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

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:

Select Matrix for Another Location:




EMBED 		NOAA Office for
Coastal Management
Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer

The Nature
Conservancy
Coastal Resilience - in development

Climate Central
Surging Seas Risk Finder		NOAA Office for
Coastal Management
Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper		PacIOOS
Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Viewer		NOAA NMFS Office of Science and Technology
Mapping Social Vulnerability		PacIOOS
Hawaiʻi Shoreline Change Tool		PacIOOS, SOEST, University of Hawaii Sea Grant, NOAA
Sea Level Rise: Honolulu Inundation Risk		DLNR
Flood Hazard Assessment Tool (FHAT)		DLNR
State General Flood Control Plan

Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer
NOAA Office for
Coastal Management
Coastal Resilience - in development
The Nature
Conservancy		Surging Seas Risk Finder
Climate Central
Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper
NOAA Office for
Coastal Management		Hawaiʻi Sea Level Rise Viewer
PacIOOS		Mapping Social Vulnerability
NOAA NMFS Office of Science and Technology		Hawaiʻi Shoreline Change Tool
PacIOOS		Sea Level Rise: Honolulu Inundation Risk
PacIOOS, SOEST, University of Hawaii Sea Grant, NOAA		Flood Hazard Assessment Tool
DLNR		State General Flood Control Plan
DLNR
GENERAL
Geographic Scope Geographic extent the tool defines or covers (i.e. national, statewide, county…) National 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. Available for the entire contiguous coastal U.S. – 23 states and Washington, D.C. – and will be released for AK in the future. National Hawaiʻi Island, Maui, Lānaʻi, Molokaʻi, Oʻahu, Kauaʻī National Kauaʻī, Oʻahu, Maui, Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi and Hawaiʻi Island Honolulu coastline from Ewa Beach-Pearl Harbor to Diamond Head-Kahala (Some layers are availible with a larger geographic extent) statewide statewide
Link The URL or link where the tool can be accessed. coast.noaa.gov/slr maps.coastalresilience.org/ riskfinder.climatecentral.org, ss2.climatecentral.org coast.noaa.gov/floodexposure/#/splash http://www.pacioos.hawaii.edu/shoreline/slr-hawaii/ http://www.st.nmfs.noaa.gov/humandimensions/social-indicators/map pacioos.hawaii.edu/shoreline/hcgg/ pacioos.hawaii.edu/shoreline/slr-honolulu// http://gis.hawaiinfip.org/FHAT/ Not Currently Active. Beta Site: https://gis.aecomonline.net/Hawaii/ Log In: Public User Password: HiFlood808*
Description Brief 2-3 sentence description of the purpose of the tool. A visualization tool for coastal communities showing potential impacts from sea level rise and coastal flooding as well as a planning level tool. 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 Searchable web tool providing 1) maps users can customize, embed, and download; 2) downloads: spreadsheets, slideshow-ready tables and graphs, and fact sheets; 3) individual community analyses; 4) area comparisons; 5) local sea level and flood risk projections. 100+ demographic, economic & infrastructure variables analyzed for 1000s of communities from zip code to statewide levels. The Exposure Mapper tool aims to help communities discuss potential hazard impacts with flood hazard maps and community exposure maps showing people, places, and natural resources that may be exposed to coastal flooding. Screening level tool to illustrate potential flooding and erosion with sea level rise intended to help address exposure and social/economic vulnerability to coastal hazards. This tool displays an interactive map showing social indicators at the county level for all coastal counties in the U.S. Social indicators are numerical measures to describe the well-being (social, economic and psychological) of individuals or communities and are comprised of one or more variables combined into an index. These indicators characterize the level of dependence on commercial and recreational fishing for over 3,800 communities whereby an index score for any given community is relative to all communities included in the index. Index scores would differ with a more regional focus. This tool allows users to find the rate shorelines are changing and to view historical shoreline positions and pentential impacts from SLR at a given location. An online visualization and decision-support tool showing innundation from 1-meter of sea level rise specifically focused on the urban corridor of Honolulu as it represents the majority of the State's commercial and industrial sectors. The FHAT is an informational mapping viewer that displays flood zones. The source of flood zone information contained in the FHAT is FEMA's Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). The online tool is a GIS map portal comprised of flood and regulation data to provide partners with the ability to visualize and analyze flood prone areas and assess flood mitigation needs. Users can access flood history data, report a current flood event, locate property or watershed information, and access watershed and flooding reports. The tool is useful for both public awarness, and emergency action planning.
Target Audience The assumed users of the tool (e.g. planners, coastal managers, public) Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, floodplain managers, emergency managers, coastal scientists and engineers, education/teaching, general public Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, emergency managers, coastal scientists and engineers Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, emergency managers, federal and state agencies, journalists and the general public Community members, City Planners, Floodplain Managers, Disaster Managers, Ecologists, Natural Resource Managers, Social Scientists Planners, Coastal Managers, Floodplain managers, Communities, Government Agencies, Disaster Managers Coastal Communities, Fisherman, Social Scientists, Planners, Coastal Managers, Federal and State Policy Makers Planners, Coastal Managers, Coastal Scientists Planners, Policy Makers, Coastal Scientists, Hazard Mitigation Teams, Emergency Managers, Engineers, General Public Decision makers, planners, coastal managers, floodplain managers, insurance companies, state and federal agencies Floodplain managers, Policy Makers, Government agencies (Federal, State, County), General Public, City Planners, Natural Disaster Managers, Emergency Responders
