastal counties (Google Earth Engine tool); visualize the results (Open-source Visualization Platform), gather local knowledge (Crowdsourcing app); and analyze community resilience.
THE IMPACT
- Evaluated the upland and coastal flood hazard for Baraga and Houghton Counties in Upper Michigan.
- Verified the predicted flood hazard from the study with FEMA estimates in Baraga County.
- Western Upper Peninsula Planning & Development Region (WUPPDR) will sustain these resources for the community.Â
- The project will expand project solutions to three additional coastal counties in Upper Michigan.