Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Web Tools Comparison Matrix - Connecticut

Why Use This? This matrix was created to provide the planning and coastal management communities with an expandable chart to compare the functions and methods of publicly available sea level rise and coastal flood web tools. The information in each column is provided by the web tool owner. Specific questions about the tools can be addressed to the tool owner through the contact information provided in their matrix column. For more information or to suggest additional web tools, visit the national matrix page.

Suggested Citation: The Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Web Tools Comparison Matrix. The Nature Conservancy, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management, Climate Central. URL, Date Access:

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Surging Seas Risk Finder
NOAA's Office for
Coastal Management
Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer

The Nature
Conservancy
Coastal Resilience

NOAA's Office for
Coastal Management
Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper
Surging Seas Risk Finder
Climate Central
Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer
NOAA's Office for
Coastal Management
Coastal Resilience
The Nature
Conservancy
Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper
NOAA's Office for
Coastal Management
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. Coastal areas along Gulf of Mexico and East Coast
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 www.coast.noaa.gov/floodexposure
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 A mapping viewer designed to help coastal communities start discussions about coastal flood hazard impacts with maps that show people, places, and natural resources exposed to coastal flooding.
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 Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, floodplain managers, emergency managers, 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
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
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 2015
Date Column Last Updated July 2016 April 2017 December 2015 October 2015
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) Allows users to select a location and explore maps that show people, places, and natural resources exposed to coastal flood hazards; 2) Creates a collection of maps to download or share online to communicate flood exposure; 3) Provides guidance for using the maps to engage community members and stakeholders in conversations about potential coastal flood impacts
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) Cannot customize outputs or load additional local inputs directly into the tool; 2) Appropriate for use as a screening-level or planning tool allowing zoom in scale of approximately 1:18,055; 3) Changes or updates to source datasets will not be reflected in the tool until the next data update is completed
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 Adrianne Harrison: adrianne.harrison@noaa.gov or Jamie Carter: jamie.carter@noaa.gov Zach Ferdana: zferdana@tnc.org Russell Jackson: russell.jackson@noaa.gov
SLR AND FLOOD SCENARIOS
EXPOSURE ANALYSIS
SHORELINE PROCESSES
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
OTHER