FLOODSS: Iowa flood information system as a generalized flood cyberinfrastructure

Abstract

This article presents the vision, implementation, and case studies of the Iowa Flood Information System (IFIS) towards the vision for next-generation decision support systems for flooding. The IFIS is an end-to-end web-based platform that incorporates various aspects of the decision-making process for flood risk management and mitigation for the State of Iowa. The IFIS provides real-time information on streams and weather conditions, incorporates advanced hydrological models for flood prediction and mapping, and several data analytics and visualization tools to support effective decision-making process. The data analytics and visualization capabilities with critical flood information in the IFIS can support flood risk management, and disaster preparedness and response efforts in Iowa. The IFIS is designed in an integrated and modular structure and serves as a prototype for a generalized decision support system for flood-related decision-making. A detailed case study is presented in the paper to demonstrate the capabilities of the system in decision-making.