Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Web Tools Comparison Matrix

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EMBED	Climate Central Surging Seas Risk Finder	NOAA's Office for Coastal Management Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer	The Nature Conservancy Coastal Resilience Ventura	CA Energy Commission, CalEPA, CA MTC, CA DOT, and the CA OPC Pacific Institute: The Impacts of Sea Level Rise on California's Coast	California Energy Commission; UC-Berkeley Geospatial Innovation Facility Cal-Adapt: Exploring California's Climate	Point Blue Conservation Science; USGS; Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary; Coravai LCC Our Coast, Our Future	Point Blue Conservation Science; USGS; USC Sea Grant, San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative Our Coast, Our Future 3.0	San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) Adapting to Rising Tides (ART) Program, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, State Coastal Conservancy, Alameda County Public Works, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission Adapting to Rising Tides Inundation Maps
	Surging Seas Risk Finder Climate Central	Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer NOAA's Office for Coastal Management	Coastal Resilience Ventura The Nature Conservancy	The Impacts of Sea Level Rise on California's Coast Pacific Institute	Exploring California's Climate The Nature Cal-Adapt	Our Coast, Our Future Our Coast, Our Future	Our Coast, Our Future 3.0 Point Blue Conservation Science; USGS; USC Sea Grant, San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative	Adapting to Rising Tides Inundation Maps San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) Adapting to Rising Tides (ART) Program, Metropolitan Transportation Commission, State Coastal Conservancy, Alameda County Public Works, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
GENERAL
Geographic Scope Geographic extent the tool defines or covers (i.e. national, statewide, county…)	Available for the entire contiguous coastal U.S. -- 22 states and Washington, D.C. -- with releases planned for HI and AK in the future.	National (with the exception of AK)	Expanding and now includes 14 U.S. coastal states (AL, CA, CT, FL, HI, LA, ME, MS, NJ, NY, NC, TX, VA, WA), the Caribbean (Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, U.S. Virgin Islands), and across Mexico and Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras). Also global and U.S. national web maps together form the Coastal Resilience network.	California	California	North-central CA Coast (Bodega Head to Half Moon Bay) and San Francisco Bay	Southern California (Point Conception to U.S. Mexico Border). Currently creating model for Central Coast (Half Moon Bay to Point Conception) using 3.0 methodologies	All 9 counties surrounding San Francisco Bay
Link The URL or link where the tool can be accessed	riskfinder.climatecentral.org/	coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/slr, coast.noaa.gov/slrdata/	maps.coastalresilience.org	http://pacinst.org/publication/the-impacts-of-sea-level-rise-on-the-california-coast/	http://cal-adapt.org/sealevel/	http://pointblue.org/ocof	http://ourcoastourfuture.org	http://adaptingtorisingtides.org
Description Brief 2-3 sentence description of the purpose of the tool.	Searchable web tool providing 1) maps users can customize, embed, & download; 2) downloads: spreadsheets, slideshow-ready tables & graphs, & fact sheets; 3) individual community analyses; 4) area comparisons; 5) local sea level & flood risk projections. 100+ demographic, economic & infrastructure variables analyzed for 1000s of communities from zip code to statewide levels.	Tool allows users to visualize community-level impacts from coastal flooding or sea level rise and provides easy access to inundation and elevation data via NOAA's Digital Coast.	An online mapping tool customized for local and state decision makers showing potential impacts from sea level rise and coastal hazards designed to help communities develop and implement solutions that incorporate ecosystem-based adaptation approaches	Provides access to sea-level rise scenarios generated by the Pacific Institute, ESA PWA and the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the CA Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research Program (PIER). The tool shows the threat of coastal erosion and inundation due to flooding over three depths based on a 100 year flood scenario.	Currently (spring 2016) provides access to two different sea-level rise flooding models. The first is based on the CoSMoS model developed by USGS to represent sea level rise and storm events, accounting for physical structures, wave dynamics, coastal erosion, and other hydrodynamical factors. These data are available for the Bay Area and outer coast from Bodega Head to just south of Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. The second ("bathtub") model represents the open coast as well as Bay Area based on scenarios generated by the Pacific Institute, ESA PWA and the U.S. Geological Survey as part of the Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research Program (PIER). ... The tool shows the threat of inundation due to flooding over three depths based on a 100 year flood scenario. NOTE: Cal-Adapt is currently (summer 2016) being migrated to "Cal-Adapt 2.0", which is based on an Applications Programming Interface (API) that enables development of third-party tools. Cal-Adapt 2.0 will also display (summer/fall 2016) 1- results from high-resolution hydrodynamic modeling of extreme storm events + various increments of sea level rise (up to 1.4 m) for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Bay Area, and open coast; 2- results from an ongoing research project funded by the Energy Commission to produce a probabilistic interpretation of the wide range of plausible sea level rise for California. http://beta.cal-adapt.org/	A collaborative, user-driven project focused on providing San Francisco Bay Area coastal resource and land use managers and planners locally relevant, online maps and tools to help understand, visualize, and anticipate vulnerabilities to sea level rise and storms.	A visualization tool that allows user to view USGS CoSMoS projections for So Cal. Users are able to explore 10 SLR (0 - 2 m and 5 m) and 4 storm (daily conditions, annual, 20 year and 100 year return) flood hazard projections, as well as shoreline change (sandy beach and cliff retreat) projections.	The sea level rise and extreme tide inundation maps use a "One Map=Many Futures" or the total water level approach. The maps show the inland areas that are at risk of inundation, and the companion products -- the shoreline delineation, shoreline type, and overtopping potential maps -- identify the pathways of inundation from the Bay. Together, the products support the development of both near-term and long-term adaptation strategies.
