Integrative Project #2 (IP-2)

TEXRAD

Distributed, Collaborative, and Adaptive Sensing (DCAS) for

Flood Warning and Forecasting

CASA: Developing the unprecedented ability to observe the lower troposphere thus enabling the revolutionary capacity to observe and predict severe weather and hazards at spatial and temporal scales previously impossible.

TEXRAD: An integrated flood-forecasting system, coupling CASA’s unprecedented capability for quantitative precipitation estimation and forecasting with distributed hydrologic modeling in order to advance flood warning accuracy, spatial and temporal resolution, and lead-time for a variety of end user needs.

Member Institutions and Partners

IP2 Team Contact Information

IP2 Mission

Current Focus Points

	The Current Houston Flood Alert System	Meeting Details
End Users and Their Needs

Documents

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University of Massachusetts (Lead Institute) The Texas Medical Center

Colorado State University Vieux and Associates

Rice University

University of Oklahoma

University of Puerto Rico

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Group Leader:

Dr. Venkatachalarn Chandrasekaran

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Colorado State University
chandra@engr.colostate.edu

voice - 970.491.7981

fax – 970.491.2249

Core Team Members:

Dr. Philip Bedient Dr. Sandra Cruz Pol

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Department of Electrical Engineering

Rice University University of Puerto Rico

bedient@rice.edu SandraCruzPol@ieee.org

voice - 713.348.4953 voice – 737.832.4040 ext 2444

Dr. Kelvin Droegemeier Dr. Jim Kurose

School of Meteorology Department of Computer Science

University of Oklahoma University of Massachusetts at Amherst

kkd@ou.edu kurose@cs.umass.edu

voice - 405.325.3016 voice – 413.545.1585

fax – 413.545.1249

Dr. Paula L. Sturdevant Rees Dr. Baxter E. Vieux

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science

University of Massachusetts at Amherst University of Oklahoma
rees@ecs.umass.edu bvieux@ou.edu
voice - 413.577.2337 voice – 405.325.3600

Fax - 413.545.2202 fax - 405.325.4217

List of Key Integrative Team Members (from other thrust areas or partners):

Steve Frasier

Wei-Bo Gong

Brenda Philips

Mark Preston

David McLauglin

Steve Sekelsky

Jim Smith

Jean Vieux

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IP2, or TEXRAD, is the NetRad test bed in Houston. The weather targets for this test bed are heavy rainfall events. The TEXRAD DCAS system will emphasize quantitative precipitation estimation and forecasting as well as distributed hydrological modeling, all combined in an integrated flood-forecasting system. Thus, this test bed will integrate the atmospheric, hydrometeorological, and other aspects of CASA. The mission of TEXRAD is to demonstrate the ability of NetRad to revolutionize the state-of-the art in flood-forecasting, serving the competing needs of multiple end-users.

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The official kick-off for IP2 is during Year 2 of the ERC. Current focus for IP2 is on defining the framework for several key issues prior to the official kick-off. These issues and key personnel working on them include:

1. Who are the end users and how will we create and maintain a specific cohort?

Personnel: Brenda Philips, Mark Preston, Jean Vieux, Phil Bedient, Jim Smith, and Paula Rees

Status: The TMC partnership is in place with Phil Bedient as our focal point along with Jean Vieux, connecting us to the Medical Center’s flooding problem. Phil and Jean have contact with numerous other potential end-users in Houston.

2. What is the physical layout of the test bed? (size of watershed/area to be covered, number of nodes and resolution, degree of overlap, hydrological and atmospheric resolution, etc.)

Personnel: Baxter Vieux, Phil Bedient, Kelvin Droegemeier, Chandra, Jim Smith, Paula Rees

Status: Owing to the high population density and hydrological make-up of the Houston area, we expect to be able to deploy a smaller network than in Oklahoma while still impacting a large number of people/end-users and achieving spatial resolutions possibly as fine as 100 m.

