J4: Mapping Process Showcase

Description

1) Quality Reviews of SOMA Reports and Revalidation Letters
Jamie Hughes, GISP, CDM Smith, hughesjn@cdmsmith.com
Co-presenters: Bradley Binder, binderbj@cdmsmith.com

Abstract: The responsibility of a quality reviewer of SOMA reports and revalidation letters is to ensure that FEMA’s established guidance for Letter of Map Change (LOMC) categorization and production of the reports and letters has been implemented. There are many variables to consider when producing SOMA products. The quality reviewer needs to have a solid understanding of these factors to confirm that the mapping partner correctly understood and interpreted the current situation for a particular community. We will discuss a selection of factors such as availability of an effective revalidation letter, availability of LOMC documentation, accuracy of the effective revalidation letter, multi-county communities, history of Community Number (CID) changes, Letter of Map Revision (LOMR) impacts, and peculiarities and limitations of the MIP SOMA workbench. We will also discuss the elements of the current guidance document, Guidance for Flood Risk Analysis and Mapping: Summary of Map Actions and Revalidation Letters, and how the quality review process and checklists support that guidance. Topics will include production and quality review schedule, identifying valid vs invalid LOMCs for categorization, LOMC categorizations, partial map revisions vs all panel revisions, special considerations, and product creation and formatting.

2) eLOMA – A Collaborative Tool for Licensed Professionals, Communities, and FEMA
David Mummert, Michael Baker International, dmummert@mbakerintl.com
Co-presenters: None

Abstract: The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Electronic Letter of Map Amendment (eLOMA) tool to provides licensed land surveyors and professional engineers with an internet-based system to submit a variety of LOMA requests as a faster alternative to the standard application process. The eLOMA tool is available to any licensed professional who registers through FEMA's Mapping Information Platform, which is located online at https://hazards.fema.gov.
This presentation will:

Provide a summary of the eLOMA tool
Outline improvements to the eLOMA process, such as the expansion of accepted request types and application tracking via the new user workbench;
Highlight plans for future user trainings and web-based learning opportunities;
Provide insight into how the accuracy of eLOMA submittals correlates directly with audit frequency; and
Discuss the steps necessary to achieve an eLOMA Super User status to reduce the number of audited submittals.

3) Implementation of Forecast Flood Inundation Mapping for the Nation
Mark Glaudemans, PE, National Weather Service, mark.glaudemans@noaa.gov
Co-presenters: David Vallee, NOAA/NWS Office of Water Prediction/National Water Center, David.Vallee@noaa.gov

Abstract: The NOAA National Weather Service (NWS) has a mission to issue forecasts for the protection of lives and property, the delivery of impact-based decision support services, and the enhancement of the national economy. Partners across the nation have expressed an urgent need for more detailed flood forecasts and the resulting inundation information. There is a demand for event-driven flood inundation mapping (FIM) as a high value source of actionable information for emergency and water resource managers to prepare, mitigate, and respond to flood impacts. In response, the NWS National Water Center, in coordination with River Forecast Centers (RFC) and Weather Forecast Offices (WFO) and Federal and other partners, has developed high-resolution inundation modeling capabilities providing geo-referenced visualizations of forecast flooding extent at the continental scale. The NWS FIM methods deploy a model agnostic approach to map the inundation at a 10-meter horizontal resolution for rivers and streams in the National Hydrography Dataset network. Synthetic rating curves and the application of the Height Above Nearest Drainage method allow projection of the water surface elevation in the channel to neighboring cells in the digital elevation model. Through two Department of Commerce Agency Priority Goals, NOAA has demonstrated the FIM capability for over 20 million Texas residents and 95 million residents in the Northeast U.S. Over the next 4 years, NOAA will revolutionize water prediction capabilities by providing event-driven high spatial resolution forecast FIM for nearly 100% of the U.S. population. This presentation will highlight these demonstrations and the initial rollout of services to 10% of the nation by September 2023 for areas in the Northeast and Texas. These FIM services include the hourly updated analysis and 5 day forecast FIM driven by the official NWS River Center Forecasts and by the National Water Model guidance.

Contributors

Jamie Hughes

Ms. Hughes is a GIS Specialist with twelve years of experience that includes utilities such as water, wastewater, and electricity systems, transportation networks, linear referencing systems, storm water management, environmental management, disaster management, water resources and planning. Ms. Hughes is proficient in Esri ArcGIS Desktop software, including the Data Reviewer, Spatial Analyst, Utility Analyst and Network Analyst extensions as well as ArcGIS Online. Ms. Hughes provided assistance with Summary of Map Actions (SOMA) and revalidation letter production for multiple studies. The work included determining the study footprint and reviewing the existing Letter of Map Change/Amendment (LOMC/LOMA) cases to determine validity based on the new effective. Jamie also provided support to produce Flood Risk Reports (FRR) and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Maps (DFIRM) for various studies.
David Mummert

David Mummert has over 20 years of National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) experience with Michael Baker International in the MT-1 (LOMA) Group. He is a graduate of St. Mary’s College of Maryland with a degree in Biology with a specialization in Environmental Science. He is currently the Northwind Resource Consulting (NWRC) eLOMA Coordinator for all 10 FEMA Regions, Technical Manager for the NWRC MT-1 Group, and Subject Matter Expert for LOMA and eLOMA processing through FEMA’s Mapping Information Platform (MIP) website.
Mark Glaudemans

Mark Glaudemans is the Chief of the Water Resources Services Branch with the Analyze, Forecast, and Support (AFS) Office in National Weather Service Headquarters. He is a registered Professional Civil Engineer and holds a Masters of Science degree in Civil Engineering, with a water resources emphasis. After 5 years as a hydrologic systems engineer in the private sector, he has worked for 34 years in the NWS flood prediction program, supporting software development and modernization of information technology, forecast operations and water resources service delivery, and policy and strategic planning. Previously, he worked for 5 years as the Geo-Intelligence Division Director for the National Water Center. Mark is the recipient of numerous awards, including Department of Commerce Gold and Bronze Medals.