Target Audience The assumed users of the tool (e.g. planners, coastal managers, public)	Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, emergency managers, federal and state agencies, journalists and the general public	Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, floodplain managers, emergency managers, coastal scientists and engineers, general public	Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, emergency managers, coastal scientists and engineers	Public, community planners, businesses	Public, community planners, businesses, local governments, scientists seeking to coordinate scenarios with those used for California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment	Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, floodplain managers, emergency managers, coastal scientists and engineers, general public	Including but not limited to: Land Use Planners, Coastal Resource Managers, Restoration Managers, Hazard Mitigation Planners, Floodplain Managers, Emergency Managers, Stormwater Managers, Municipal Engineers, Municipal Leaders, Zoning and Permitting Officials, Public Works Officials, and Conservation Organizations	Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, floodplain managers, emergency managers, coastal scientists and engineers, private entities, nonprofits, general public
Skill Level Low (no formal training other than basic computer skills); Medium (need moderate amount of knowledge about coastal management or processes to interpret results); High (need high level of knowledge to interpret information).	Low	Low to Medium	Low-Medium	Low	Low	Low	Low	Medium
Main Tool Outputs Qualitatively different tool functions or modules that a user can take from the tool. For example, a map might be the primary output, however, the tool may also allow the user to comparisons, scenarios or generate reports.	Maps, community analyses, wide area analysis comparisons, projections, downloads & reports	Maps, sea level rise scenarios, photo simulations, flood frequency graphs	Maps (on-screen and pdf), Summary reports (on-screen), Bookmark links, Downloadable spatial data	Maps	Maps, reports of inundation threat by county	Maps (on screen;, summary reports (on screen and pdf); downloadable data; SLR projection comparison by both amount and year	Maps (on screen), summary reports (on screen and pdf); downloadable data; SLR projection comparison by both amount and year; shoreline change projections (for cliffs and sandy beach)	Maps and accompanying sea level rise and extreme tide matrixes for each county (indicating the SLR and extreme tide combinations represented by the 10 levels of inundation)
Year Released Year the most current version of the tool was released.	Rolling release starting Fall 2013	2011 Gulf of Mexico / 2012 US West and Mid-Atlantic Coasts / 2013 US NW, SW and Pacific Islands / 2014 Puerto Rico, USVI, NE / 2015 Louisianna	2013	2009	May 2014 ("bathtub" model); June 2015 (COSMoS model). Forthcoming in 2016: probabilistic sea level rise projections, Radke et al's modeling of Delta, Bay, and open coast inundation	2013 Half Moon Bay to Bodega Head, 2014 SF Bay	Feb 2017	2016-2017
Date Column Last Updated	July 2016	April 2017	October 2014	May 2014	April 2016	May 2014	September 2017	March 2018
Top Three Strengths As succinctly as possible, list the top three strengths that make this tool unique.	1) Comprehensive tool providing exposure analysis, comparisons, and projections, as well as an interactive map. 2) Analyses cover ~100 variables, and conducted for 1000's of individual areas (zips, cities, counties, states, planning and legislative districts at all levels). 3) Local projections combine sea level rise and storm surge to give integrated risk estimates by decade.	1) Easy to use via Web browser, with GIS analysis results and map services available; 2) Uses consistent data sets and analysis for coastal areas nation-wide; 3) Includes photos and allows users to customize local scenarios and visualize impacts of sea level rise at known locations.	1) DESIGN: The tool has a modular, plugin architecture: Coastal Resilience “apps” can be developed by anyone and plugged into the web-based mapping platform. This allows developers to design a specific application to highlight a coastal management issue, respond to a disaster for post-storm decision making, or emphasize nature-based alternatives; 2) PERFORMANCE: Coastal Resilience 2.0 runs faster; ... operates on tablets; works nationally and globally; is open source, and it’s easy to share results and data; 3) PARTNERSHIPS: Developed among core partners including The Nature Conservancy, University of Southern Mississippi, The Natural Capital Project, NOAA Coastal Services Center, and the Association of State Floodplain Managers	1) First comprehensive analysis of the impacts of sea level rise across the state of California. 2) Considered impacts from several depths of inundation, coastal storms and erosion. 3) Used FEMA's HAZUS model to estimate level of economic risk from inundation	1- Continually updated. 2- Forthcoming enhancements will include detailed representation of potential impacts (with regard to levee overtopping) of sea level rise plus extreme storm events in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as well as the Bay area and open coast, based on three-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling. 3- Forthcoming enhancements will include probabilistic sea level rise projections to help decision-makers contend with a wide range of plausible SLR values for California.	1) The model underlying the tool, CoSMoS, applies a deterministic modeling framework to cover large geographic scales but with fine local resolution. The system incorporates atmospheric forcing (i.e., wind and pressure fields) from Global Climate Models and accounts for all the relevant physical processes that will contribute to the vulnerability of the coast now and in the future (e.g., SLR, tide, waves, surge, fluvial discharge, storm variability) and the resulting coastal hazards. ... 2) One of the primary objectives of this project is to understand regional coastal flood planning information needs and develop our tools based on those needs. Three scoping meetings with over 140 planners, managers, and scientists were held. In addition, a subset of these attendees took part in an Outer Coast Focus Group to help beta test the North-central coast flood map and a San Francisco Bay Advisory Committee currently advises on the development of the Bay flood map. 3) Three areas of technical assistance is provided: 1. Targeted Trainings to agency/org staff on how to utilize the OCOF decision support tools and apply them to relevant on the ground projects; 2. Integration Support for organizations that want to bring OCOF’s SLR scenarios into their own GIS environment or decision support tool; and 3. Technical Assistance Engagement for organizations that want to use OCOF in a planning process and need assistance with scenario planning, tool modification or application, etc.	1) Flooding based on dynamic water levels, including both sea level rise and storms effects. The underlying model, CoSMoS, applies a deterministic modeling framework to cover large geographic scales but with fine local resolution. The system incorporates atmospheric forcing (i.e., wind and pressure fields) from Global Climate Models and accounts for all the relevant physical processes that will contribute to the vulnerability of the coast now and in the future (e.g., SLR, tide, waves, storm surge, fluvial discharge, storm variability) and the resulting coastal hazards; ... 2) Evolved digital elevation model based on shoreline change for both sandy beach and cliffs is included to model future flood projections; 3) Model and viewer developed to meet state and federal planning requirements with outreach professionals available to help coastal communities utilize information contained within	1) Based on locally-vetted high resolution topographic data resolved to a 1 meter Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and locally-relevent Bay water levels leveraged from FEMA's recent SF Bay study; 2) Applies the total water level approach so that each map reflects many possible future combinations of sea level rise and extreme water levels; 3) Includes shoreline mapping and analysis products that are critical to understanding the location of shoreline overtopping that could lead to inland flooding.
Top Three Limitations As succinctly as possible, list the top three weaknesses or limitations that coastal planners or managers might encounter using this tool.	1) Map should not be used for site-specific decisions (supplement with direct field measurements of elevation), as wider-area analyses are more robust than point-by-point mapping; 2) Levee data are incomplete, and maps/analyses incorporating levees assume condition good and heights infinite; 3) No physical modeling of storm surge or waves on top of sea level rise.	1) Inundation scenarios do not include coastal storm surge, riverine flooding, erosion or other coastal processes; 2) Appropriate for use as a screening-level or planning tool allowing zoom in scale of approximately 1:18,055, but provides map services and data download for more in depth analysis. 3.) Includes fully enclosed federal levees as mapped by the USACE National Levee Database. Partially enclosed, regional, or local levees have been added in certain locations.	1) ONLINE-ONLY: No ability to access the tools with limited or lack of connectivity; 2) USER-FRIENDLINESS: Not catered to general public, so training is requirement to engage stakeholders so they can fully utilize the tool and understand the data and analyses; 3) COMMUNICATIONS: With so many tools now available on the web, it is hard to decipher the niche and therefore use of this tool relative to others that address similar issues	1) Elevation dataset is inconsistent in terms of resolution and vertical accuracy, 2) Shoreline location is inexact and probably subjective, 3) Flooding is classified by depth only and does not take into account the flow pathway (i.e. are low lying areas hydrologically connected)	Same as Pacific Institute and CoSMoS (original Cal-Adapt site); under development (Cal-Adapt 2.0).	1) No side by side comparisons of scenarios or overlays of different scenarios are provided except in the "Detailed View" which requires more technical expertise (overlays are possible there) ; 2) Doesn't currently model projections of shoreline change specific to SLR and storm scenarios; 3) Labels or tags are not currently provided to help users delineate areas of interest, infrastructure, etc. and actual parcels can't be delineated.	1) No side by side comparisons of scenarios or overlays of different scenarios are provided except in the "Detailed View" which requires more technical expertise (overlays are possible there) ; 2) Labels or tags are not currently provided to help users delineate areas of interest, infrastructure, etc. and actual parcels can't be delineated	1) Does not reflect the impact sea level rise will have on riverine flood risk; 2) Does not account for shoreline erosion or change, or for locally-driven wind waves that could increase shoreline overtopping; 3) Does not reflect the potential for flooding due to stormwater infrastructure system back ups or for areas that are flooded to drain through stormwater infrastructure.
