Texas A&M University’s Institute for a Disaster Resilient Texas (IDRT) has launched an online interactive platform consolidating weather event data from across the state to better support Texas residents in preparing for, responding to and recovering from natural disasters.
The Texas Disaster Information System (TDIS) is a centralized portal designed to enhance transparency and accessibility to real-time inclement weather information. The state has been ravaged by extreme heat, wildfires, flooding, heavy rainfall and ice storms in recent years, causing widespread damage and hazardous conditions.
Despite the regularity of natural disasters, existing resources and relevant data are fragmented and inaccessible, making it difficult for residents to have the information needed to protect themselves before, during and after the storm. Previous models were typically individual and disconnected, using outdated or nonexistent data.
The newly launched platform maps all active weather events across the states, regularly updating information each day and allowing users to filter by a variety of disaster types. Users have access to several tools to help make informed decisions regarding planning, preparedness, response and recovery. These include:
- Buyers Aware – Reports flood and fire risk at the property level in areas impacted by Hurricane Harvey for potential homebuyers.
- The Data & Models Query Tool – Enables emergency agencies and communities to search and download state flood modeling data stored on the platform.
- Measuring, Mapping and Managing Flood Risk in Texas – A reference tool that improves flood risk communication by integrating multiple types of flood risk and hazard models and supporting risk communication best practices.
- Model Management and Storage Solution – A digital library that stores and protects complex flood models from regional engineers in partnership with the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB).
- TDIS Metadata – Creates and uploads metadata for hydraulic and hydrologic models.
IDRT developed the portal in collaboration with the TWDB, the General Land Office (GLO) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), incorporating comprehensive flood models, resources and additional data critical to keeping Texans safe. The site pulls and consolidates information from the GLO’s Combined River Basin Flood Studies and the TWDB’s State Flood Plan.
Photo by Jorge Ramirez from Unsplash