FDEM Track  | Palm Beack/Broward Rooms

FDEM Storm Response Training | Steve Martin, CFM, CPM, FDEM

CRS Track: Geospatial Tools for CRS  | Room to be determined

Using GeoUnderground to Optimize Floodplain Management and CRS Programs (Related Activities: multiple) | Eddie Strauser, Geospatial Corporation (45 minutes)

Floodplain management and CRS require a large amount of data collection, aggregation and sharing between multiple stakeholders, and hours of management from the municipality level to the county level. From collecting Elevation Certificates to analyzing Open Space Preservation and tracking public assets and infrastructure integrity, there is much that goes on to ensure the health of a quality CRS and NFIP compliant program.

Displaying and managing this scope and kind of information can be best accomplished with a Geographic Information System (GIS). GIS systems are often very expensive to purchase and require a full time GIS technician to operate, creating a bottleneck of information. At Geospatial we use a product called Geounderground, built on Google Maps. It is designed for the non-technical user and can be set up and deployed within minutes.

Geounderground is the most cost-effective and easy-to-use solution for efficiently managing and displaying spatial information, saving administrators hundreds of hours of time, dramatically reducing costs for municipalities, and lowering the barrier of entry for community interaction. GeoUnderground has a built-in tutorial for team onboarding and can be populated by city employees, engineering firms, and other professional services firms that serve the city. Storing of inspection reports, geo-referenced video and photos, elevation certificates and more can be tagged to a location and updated from the field or office in seconds. Using Geounderground, data and content owners can economically address the gathering and submitting of information to administrators. Geounderground addresses the technical requirements of administrators to manage and comply with FEMA’s NFIP requirements and score higher on the CRS program checklist, enabling higher discount rates. During this session, I demonstrate GeoUnderground and show/discuss how it can help achieve the goals of floodplain management.

New “How to” Helps Communities Map Open Space for Community Rating System Credit  (Related Activities: 420) | Heidi Stiller, NOAA Office for Coastal Management (45 minutes)

NOAA recently produced an interactive, online “How to” and companion GIS Workflow and Mapping Guide to help communities earn credits in FEMA’s Community Rating System (CRS) program by mapping and documenting preserved open space. These products respond to interest from coastal communities in the CRS and requests for technical help with GIS mapping. These new resources help communities identify places where they could earn credit for existing and future efforts to preserve open space in floodplains. The “How to” outlines the process – from mapping to documentation of preserved open space – in seven easy-to-understand steps, and is geared for community CRS coordinators and planners. The companion GIS workflow provides geospatial analysts with sources of data, information, and instruction needed for key mapping tasks.

https://coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/training/crs.html