Point of Contact Please give a key contact for questions about the tool and its future development. Name and email address.	Dan Rizza: drizza@climatecentral.org	John Rozum: john.rozum@noaa.gov	Zach Ferdana: zferdana@tnc.org		Susan Wilhelm: susan.wilhelm@energy.ca.gov, or Nancy Thomas: nethomas@berkeley.edu	Juliette Finzi Hart: jfinzihart@usgs.gov	Patrick Barnard: pbarnard@usgs.gov or Juliette Hart: jfinzihart@usgs.gov	Eliza Berry: liza.berry@bcdc.ca.gov eliza.berry@bcdc.ca.gov; Stefanie Hom: shom@mtc.ca.gov
SLR AND FLOOD SCENARIOS
Base Sea Level Elevation Reference surface for which elevation is zero, such as mean higher high water. All other given elevations are computed as the height above this surface.	Mean Higher High Water (MHHW)	Mean Higher High Water (MHHW)	Total Water Levels - Wave run-up + tides	Mean Higher High Water (MHHW)	Mean Higher High Water (MHHW)	Mean Higher High Water (MHHW)	Mean Higher High Water (MHHW)	Mean Higher High Water (MHHW)
Flood/Inundation Controls Method inundation or water levels are changed by the user (e.g. slider bar, radio buttons)	Slider bar with inundation delineated in 1 foot increments from 1 - 10 feet. Toggle button to the right of the slider to view inundation risk from sea level rise, tides, storms, and tsunamis in meters: 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 5, 10, 20 & 30.	Slider bar with inundation delineated in 1 foot increments from 0 - 6 feet. Scenarios Tab includes ability to view SLR scenarios by scenario or by year and compare to inunation layers to view impacts.	Choice of Current, 2030, 2060, & 2100 projections with choice of Low, Medium & High Sea Level Rise Projection Scenarios for each time horizon and a combination of 3 potential wave climate changes (no change, 500 year wave event, or a doubling of El Nino frequency)	None	None	Total of 40 combinations of sea level rise and storm scenarios that include 0-2 m SLR in 25 cm increments plus a 5 m extreme, and 4 storm scenarios: no storm, annual, 20 year, and 100 year	Total of 40 combinations of sea level rise and storm scenarios that include 0-2 m SLR in 25 cm increments plus a 5 m extreme, and 4 storm scenarios: no storm, annual, 20 year, and 100 year	n/a Webviewer to be launched summer 2018
Flood Layers Represented How are the inundation or flood level indicated on the map. Does the map use colors to show flooded areas?	Blue - inundation; Hatched - low-lying but isolated	Blue gradient - inundation depth; Green - low-lying areas	Tidal inundation, wave impact, flood inundation, river flood inundation	Current water levels, 19", 39" and 55" inundation	Current water levels, 19", 39" and 55" inundation	Blue gradient - inundation/depth; Green - low-lying areas; Yellow - uncertainty	Blue gradient - inundation/depth; Green - low-lying areas; Yellow - uncertainty	Webviewer to be launched summer 2018. Pdf map symbology: Inundation depths in 2 ft increments (blue); Low-lying disconnected areas > 1 acre (green); Shoreline overtopping potential in 1 ft increments (various)
Uncertainty Represented Yes/No. Is uncertainty of the flood levels indicated on the map?	No for elevation, yes for projections	Yes	In future version, analysis completed; layers currently under development	No	No	Yes	Yes	No
Way Uncertainty Represented If uncertainty is represented as indicated in the field above, then how is it represented? Briefly describe.	Map does not represent uncertainty in elevation values. However, projection tool presents different sea level rise models and scenarios, and reflects uncertainty information as available for these.	Confidence is noted as High vs. Low, so the areas not highlighted as high or low indicate a high confidence of not being inundated: " . . . the blue areas denote locations that may be correctly mapped as "inundated" more than 8 out of 10 times. Areas with low confidence represent location that may be mapped correctly (either as inundated or dry) less than 8 out of 10 times."	see above	NA	NA	The "Uncertainty" topic displays layers for the minimum inundation and maximum inundation expected for a particular scenario. These layers represent the +/- 68 cm variations in predicted flooding incurred from the modeling and the DEM base data set.	The "Uncertainty" topic displays layers for the minimum flooding and maximum flooding expected for a particular scenario. These layers represent the 95% confidence interval in predicted flooding incurred from the modeling, the DEM base data set, and vertical land motion.
Projects local sea level rise Yes/No. Includes localized (not just global) projections for the amount of sea level rise over time. Local projections must take into account regional and local factors such as sinking land.	Yes	Yes, Scenario and Marsh tabs provide local relative SLR scenarios	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	This data is not visualized in terms of sea level rise over time due to the One Map=Many Futures approach. The ART maps depict the inland extent of inundation associated with ten scenarios ranging from 12 inches to 108 inches above mean higher high water (MHHW). The ten scenarios can represent over 50 combinations of sea level rise (i.e., from 0 to 66 inches) and extreme tide (i.e., from 1- to 100-year) scenarios. These water levels can be of matched with local sea level rise projections and scenarios such as those provided by California Ocean Protection Council.
Projects future flood elevations Yes/No. Includes projections for how high "standard" floods -- e.g. "1-in-100 year" floods -- will reach in the future, accounting for sea level rise and/or changing storms.	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes, the ART maps show a 100-year storm (or other standard flood events) combined with multiple sea level rise scenarios. However, the ART maps do not project how the intensity of a 100-year flood may change in the future due to changing climate conditions.
Projects future flood risk at fixed elevations Yes/No. Includes projections for the future annual and/or cumulative risk of floods to fixed elevations -- e.g. 5 ft. above today's sea level -- accounting for sea level rise and/or changing storms.	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	Yes. For example, an ART map of MHHW + 36" indicates that it is depicting: 1) 36" of SLR; 2) a 50-year storm; or 3) 24" of SLR plus a 1-year storm. .
