Elevation Mapping of Critical Park Areas for Planning and Post- and Future Storm Evaluation and Modeling

Stevens, Sara; Foley, Mary; DeMarco, Mary Kate; August, Peter

The goal of this project is to create the data infrastructure and technical procedures that will be used in preparing for and responding to storm events at three National Parks – Fire Island National Seashore (FIIS), Gateway National Recreational Area (GATE), and Assateague Island National Seashore (ASIS). We will focus primarily on elevation data and inundation modeling.To meet this goal, we will accomplish the following objectives:1. Pre- and Post-Storm Data and Information Needs by the Parks. We will evaluate the availability and resolution of elevation data assets for each of the three Parks prior to Hurricane Sandy (October 2012). Working with Park personnel we will identify what geospatial data processing tasks were done in preparation for and response to Hurricane Sandy. We will identify data or information gaps that hindered the response to Hurricane Sandy and data/information resources that were especially important in responding to the storm. We will pay special attention to elevational data and data required to support inundation modeling and mapping. 2. A Vision for Park Preparedness for Future Storms. Working with Park personnel, we will develop a vision for data and information availability that would be essential in preparing for and responding to future storm events. Our focus will be on elevation data and inundation modeling and we anticipate that the vision will include: (a) a comprehensive inventory of Park locations (key cultural and natural resource areas, historic buildings and other key park infrastructure, and areas of public concern) for which precise elevations are required, (b) Inundation models that describe impact at multiple scales and multiple spatial resolutions for various storm scenarios, and (c) design of a distributed data processing system that is resilient to the loss of IT capacity at one or more Park locations following a storm. 3. Creating an Expanded Level of Storm Preparedness for ASIS, FIIS, and GATE. Based on objectives 1 and 2 above, we will begin developing the data and information infrastructure required of each of the three Parks for planning and responding to significant coastal storms. The Preparedness Plan will include the following elements: (a) assessment of the availability and accuracy of tidal data to support inundation modeling and mapping, (b) precise elevation measurements for specific high-value, high vulnerability park locations, (c) consolidation and accuracy review of existing digital elevation models, especially those based on LiDAR data for the parks, (d) identification of inundation modeling methods and requisite data that meet Park needs with respect to scale and resolution, and (e) development of a communication plan to support pre-storm planning and post-storm response activities by the Parks.