Interdisciplinary project to develop a rapid, accurate, and scalable digital methodology to determine building (first floor) elevation survey for hazard mitigation planning efforts    

Funding Agencies: Texas Comprehensive Research Fund, Dept of Marine Sciences, Center for Heritage Conservation, Center for Texas Beaches and Shores, College of Architecture

Funding Amount: $50,200 

PI: Wesley Highfield

Co-PI: Brent Fortney & Sam Brody

Objective:

Our interdisciplinary project brings together research, technology and methodologies from planning, spatial sciences, architecture, and historic preservation to develop a rapid, accurate, and scalable digital methodology to determine building (first-floor) elevation survey for hazard mitigation planning efforts.

Accurate first-floor elevations are the key missing variable in the field of flood risk planning and management. In landscapes where inches matter, the inability to precisely measure and map first floor elevations for a large number of structures has confounded practitioners and researchers alike. The result of this lack of data make it difficult to accurately quantify the degree and location of impacts during flood events, and evaluate and implement policies that will reduce risk over the long term. To date, decision makers and hazards scholars have relied on inaccurate elevation assumptions and “ballpark” estimates.

This research initiative will integrate technology and methods used in historic preservation with flood risk modeling approaches to transform the way communities prepare for and recover from flooding events.  Specifically, we will develop a rapid, accurate, and scalable digital methodology for capturing first-floor building elevations. This seemingly minor methodological improvement can result in one of the most significant advancements in natural hazards planning in recent decades while exposing students across multiple fields of study to cutting edge techniques. Our proposed multi-disciplinary research will be performed by faculty from TAMUG along with Dr. Brent Fortenberry at TAMU.