Projection time periods assessed Include all years/periods for which projections are made.	each decade 2020-2100	Yes out to 2100	Current, 2030, 2060, 2100	2100	2100	Tool provided to compare SLR timing/depth estimates from the most commonly cited reports (NRC, COCA, Vermeer & Rahmstorf, IPCC)	Tool provided to compare SLR timing/depth estimates from the most commonly cited reports (OPC, NOAA, NRC, Vermeer & Rahmstorf, IPCC)	Yes - based on total water level approach these maps can reflect a variety of different sea level rise amounts and therefore timeframes
Flood projections factor in changing frequency or intensity of storms Yes/No. Self-explanatory. Not applicable if flood projections not provided.	No	No	Yes	No	No	Flood projections combine SLR and storm intensity (annual, 20-year, 100-year storm)	Yes	No
Allows choice of projection scenarios/models Yes/No. Choice of emissions scenario or choice of sea level rise model such as NOAA's lowest, intermediate low, intermediate high, or highest sea level rise scenario; USACE lower, middle, or upper sea level rise projections; or the range of IPCC sea level projections.	Yes	No	Yes	No	No	Scenarios are pulled from 4 GCMs and 2 RCP scenarios.	Waves are based pnly on RCP 4.5 projections, which suggest higher rates of storminess into the future. User can choose from 10 SLR scenarios to closely match any projection.	n/a
Shows levees Yes/No. Shows levees on map. Include source of levee information if possible.	Yes	Yes - Links to USACE NLD	Yes	No	No	Yes for San Francisco Bay	Yes, as observed by LiDAR and Google Earth imagery review	Yes - based on regional shoreline delineation of different shore types, including levees
Factors in levees Yes/No. Factors levees into map and any analysis of vulnerable areas. Summarize methods if possible.	Yes	Yes, using FEMA base flood elevations.	Yes	NA	NA	Yes for San Francisco Bay	Yes, as observed by LiDAR and Google Earth imagery review	Yes - based on LiDAR elevations and shoreline delineation
Inundation Model Used Briefly and as non-technical as possible, describe the modeling method used.	Modified bathtub approach, modeling hydrologic connectivity and locally adjusted Mean Higher High Water levels.	Modified bathtub approach, modeling hydraulic connectivity and locally adjusted Mean Higher High Water levels.	HEC-GeoRAS tool in ArcGIS outputs for river flooding , FEMA overtopping model used results projected against topographic surface composite	Bathtub approach	Bathtub approach	USGS Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS), which uses Delft3D-Flow and XBeach for flooding predictions	USGS Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS), which uses Delft3D-Flow and SWAN and XBeach for flooding predictions	Modified bathtub approach, modeling hydraulic connectivity and locally specific water levels based on FEMA's SF Bay Study
EXPOSURE ANALYSIS
Tabulates exposure within designated areas Yes/No. Gives total land, housing, etc. exposed at different flood or sea levels, within units such as cities or counties	Yes	no just overlay visualization of social and economic data	Can be queried using existing GIS tools	Yes, determines acres and percentage at risk with 1.4 meters SL R by county	Yes, determines acres and percentage at risk with 1.4 meters SLR by county (bathtub model) or 1.5 meters SLR by county (CoSMoS model)	Yes - report gives exposure and flood depth for user defined area	Yes - report gives exposure and flood depth for user defined area	No
Exposure types tabulated Variables analyzed, such as land, housing, property value, population, roads, airports or other infrastructure	>100 demographic, economic, environmental and infrastructure variables	No	No	Results of FEMA's Hazus model are available for download	NA	No	No, but a companion tool developed by USGS (Hazards Exposure Reporting & Analystics) provides these analyses: https://www.usgs.gov/apps/hera/	No
Designated areas for tabulation Geographic units within which exposure is tabulated, such as cities, counties, states or zip codes	zip codes, cities, counties, states, local through federal legislative districts, planning districts, state agency districts	No	User defined	County	County (original Cal-Adapt); additional areas including political district boundaries, census tracts, census places) forthcoming with Cal-Adapt 2.0	User drawn polygons or uploaded polygon	User drawn polygons or uploaded polygon	No
Shows or lists individual exposed facilities or public infrastructure Yes/No. Tool is able to give the user output that would allow them to evaluate potential vulnerable facilities and/or public infrastructure. Output could be either a map, or a report/listing.	Lists all facilities analyzed in tables for download. Shows select facilities and infrastructure on map.	No	Different data layers can be viewed with hazards to determine individual exposed facilities or public infrastructure	Yes	No	Yes through additional data layers that can be viewed such as "Roads and Transportation," "Buildings," and "Utilities Services"	Yes through additional data layers that can be viewed such as "Roads and Transportation," "Buildings," and "Utilities Services"	No
Compares exposure across designated areas Yes/No. Includes display (e.g. heat map) showing how different areas compare (e.g. how do counties compare for exposure of housing)	Yes	No	No	No	No	Only by comparing separate reports	Not in OCOF, however, companion tool, HERA (https://www.usgs.gov/apps/hera/) does provide this option.	No
SHORELINE PROCESSES
Other Flooding Scenarios Modeled Other than the model scenarios above, are there other flooding scenarios mapped? (i.e. specific storm scenarios, shallow coastal flooding, base flood elevations)	Fully integrated analysis of SLR projections with flood risk	Shallow (Nuisance) Coastal Flood Frequency	Wave impact and river flood inundation	No	No	Waves: displays layers for wave height along shore and the magnitude and location of the maximum wave heights (and maximum wave run-up?) for each combination of sea level rise and storm scenarios. Current: displays layers for the velocity of the ocean waters near shore for each combination of sea level rise and storm scenarios.	Waves: displays layers for the maximum wave heights (and maximum wave run-up) for each combination of sea level rise and storm scenario. Currents: displays layers for the maximum flow velocity near shore for each combination of sea level rise and storm scenario.	Uses the One Map=Many Futures approach, the ten scenarios can represent over 50 combinations of sea level rise (i.e., from 0 to 66 inches) and extreme tide (i.e., from 1- to 100-year) scenarios. In addition, these maps show shoreline overtopping, low spots on the shoreline that can lead to inland flooding.