3. What is the cost of IP2 and how will the necessary resources be generated?

Personnel: Brenda Philips, Phil Bedient, Mark Preston, Chandra

4. What algorithms and DCAS/Optimization issues will need to be addressed specifically for IP2?

Personnel: Steve Sekelsky, Chandra, Sandra Cruz Pol, WeiBo Gong

5. What signalization and scanning configurations are necessary?

Personnel: Steve Sekelsky, Chandra, Sandra Cruz Pol, WeiBo Gong

Status: Dual-polarized radars are needed for accurate rainfall estimation, but electronic scanning capability appears to be secondary since atmospheric events in Houston are not “fleeting” the way tornadoes are. A dual-polarized electronic scanning capability may prove to be necessary for manufacturability of this system ultimately, but it may be possible to accomplish the primary goals of this IP with dish antennas.

6. What is the relationship of SOCC to IP2, and how may IP2 be leveraged with LEAD?

Personnel: J. Brotzge, Jean Vieux

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Identification of additional end users and quantification of their needs is an ongoing task of the IP2 team members. Currently the following end users and their needs have been elucidated:

§ The Texas Medical Center

Additional potential end users targeted by IP2 include:

§ The City of Houston

§ Texas DOT

§ Reliant Energy

§ Local media outlets

§ The County

These well be formally identified over the next six months.

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The City of Houston was founded in 1836 on the banks of Buffalo Bayou, which provided a water route to the Gulf of Mexico. Destructive flooding had been reported as early as 1843, but was not considered a large problem because of the low population density of Houston and Harris County before the 1950's. The Houston Ship channel was built in 1915 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Houston soon after became a major outlet for agricultural and petroleum products. 

The Brays Bayou watershed, which drains approximately 128 sq. mi., is located in southwest Harris County and runs through the cities of Houston, Missouri City, Stafford, Bellaire, West University, and Southside Place. Brays Bayou flows in an eastward direction for 31 miles from its headwaters in Fort Bend County to its confluence with the Houston Ship Channel.  Except for the western regions, undeveloped areas of significant size are rare. 

Included in the Brays Bayou watershed are critical developments such as the Texas Medical Center, the Houston Zoo, Houston Baptist University, Rice University, and the intensely developed commercial corridor along the Loop 610 and U.S. 59 interchange.

The watershed contains forty-six sub-basins.  The portion of the watershed upstream of Main Street, located in the Medical Center, has an area of about 95 square miles and contains thirty-nine of the sub-basins. The Harris County Office of Emergency Management (HCOEM) currently has eight operating gages along the bayou recording water levels during rainfall events. Harris Gully is a smaller tributary that flows underneath the Medical Center and is important due to its close proximity to the Medical Center.

Since 1997, Rice Univesity has…….

Brays Bayou Flood ALERT System

IP2 Meetings:

September 24, 2003 – Start-up Video Conference

• Meeting Notes

November 17^th – Houston Planning Meeting

• Agenda Updated Nov. 11th!
• Parking map for Rice University. Meeting atendees should park in the lot near entrance 13 on Rice Blvd and walk towards Building 27, the Mechanical Lab Building.
• The building names and numbers should highlight as you pass the cursor over them on the map. Building 27 is in the "2nd row" of buildings between entrances 15 and 16.
• The Wyndham Warwick is the suggested hotel: 1-800-298-6199. A special Rice rate is available. See earlier email from Lorraine or contact Paula.
• Shuttle transportation from the airport to the Whyndam Warwick may be arrange for about $20 by calling 713-523-8888
• Other hotels in the area may be found at this link.
• Phil has planned a dinner for Sunday night arrivals. Please contact Paula ASAP if you will be there prior to 6:30 pm on Sunday night and have not already notified Phil.
• Travel to the meeting from the Wyndham - there is a hotel shuttle, or it is an easy walking distance. Phil can pick up 5 people.
• Meeting attendee contact information and meeting notes will be provided here after the meeting.

• Meeting Summary
• Phil Bedient's Presentation - FAS2
• Jim Kurose's Presentation - DCAS Architecture
• Baxter Vieux's Presentation - Predictability

IP2 Documents and Links:

IP2 Strategic Plan

IP-2 Team Member Only Web Site – NOT AVAILABLE YET

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Website maintained by Paula L. Sturdevant Rees (rees@ecs.umass.edu). Last updated 5^th November 2003.