Predicting Hurricane-Induced Coastal Change
There is a cool interactive map to play with on this one. Follow the links for more information. If you are impatient go here. So the summary is that the USGS conducted two studies of hurricane coastal damage. The data collected ranged along beaches from New York to Florida. The purpose of the studies is to provide data to local governments and community planners to assess areas that are in greatest danger of coastal erosion. Plus the fun interactive map. Did I mention the fun interactive map? I guess it should not be surprising how much inundation is predicted even in a Category 1 storm, but I find it surprising. The East Coast is the home of millions of people. Even a moderately sized storm in the right location can kill so many people. Luckily predictive modeling and big data processing is getting to the point where we can study these things on a real level. A lot of people feel like modeling is a waste of time or that we it points us in the wrong direction. It is true that statistical models are not the end all of data, but they are not intended to be. They are intended to provide a visual of how known data interacts. I would rather know that my house had a significant probability of being inundated in a hurricane and then not ever experience it than
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AuthorI am a GIS professional in Walla Walla, WA. I use this blog to force myself to really read through all of the GIS news that I get in my inbox. It also helps me practice writing. Archives
January 2015
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