Coastal Erosion Yes/No. Does the method used take coastal erosion processes into account?	No	No	Yes - acceleration of coastal erosion	Yes	Yes (CoSMoS model); no (bathtub model).	Storm related response only. However, the future shoreline position has been projected for 2030, 2050, and 2100 based on the historical rates of change reported in the USGS National Assessment of Shoreline Change for the California coast (http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2006/1219/). This is available as an additional data layer.	Yes. Provides projections for the mean high water shoreline positions for all 10 SLR scenarios through time, including the effects of waves. User has the option of viewing shoreline position under 4 different management scenarios: 1) Hold the current non-erodible shoreline + assume historic rates of nourishment in historic shoreline positions; 2) Erode past non-erodible shoreline + assume historic rates of nourishment in historic shoreline positions; 3) Hold the current non-erodible shoreline + ignore historic rates of nourishment in historic shoreline positions; 4) Erode past non-erodible shoreline + ignore historic rates of nourishment in historic shoreline positions. ... Provide cliff retreat rates with two manaement scenarios: 1) Hold the line if existing non-erodible structure is present on cliff; 2) Allow retreat even if non-erodible structure is present on cliff. Digital Elevation Model is evolved for flooding projections assuming "hold the line" and "no historic nourishment."	No
Sediment Dynamics/Deposition Yes/No. Does the method used take coastal sediment dynamics and deposition into account?	No	No	Yes - indirect accounting of coastal sediment budget, sediment yield from watersheds calculated	No	No	Yes: along North-central open coast (event-based) and inside San Francisco Bay (marsh accretion and vertical land movement); No: inside lagoons/bays on North-central coast	Yes, both short-term (storm) and long term.	No
Storm Events Yes/No. Does the method used take the impacts of future storm events into account?	Fully integrated analysis of SLR projections with flood risk	No	Yes - wave impact, flood inundation and river flood inundation (large storm)	Yes, shows effect of a 100-yr coastal storm event with 1.4 meter SLR	Yes	Yes, each simulation includes all the relevant components of each storm scenario, including sea level rise, tidal currents, surge (driven by wind and atmospheric pressure), river discharge (SF Bay only), steric effects, and waves.	Yes, each simulation includes all the relevant components of each storm scenario, including sea level rise, tidal currents, surge (driven by wind and atmospheric pressure), river discharge (SF Bay only), steric effects, and waves.	Yes. The shoreline overtopping analysis considers how water will flow over the shoreline during future storm and flood events.
Habitat/Species Change Yes/No. Does the method allow the user to visualize potential impacts to habitats and changes in species distribution?	No	No	No	No	No	Shorebird species richness based on current beach extent.	Shorebird species richness based on current beach extent.	No
Marsh Migration Yes/No. Does the method allow the user to visualize the potential impacts to coastal marshes and how they may migrate with rising sea level?	No	Yes	Future scenarios analyzed using SLAMM for tidal influenced wetlands	No	No	Future marsh migration for each scenario is included in uncertainty projections for SF Bay	Marsh migration projections are included in companion tool (https://www.usgs.gov/apps/hera/)	No
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Basemap Options What types of base map(s) are used in the tool? (e.g. satellite imagery, topographic, streets, hybrid maps)	Satellite, Streets	Satellite, Open Streetmap, Dark	Topographic, National Geographic, Ocean, Imagery, Physical, Shaded Relief, Streets, Terrain	Google map interface for inundation maps. Static PDF Quad maps of inundation and hazards.	Satellite, Streets	ESRI Aerial Imagery, USGS DEM shaded relief, Google Aerial/Ocean Imagery, Streets, other layers	ESRI Aerial Imagery, USGS DEM shaded relief, Google Aerial/Ocean Imagery, Streets, other layers	n/a Webviewer to be launched summer 2018
Main elevation data source Examples include LIDAR or National Elevation Dataset.	Lidar	Lidar	2009 – 2011 California Coastal Conservancy Coastal LiDAR Project Hydro-Flattened Bare Earth DEM	Patchwork of datasets to complete California coast, including LiDAR, IFSAR, and other methods. Each method has different horizontal resolution and vertical accuracy	Same as Our Coast, Our Future (COSMoS model); same as Pacific Institute (bathtub model)	LIDAR data from three 2010 surveys: USGS, California State Ocean Protection Council (OPC), and the Golden Gate Lidar Project. See here for the spatial coverage of each survey. The other primary data for the DEM are depth soundings collected using multibeam bathymetry as part of the California Seafloor Mapping Project, a collaborative, multi-institutional campaign.	For open coast: 2009-2011 CA Coastal California TopoBathy Merged Project DEM (available for download here: https://coast.noaa.gov/dataviewer/). This is a compilation of data sets including topographic LiDAR (Oct 2009-Aug 2011), bathymetric LiDAR (2009-2010), and acoustic bathymetry (1996-2011). For harbors and or near shore zones where high-resolution lidar or multibeam was unavailable, the above DEM used interpolations. Therefore, for San Diego Bay, Mission Bay, and Oceanside, USGS used bathymetric data from the 10 m resolution NGDC tsunami inundation grids (http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/inundation/tsunami/inundation.html).	2010 LiDAR augmented with locally collected high resolution LiDAR
