FloodMapp integrates with Waze
FloodMapp, which offers an application designed to assist in communication and visualization of flood risk data, is announcing an integration with navigation app Waze. The new feature, currently piloted in Norfolk, Virginia, will offer Waze users real-time, street-level alerts of flooded roads.
FloodMapp’s forecast technology mixes tidal, riverine and rainfall data to create a rapid, real-time flood inundation model. The information is automatically layered with Norfolk’s citywide road network in a geographic information system and sent to Waze in real time. Drivers using Waze receive pop-up icons and audio alerts to warn them about flooded streets along their route and help them avoid hazards. Drivers can confirm flooding in the app, which helps validate FloodMapp’s technology and makes future Waze alerts more accurate. The information will also be used for an automatic rerouting feature, which is currently under development.
We're testing our model integration with @Waze. We predict flooded road hazards using real time rainfall, river and tidal data to help drivers avoid flooded roads. Ground truth data from motorists helps validate models. Which cities could use this tech? #flooding #dataviz #AI pic.twitter.com/ldbDat3rdS
— FloodMapp (@FloodMapp) November 5, 2021
As the winner of the RISE Urban Mobility Resilience Challenge, FloodMapp received funding, business mentorship and access to the living laboratory of Hampton Roads, Virginia, to develop and validate its novel solution. RISE, a Norfolk-based nonprofit funded through the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, accelerates innovation and business growth around solutions to coastal communities’ critical resilience challenges.
“We are really excited to work with RISE and the City of Norfolk to roll out our product, and to help drivers navigate flood-affected areas. We started FloodMapp because we have seen firsthand the devastation flooding causes and we wanted to be part of a solution that helps people around the world.” – FloodMapp CEO and co-founder Juliette Murphy.
“FloodMapp created a live flood modeling system that has the potential to save property and lives. It is only through working with partners like the City of Norfolk who are committed to building flood resilience strategies that we can advance innovative tools and help coastal communities worldwide adapt to the threats from climate change.” – RISE executive director Paul Robinson.
“As our streets flood more often due to climate change, we need to find a sustainable way to alert community members about the risks they face. FloodMapp’s technology provides affordable, citywide situational awareness that current solutions, such as sensor networks alone, don’t offer.” – Kyle Spencer, deputy resilience officer for the City of Norfolk.
