Cross-boundary Collaboration on IT Service Delivery Initiatives
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Derek Loftis
www.stormsense.com; www.stormsense.vbgov.com
StormSense is an award-winning flood resiliency initiative actively participating with the Global City Teams Challenge, focused on densifying the previously-sparse water level monitoring network in coastal Virginia. It uses low-cost, low-energy, automated water level gauges to validate and improve flood forecast models developed by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) at the College of William & Mary.
The StormSense Project fosters collaboration with local governments including the Cities of Virginia Beach, Newport News, Norfolk and others in Hampton Roads through their commitment to automated flood alert messaging and public dissemination of water level observation data for their constituents.
StormSense's sensor data are directly shared with academic centers, like the Center for Coastal Resources Management and the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency. The goal is to enhance the capability of communities to prepare and respond to the disastrous impacts of sea level rise and coastal flooding in ways that are replicable, scalable, measurable, and make a comparable difference.