Main elevation data source vertical accuracy Published error. Use maximum error, or accuracy standard, when different sub-datasets have different error.	(same as NOAA)	NOAA/USGS specs 9.25cm RMSE	(+/-) 9cm	Used a variety of data sources. Accuracy range from 7.5 - 0.7 meters	Used a variety of data sources. Accuracy range from 7.5 - 0.7 meters	9 cm RMSE	9 cm RMSE	NOAA/USGS, verticle accuracy= =/- 0.05m
Horizontal resolution Dimension of elevation grid cell size.	5 Meters (~15 feet)	5 Meters (~15 feet)	(+/-) 1 meter	2 meters to 10 meters	2 meters to 10 meters	2 meters	2 meters	1 meter
Other Available Data Layers Beyond the inundation/flooding layers, what other unique data layers are available?	On map: Social Vulnerability, Population Density, Ethnicity, Income, Property, Landmarks. In analysis and comparison tools: about 100 population and infrastructure variables.	Flood Frequency, Social and Economic Vulnerability at Census block groups, Marsh Impacts, Photo visualizations of key landmarks	Infrastructure, Land Use/Zoning, Natural Resources, Socioeconomic data	All flood layers and scenarios for future sea level, critical infrastructure, shoreline protection, schools, police and fire stations, census boundaries and data.	None	Placenames, Land Use, Protected Areas, Rivers and Streams, Cliff and Shoreline Retreat, Shorebirds, Coastal Armoring, Roads and Transportation, Trails, Buildings, Utilities and Services	Placenames, Land Use, Protected Areas, Rivers and Streams, Cliff and Shoreline Retreat, Shorebirds, Coastal Armoring, Roads and Transportation, Trails, Buildings, Utilities and Services	Shoreline type, location, elevation; shoreline overtopping potential; shoreline elevations normalized to mean higher high water; low-lying disconnected areas
Place name searchable	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	n/a
Maximum Zoom-in What is the farthest in a user can zoom in with the tool?	1:4,500	Tile cached data to 1:18,055	Tile cached data to 1:5,000	1:60,600	1:60,600	Tile cached data to zoom level 19 (about 1:800)	Tile cached data to zoom level 19 (about 1:800)	n/a
Map Services Available Yes/No. Are the data layers in the tool available as map services that can be accessed by the public?	No	Yes	Yes	No	No	Upon request	Upon request	n/a
Data Download Available Yes/No. Are the data layers in the tool available for download by the public?	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes - Via linked original sources	Yes - Via linked original sources	Yes	Yes	Yes. http://www.adaptingtorisingtides.org/maps-and-data-products/
If data download available, please list types If answered yes for Data Download Available, please list the layers that are available for download.	Summary tables and detailed lists in Excel for 100+ demographic, economic, infrastructure and environmental variables, tabulated by state, county, municipality, zip code, planning and legislative districts, & more	Inundation, confidence, shallow coastal flooding, SOVI, and DEMs, and Marsh migration upon request	Various			DEM data available here; Flood extent and depth available through online tool; all other layers available upon request to Point Blue	DEM data currently available upon request, but will be provided via USGS ScienceBase following Center approval (expected Spring 2018)	Inundation, lowlying disconnected areas, shoreline type, shoreline overtopping potential available for download. DEM available upon request.
Does tool use other map services? Yes/No. Does the tool consume other map services from other providers as a part of the tool? If so, which ones. (please specify)	No	Yes, ESRI Basemaps	FEMA, NOAA, USGS, UNISDR	No	No	Yes. Google, ESRI, California Climate Commons	Yes. Google, ESRI, California Climate Commons	n/a
Additional Software Needed Yes/No. Does the user require additional software in order to use the tool?	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	n/a
Cross Platform Yes/No. Is the tool platform and operating system independent? (i.e. can it operate on all computer platforms equally well)	Yes (modern browsers)	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	n/a
Mobile Compatible Yes/No. Will the tool operate on any mobile platform (e.g. iPad, iPhone, Android)?	On modern tablets/phones	Yes, but not phones	Yes	Works, but not responsive	Works, but not responsive (original Cal-Adapt). Works and responsive (Cal-Adapt 2.0, forthcoming)	Yes	Yes	n/a
OTHER
Training Requirements Does the tool require training before it can be used efficiently?	None but support available as needed.	None	None but suggested	None	None	None, but project team provides directed trainings for Bay Area agencies through targeted outreach	None, but project team provides directed trainings for Southern California agencies through targeted outreach	n/a
Documentation, Training & Technical Resources Describe the types of documentation on tool methods and training resources available.	Research papers for each state, FAQs, methodologies, tutorials	FAQs, methodologies, and related technical documents; brief "First Time Tips" video; 56-minute recorded webinar, In-person or online training available upon request	Video tutorials for: General Navigation; Scenario Planning; video simulations for apps including Flood & Sea Level Rise, Coastal Defense and Risk Explorer. Metadata and methods documented and accessible within the tool. Associated website for FAQ and project information	Report from Pacific Institute	For COSMoS model, users are referred to Point Blue's Our Coast, Our Future for additional resources:Point Blue's Our Coast. For the "bathtub" mode, users are referred a report from Pacific Institute	3 FAQs: OCOF, CoSMoS, and Known Issues; Get Started website page that walks the user through utilizing the tool and data for the first time; 2 Video Tutorials: general project overview and mapping tool; References: list of citations supporting the research behind the OCOF modeling results.	3 FAQs: OCOF, CoSMoS, and Known Issues; Get Started website page that walks the user through utilizing the tool and data for the first time; 2 Video Tutorials: general project overview and mapping tool; References: list of citations supporting the research behind the OCOF modeling results.	Technical memos and reports available at http://www.adaptingtorisingtides.org
Is the tool based on, or featured in, any peer-reviewed publication(s)? If so, please list. (INCLUDE LINKS IF AVAILABLE) Please list the peer-reviewed publications that the tool, or underlying model, has discussed and/or featured the tool.	Based on Strauss et al 2012 and Tebaldi et al 2012, Environmental Research Letters. Featured in Wong-Parodi G, Fischhoff B, and Strauss BH (2014) Climatic Change, 1-9, Stephens et al 2014 Science Communication, and the Science of Science Communication II Sackler Colloquium PNAS 2014.	Marcy, et al., 2011. “New Mapping Tool and Techniques for Visualizing Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts.” In Proceedings of the 2011 Solutions to Coastal Disasters Conference, Anchorage, Alaska, June 26 to June 29, 2011, edited by Louise A. Wallendorf, Chris Jones, Lesley Ewing, and Bob Battalio, 474–90. Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers.	Yes, various publications listed here	Revell et al., 2011 (referred to in Model matrix. Reference needed)	The Impacts of Sea-Level Rise On the California Coast. Matthew Heberger, Heather Cooley, and Pablo Herrera, Peter H. Gleick. PIER: 2009	North-central CA coast DEM, Barnard, P.L., van Ormondt, M., Erikson, L.H., Eshleman, J., Hapke, C., Ruggiero, P., Adams, P.N. and Foxgrover, A.C., 2014. Development of the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) for predicting the impact of storms on high-energy, active-margin coasts. Natural Hazards, Volume 74 (2), p. 1095-1125, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-014-1236-y	Barnard, P.L., van Ormondt, M., Erikson, L.H., Eshleman, J., Hapke, C., Ruggiero, P., Adams, P.N. and Foxgrover, A.C., 2014. Development of the Coastal Storm Modeling System (CoSMoS) for predicting the impact of storms on high-energy, active-margin coasts. Natural Hazards, Volume 74 (2), p. 1095-1125, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11069-014-1236-y Erikson, L.H., Barnard, P.L., O’Neill, A.C., Vitousek, S., Limber, P., Foxgrover, A.C., Herdman, L.H., and Warrick, J., 2017A. CoSMoS 3.0 Phase 2 Southern California Bight: Summary of data and methods. U.S. Geological Survey, http://dx.doi.org/10.5066/F7T151Q4. ... Limber, P., Barnard, P.L. and Hapke, C., 2015. Towards projecting the retreat of California’s coastal cliffs during the 21st Century. In: P. Wang, J.D. Rosati and J. Cheng (Eds.), Coastal Sediments 2015 Conference Proceedings, World Scientific, 14 pp., http://dx.doi.org/10.1142/9789814689977_0245 Vitousek, S., Barnard, P.L., Limber, P., Erikson, L.H. and Cole, B., 2017. A model integrating longshore and cross-shore processes for predicting long-term shoreline response to climate change. Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface, Volume 122, 25 pp., http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/2016JF004065	Marcy, et al., 2011. “New Mapping Tool and Techniques for Visualizing Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts.” In Proceedings of the 2011 Solutions to Coastal Disasters Conference, Anchorage, Alaska, June 26 to June 29, 2011, edited by Louise A. Wallendorf, Chris Jones, Lesley Ewing, and Bob Battalio, 474–90. Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers. DHI (DHI Water and Environment). 2013. Regional Coastal Hazard Modeling Study for South San Francisco Bay. Final Draft Report. Prepared for Federal Emergency Management Agency as part of the FEMA Services Group (DHI, Nolte Associates, and Fugro). January.
Costs Are there costs involved in using this tool? Does the user community bear any of the development cost directly?	None	None	Free of charge. Open source code for the tool framework and individual apps are available under a GNU General Public License, version 3 agreement at https://github.com/CoastalResilienceNetwork	None	None	None	None	None
Are Future Versions Planned? Please describe if there are plans for future improvements to the tool.	Yes	Version 3.0 released in 2017	Yes. Tool framework https://github.com/CoastalResilienceNetwork/GeositeFramework being upgraded on GitHub in 2015-2016 as well as individual browser-based apps (Coastal Resilience 3.0)	No planned update	Yes. Ongoing enhancements under Cal-Adapt 2.0 will incorporate data from California's Fourth Climate Change Assessment regarding probablistic sea level rise projections and will also incorporate data based on Radke et al's high-resolution, three-dimensional hydrodynamic modeling of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, Bay Area, and open coast.	Yes, based on securing additional funds.	Yes, currently going through User Interface upgrade. Expect final version by Spring 2018	Updates to DEM to be made biannually.