The following proposed projects have been funded within the SSPEED center. |
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1. CASA Flood Alert System for Houston using NETRAD (Rice University, Principal Investigator: Dr. P. B. Bedient) |
The Rice University/Texas Medical Center (TMC) Flood Alert System (FAS2) that utilizes available radar (NEXRAD) data coupled with real-time hydrologic modeling has provided important flood warning information for TMC along Brays Bayou since 1997. Due to the FAS2’s excellent performance that has been found more than 30 storm events, National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center (ERC) has funded Rice University as a partner of Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA) program to utilize higher resolutioned radar network (NETRAD) to provide flood warning information at different levels. TMC has recently agreed to join CASA as a principal partner. Houston has been chosen as the main test-bed for flooding associated with severe weather systems. Other partnerships with the City and TxDOT are being investigated. The CASA radar network for Houston, NETRAD, will provide local quantitative precipitation estimates and will be integrated into real-time runoff-models that incorporate primary and secondary drainage systems. End-users will be provided with a customized product that is tailored to their needs in order to make informed decisions during severe weather events. The flood alert system FAS2 described above will provide the framework for incorporation of new NETRAD data, new urban hydrologic models, and end user interface once it is deployed in Houston. It is the unique combination of new urban hydrologic models (that link GIS surface topography with distributed pipe networks) with new and more accurate CASA radars (with rainfall data at the scale of a city block), which allows a significant advance in flash flood prediction in flood prone areas such as Houston. For more information please click here (http://doctorflood.rice.edu/CASA/) and (http://www.casa.umass.edu/). |
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2. TxDOT Flood Alert System (FAST) for SH 288 Brays Bayou Section (Rice University, Principal Investigator: Dr. P. B. Bedient) |
Highway 288, one of the major northbound evacuation routes from Galveston crossing Brays Bayou has historically been one of the Houston's flood-prone freeways. Due to the low elevation of the road deck, water backs up inundating the freeway. For example, Highway 288 was inundated with about 12 ft. of water during Tropical Storm Allison (June, 2001). The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) has funded Rice University to develop a new Flood Alert System (FAST) to provide flood warning capabilities for Highway 288 over Brays Bayou. This project involves utilizing TSARP hydrologic and hydraulic models, NEXRAD radar data, and the framework of the existing flood alert system (FAS2), and includes three major tasks: 1) creation of a hydrologic model (HEC-1) from the current TSARP model (HEC-HMS) for Brays Bayou to accurately simulate peak flows at the intersection of SH 288 and Brays Bayou; 2) addition of a predictive floodplain library to the current FAS2 to delineate floodplains and water surface profiles under various spatial and temporal conditions associated with rainfall intensities; and, 3) development of a preliminary design of a centralized system monitoring the projected section of SH 288 by incorporation of real-time access to local rain gauges, stream gauges, and at least one bayou camera. If successful, the project will serve as an effective model for flood detection in other flood prone locations. |
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