Raising awareness of flood hazards through geovisualizations:

Raising awareness of flood hazards through visualizations:A case study of the Sunnyside Community in CalgaryAlison ChadwickSimon Fraser University

Calgary June 2013 Floods Problem Context

Emergency Planning, Evacuation & Mitigation Bow and Elbow River flooded over 48 hours $400 million damages (infrastructure/buildings)4 fatalities & affected >75,000 people evacuated Lack of preparedness & awarenessCase-study: Sunnyside communityFlash floods (14 days later)Further damage: storm sewage clogged (debris)loss of running water, etc. Rhodes, Ted. Calgary Community of Sunnyside seen on June 21 and June 27. Photograph. 2013. Calgary Herald, http://o.canada.com/news/calgary-alberta-flood-before-and-after-photos-one-week-later (accessed September 28, 2014).

Problems and ChallengesLack of preparation & awareness among residents of the Sunnyside neighbourhood Lack of flooding geovisualizations in space and time with 3D landscapes to allow citizens to detect when to evacuate

2D GIS and 3D GIS scenes to illustrate how 3D visualizations portray a more realistic perception of floods Implement 3D geovisualization simulations for multiple perceptions of the community during a floodApply 3D GIS slope analysis to demonstrate topographic influence on floods and secondary effects of thunderstorms

Geovisualization Objectives Develop a set of geovisualizations designed to enhance residents understanding of flooding events through a 3D lens, enabling citizens to detect when to evacuate their homes

Visualization Design & Development2D GIS spatial maps of Sunnyside communitySlope AnalysisFloodplain & Google Earth Imagery3D GIS ArcScene3D ScenesTime-Interval Animation3D ArcScene Animation3D Google Earth visualization Google Earth Flythrough

2D GIS maps- slope analysis & flooding

3D ArcScene Scenarios

SketchUp Buildings

Time-Interval Flood Animation

3D ArcScene Animation

Google Earth Flythrough

3D GIS ArcScene lacks three dimensions in hydrology & road networksAssumption of flood levels rising linearly as opposed to varying in time and space Google Earth typology may not be as accurate as digital elevation model

Visualization Limitations

Future Research

Virtual Environments (VE) to simulate relationship of flooding and rainwaterUnity rain water simulation (lack of time/ability/limited expertise)VE to perceive interaction with mitigation structures (ie. flood walls)Implement tools for mitigation/evacuationsmartphones & other devices enabling residents to easily visualize multiple scenariosand their impacts on homes. Visualization of locations with greater typology interaction with floods in preparation for evacuation

Thank you!