Translating Data to Decisions for Flood Hazard Management and Disaster Response

Abstract:

Scientists continue to produce new knowledge and data in flood hazard research at a rapid pace. The ability of decision-makers to absorb and use the newest data and science, however, remains an obstacle across the globe. The Cloud to Street platform, used in 15 countries since 2015, provides near real-time flood information from public and commercial satellite sensors and geospatial datasets. Through working closely with a variety of decision makers - country governments in Africa, the World Food Programme, and insurers - we have been able to identify barriers and solutions to the adoption of the newest flood hazard research by governments and NGOs around the world. We use case studies from Africa to examine common obstacles to user adoption and the technological, communication, and relationship management solutions we have implemented. In the Republic of Congo, the information delivered by Cloud to Street helped move ~10,000 refugees out of a flood risk area that experienced the worst flooding in over 20 years less than a year later. We then mapped damaged crops and monitored their recovery. In Ghana, we partnered with the National Disaster Management Organization to iteratively design a web-based tool to provide the information they need in formats suitable to integrate into their existing systems. In other efforts, even with up-to-date information, decisions can’t be made due to uncontrollable factors (limited resources, politics, etc.). A user-centric design approach while tailoring information to the user and their specific needs helps make complex science more digestible by non-experts. Additionally, capacity building and building trust are essential for long-term adoption, and establishing clear lines of communication help increase the efficiency of data-driven decisions during disaster situations. The Cloud to Street platform, designed directly with users, combined with capacity building aims to address these challenges of turning flood hazard research into decisions and policies for a variety of users.