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-Medium Low Low (easy to use, but the breadth of data available may be intimidating to communitity members) Low Low Medium 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, photo simulations, flood frequency graphs, easy to share links via email and social media Maps (on-screen and pdf), Summary reports (on-screen), Bookmark links, Downloadable spatial data Maps, community analyses, wide area analysis comparisons, projections, downloads and reports Maps, Map Services, Data Downloads Online Maps Online Maps Map. Also, includes a calculation tool for determining a setback. Online Map, SLR Projections The main tool outputs are a Flood Hazard Assessment Report for Selected Property (TMK search or Stream/Watershed Search) and a FIRMette (full-scale section of a Flood Insurance Rate Map formatted to print). Elevation Certificate, Customized maps using drawing and measurement tools, and flood insureance studies are also available. Outputs include: maps (online and printable) and data from query results
Year Released Year the most current version of the tool was released. 2012 (Mid-Atlantic US) 2013 Rolling release starting Fall 2013 Last Modified May 2018 2017 2014 2014 2014 2015 Under Development
Date Column Last Updated December 2018 December 2015 December 2018 December 2018 December 2018 December 2018 December 2018 December 2018 December 2018 December 2018
Top Three Strengths As succinctly as possible, list the top three strengths that make this tool unique. 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 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) 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) Comprehensive flood hazard, societal vulnerability, and ecosystem exposure tool to aid cross-sector connections; 2) easy to share specific maps via links or downloads as well as step-by-step instructions for using in ArcGIS; 3) Includes Flood Hazards, High Tide Flooding, FEMA Flood Zones Storm Surge Scenarios , and SLR Scenarios all in one toolbar. 1) Significant improvement over the shoreline change tool in that this tool covers entire islands, includes options for innundation scenarios, and considers potential economic loss; 2) easy to use with clear explainations of the layers via the i button; 3) Users can drop a pin and/or get cursor locations 1) Easy to use; 2) in addition to displaying region of interest, users can see comparative data for surrounding counties; 3) there are 13 variables that users can select and display. 1) Shows parcel level details including TMK number, DFIRM, Transect ID, Shoreline change as a rate in ft/yr and Erosion Hazards; 2) Includes a historic shoreline layer; 3) easy to print reports 1) Very simple and easy to use and includes cursor location in degrees; 2) Includes a critical infrastructure layer; 3) It is possible for user to visualize worst case scenarios using the combined innundation layer 1) Simple to use; 2) can generate customized Flood Hazard Assessment report (single page .pdf); 3) provides access to related resources (street view, property tax, flood insurance information, and floodplain regulations) without need to duplicate location search. 1) Over 55 option for user defined map layers including USGS Gages, Current Flooding, Flood Predictons,Live Radar, NFHL, Parcel and Zoning, Water Resource Point, Water Resourse, Land Use, NWS Wathces and Warning, Hazards, and Soil Layers; 2) Users can report a current flood event; 3) Queries can be performed at the TMK parcel level or by watershed for property information including flood hazard risk, soil drainage and erosion properties, tsunami evacuation zone, and watershed documents
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) Inundation scenarios do not include coastal storm surge, erosion or other coastal processes such as changes in coastal geomorphoology; 2) Cannot customize outputs or load additional local inputs directly into the tool; 3) Appropriate for use as a screening-level or planning tool allowing zoom in scale of approximately 1:18,055. 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) 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) Users cannot control SLR scenarios; 2) Communities might not have access to arcGIS; 3) Cannot display more than one layer at a time 1) There are 31 possible layer selections but difficult to view more than one layer at a time; 2) No option to print or share map with user defined layers; 3) Some layers like economic loss appear as large pixels (boxes) which may make it difficult for planners or developers to consider seriously (Note - innundation presented in feet while other tools present in meters) 1) Map products are not available for download or for sharing; 2) Human Dimension data last collected in 2011 and the census data is from 2005-2009 meaning these data could be outdated given rapid changes in urban development; 3) the county level data may be too broad to implement any community level action. 1) Not intuitive, for example, the confidence layer could use more explanation and the innundation colors are not explained - example with 1 foot of SLR some areas are shaded green and green is listed as "Ground"; 2) Cosmetics - Historic shorelines are difficult to see and layers should have transparency options; 3) Transect data from 2012 - may be outdated 1) limited to 1-meter innundation; 2) there are no options for users to download or share their maps; 3) Socioeconomic data used in the study is not shown in the mapping results 1) Does not identify all zones subject to flooding; 2) rendering is slow and map quality is poor (misaligned layers, cannot read labels at certain scales, outdated imagery); 3) property addresses need to be kept up to date. 1) Not clear if real-time data is updated for immediate access; 2) the map is technical and may be intimidating to non-GIS experts/regular users (i.e. general public); 3) clicking additional buttons at the top of the map such as document library or regulatory guidance are not related to the map directly and take users out of the map - would be better to open a new browser tab when clicked.
Point of Contact Please give a key contact for questions about the tool and its future development. Name and email address. Darlene Finch: darlene.finch@noaa.gov Zach Ferdana: zferdana@tnc.org Dan Rizza: drizza@climatecentral.org David Betenbaugh: david.betenbaugh@noaa.gov Dolan Eversole: eversole@hawaii.edu Rita Curtis (Headquarters):rita.curtis@noaa.gov Jim Potemra: jimp@hawaii.edu Dolan Eversole: eversole@hawaii.edu Carol Tyau-Beam: carol.l.tyau@hawaii.gov Jesse Colandrea:: jesse.k.colandrea@hawaii.gov
SLR AND FLOOD SCENARIOS
EXPOSURE ANALYSIS
SHORELINE PROCESSES
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
OTHER