14 shared data with stakeholders to get early input into the flood model. Sanders thinks the process can help deepen understanding and trust. “We know from experience that getting stakeholders involved early in a process is really important, so that when results are finally finalized, there’s more buy-in that this model has some validity and it’s sharing something that makes sense and is actionable,” Sanders said. The new maps are now helping improve flood understanding in vulnerable areas, such as along the LA River, and sparking fresh discussions about adaptation. The system can be updated to account for possible infrastructure projects, including new levees, channel widening, green infrastructure, and even changes to land-use and building codes. “We can run different scenarios like, Well, what if we widen the river? What if we raise levees? What if we invest in parks and green spaces? … Can we slow down the water before it gets to the river and capture it and store it? I think a lot of people would like to do that.” Addressing Heightened Risk Elsewhere Next, Sanders and his team want their model to be used by other US cities where flood risk remains undermapped, harnessing the power of big data, machine learning, and new aerial sensors. Better flood risk maps can help identify projects that will address inequities while reducing risks for everyone, bottlenecks. So the researchers developed a more efficient flood inundation model, the Parallel Raster Inundation Model, or PRIMo. Designed specifically for whole-city-scale hazard modeling, the model uses a new way to represent infrastructure, says Sanders, and “strikes a balance between the amount of detail you put into the model and your ability to model a large area.” Gathering Community Feedback Sanders and his team also held workshops with city agencies, environmental groups, and some of the community groups most likely to be impacted to hear Angelenos’ biggest flood concerns, from sea level rise to levee failures to heavy rain. Using ArcGIS technology and ArcGS StoryMaps developed by Jochen Schubert at the UCI Flood Lab, they The new model allows the UCI Flood Lab to test scenarios and show the effect of various mitigation measures.
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