Visualizations Drive Home Flood Risk Message

A number of Green Bay, Wisconsin, residents don’t realize how close they are to potential floodwaters from Lake Michigan, leaving these residents susceptible to costly property damage from strong coastal storms.

To communicate this risk, Brown County worked with the Association of State Floodplain Managers to gather photos of two vulnerable residential properties and used NOAA’s CanVis tool to create photorealistic visualizations of various flooding scenarios. CanVis, available from the Digital Coast, allows users to insert their local picture and use the tool icons (flood waters, docks, bulkheads, buildings, etc.) to simulate proposed change. These visualizations helped drive home the warning. (2016)

More information: coast.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/stories/greenbay

Partners: Association of State Floodplain Managers, Brown County, Wisconsin, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources