Toa Baja Dynamic Flood Map Tool

Summary: In collaboration with NASA DEVELOP National Program, we facilitated the development of a Dynamic Flood Map Tool that the Department of Planning in Toa Baja uses to identify flooding scenarios and better plan for their future. The tool, titled Mapping Tropical Storm Susceptibility in Puerto Rico’s ‘Underwater City’ Using NASA Earth Observations to Assist the Municipality’s Intervention Efforts, has also helped resilientSEE-PR and MIT Urban Risk Lab provide strategic consulting as the Municipality envisions a more resilient plan to rebuilding.

The DEVELOP National Program is part of NASA's Applied Sciences Program. Participants from around the country join the DEVELOP program for 10-week terms to apply data acquired by NASA Earth-observing satellites to bridge the gap between science and society.

Services: Project management, content facilitator, strategic advisor.

Team: Led by NASA DEVELOP National Program and in collaboration with the Autonomous Municipality of Toa Baja, and resilientSEE collaborators: Perkins&Will, MIT Urban Risk Lab, Alvarez Díaz & Villalón Architecture and Interior Design

Completion Date: 2020

Impact: 1 Municipality with over 14,000 homes flooded and 5 Barrios: Candelaria, Media Luna, Palo Seco, Sabana Seca and Toa Baja barrio-pueblo.

Awards: Citation, Campus and Urban Planning, Boston Society of Architects / American Institute of Architects, 2021; Design Excellence Honor Award - Vision Category, National Organization of Minority Architects, 2020; Honorable Mention, ACADIA+Autodesk+NOMA Computational Design Award, 2020