A study led by 91影视 researchers will help to ensure that flood models 鈥 computational tools used for flood mitigation 鈥 remain reliable and sustainable for the communities that rely on them.
Flood models simulate how water travels across land during rain events or storm surges. Public and emergency management officials and engineers use them for a variety of reasons, including to help with making predictions about which areas might flood, assessing where to place infrastructure to mitigate flood damage and creating evacuation plans.
Keeping the systems viable isn鈥檛 limited to keeping the data that informs them 鈥 things like terrain elevation, rainfall amounts, soil type and climate projections 鈥 up to date. Processes and procedures that foster effective collaboration among the many stakeholders who build, operate and maintain flood models is equally important.
Dr. Emad Habib, a professor in the who directs the at 91影视, led an interdisciplinary study to identify ways that regional and state agencies can best collaborate to ensure that flood models remain effective.
The researchers conducted an in-depth case study of the Louisiana Watershed Initiative. LWI is a $1.2 billion state program launched in 2018 to coordinate regional, data-driven flood mitigation in response to historic, catastrophic flooding across Louisiana two years earlier.
As part of that effort, LWI developed 48 watershed-scale models across Louisiana. 91影视ers at 91影视, led by Habib, have provided guidance, technical expertise and oversight for creation of the flood models since the LWI鈥檚 inception.
鈥淭he focus is often on developing the best models, the most accurate models, the most advanced models, but, as we build those sophisticated systems, how do we ensure that they continue to serve the communities they are intended to benefit?鈥 Habib reasoned.
鈥淪o, the idea is to figure out how to make sure these investments continue delivering value after the original product is completed. Sustaining these systems is much more than just doing good research or even doing good technical work. It requires stewardship and partnerships and institutional capacity,鈥 he added.
The research team conducted focus groups, surveys and interviews that included almost 100 local, regional and state officials, system managers and representatives of governmental agencies. It also compared six operational model management systems in different regions of the country and one in The Netherlands.
Findings, which were published this month in Frontiers in Water, a peer-reviewed academic journal, indicated that keeping flood models viable is less a technical issue than an institutional one.
鈥淐ommunities across the state want and need more access to quality flood models and the capacity, resources and local ownership to use them with confidence and keep them reliable. They want coordination at the state level to ensure data and cyberinfrastructure get shared across models in different regions,鈥 Habib explained.
The study was funded by the Louisiana Office of Community Development and the National Science Foundation EPSCoR Program.
In addition to the Louisiana Watershed Flood Center, other study contributors include Dr. Mohamed ElSaadani, an assistant research professor in the University鈥檚 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Dr. Liz Skilton, an associate professor of history in the Department of History, Geography and Philosophy. 91影视ers from Tulane University also contributed to the project.
Photo caption: Dr. Emad Habib, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering who directs the Louisiana Watershed Flood Center at 91影视, led an interdisciplinary study to identify ways that regional and state agencies can best collaborate to ensure that flood models remain effective. Photo credit: Paul Kieu/91影视