CIROH: Identifying the Usefulness of Flood Forecast Attributes in Support of Impact-based Decision-making

For delivery of flood forecasts to minimize loss of life and property, a wide range of end users must receive the forecast, determine that the information is relevant for their decision-making, and take appropriate action. This grant from the Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), a NOAA Cooperative Institute, focuses on identifying decision-relevant forecast attributes, which may include technical information (e.g., accuracy, timeliness) or non-technical factors (e.g., trust, method of delivery). The goal of this project is to identify flood forecast attributes most relevant to decision-making by a broad range of end users, by combining interviews that include simulated National Weather Service (NWS) briefings with flood inundation mapping (FIM) information and piloting methods that can be deployed in real-time during a flood event. The interdisciplinary research team, comprised of researchers from the University of Vermont, Northeastern University, and the University of Alabama, will synthesize lessons learned from this project to plan for future research across multiple geographies and to provide recommendations to NOAA for operational improvements around flood forecast communications to improve impact-based decision-making for a range of audiences.

Project Team:

• Kristin Raub (PI), Sr. Research Scientist, Global Resilience Institute, Northeastern University
• Emma Hibbert, Senior Research Associate, Global Resilience Institute, Northeastern University
• Anne Jefferson, University of Vermont
• Elizabeth Doran, University of Vermont
• Scott Merrill, University of Vermont
• Rodrigo Soares, University of Vermont
• Travis Loof, University of Alabama

Project Sponsor:

• Cooperative Institute for Research to Operations in Hydrology (CIROH), a NOAA Cooperative Institute