SFEI Developed the Bay Shoreline Flood Explorer for BCDC’s ART program, with More to Come
May 27, 2019
Over the past year, SFEI has been working with the Bay Conservation and Development Commission's (BCDC) Adapting to Rising Tides (ART) program to develop their new Bay Shoreline Flood Explorer. SFEI’s Environmental Informatics team has designed and developed this public-facing and relevant web tool to highlight threats posed by sea level rise. The tool’s sea-level-rise data was created by AECOM, supported by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Toll Authority, and funded with support from greenhouse gas reduction funds. The Bay Shoreline Flood Explorer is intended for regional planning, as well as raising awareness of what housing, commercial interests, transportation, and other infrastructure could be at risk for impacts from sea-level rise.
The Explorer is uniquely suited to support planning in the Bay by showcasing what areas are vulnerable to flooding. The idea of “One Map, Many Futures” is highlighted within the tool by depicting locally relevant water levels while leveraging county specific sea level rise and extreme tide matrices.
The tool also leverages SFEI’s very own San Francisco Bay Shore Inventory GIS dataset, which has been used to show where overtopping at different scenarios is likely with the current diverse portfolio of flood protection infrastructure in place. The elevation of these structures has been ground truthed for accuracy.
With the success of the completed Bay Shore Flood Explorer, SFEI is continuing to partner with BCDC to develop a Flood Explorer web tool for Eastern Contra Costa, with hopes of further expansions to support planning and adaptation throughout the entire San Francisco Estuary.
Associated Staff:
Programs and Focus Areas:
Environmental Informatics Program
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