Hurricane Ian brought significant storm surge and heavy rain to Florida and the southeastern U.S., resulting in extensive flooding and catastrophic damage. NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) tracked water levels during the storm in real-time through the CO-OPS’ Coastal Inundation Dashboard web mapping application. This tool allows users to monitor elevated water level conditions along the coast when a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning is issued. CO-OPS’ network of water level stations along the coast captured significant water levels at many locations, providing insight into the devastating impacts that Hurricane Ian had on the communities in its path. The water level observations are also critical for National Weather Service (NWS) hurricane specialists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) who use the data for storm surge forecast validation in real-time.
Read more at: Extreme Water Levels During Hurricane Ian
The Innovation District and six partners were recently selected to help grow startups that are working on technology/data solutions for the ocean economy. This powerful collaboration is made possible thanks to $13.9 million awarded by the NOAA Ocean Enterprise Accelerators program.
Kudos to Lauren Bell, the Innovation District's Hub Community Manager, for her acceptance into the Leadership St. Pete Class of 2025. Lauren is a rock star at the Innovation District.
Are you like me? Give me a physical map and I get excited! Maybe its a carryover from the pre-GPS days, but I think it is such a fun way to explore an area.