A web-based application that gathers crowdsourced data to identify flooding and inform policy in coastal communities provided scientists with essential data from hurricanes Helene and Milton.
A web-based application that gathers crowdsourced data to identify flooding and inform policy in coastal communities provided scientists with essential data from hurricanes Helene and Milton.
The team of researchers led by USF St. Petersburg GIS and Remote Sensing Professor Barnali Dixon used the CRIS-HAZARD app to analyze real-time flooding in Pinellas County, which is home to 588 miles of coastline in Florida. The app also received data from users in neighboring Hillsborough County during Hurricane Milton, which allowed the team to expand its research.
The app, developed with researchers at Georgia Tech, combines volunteered geographic information and community crowdsourced data such as photos and videos with near real-time data on flooding. Using dynamic modeling and mapping tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), the app can identify and extract estimated water elevation from imagery submitted that will be used to inform emergency managers and policymakers.
The CRIS-HAZARD app had a soft launch on September 18. On September 26, Hurricane Helene hit Florida’s west coast north of Tampa Bay as a Category 4 hurricane. On October 9, Hurricane Milton hit Florida’s west coast south of Tampa Bay as a Category 3 hurricane.
Read more at University of South Florida
Image: User-submitted photo to the CRIS-Hazard app from Hurricane Helene. (Credit: USF)
