Project Grant NA24OARX021G0022

PURPOSE: FLOODING STANDS AS THE FOREMOST CAUSE OF PROPERTY DAMAGE IN THE UNITED STATES, SURPASSING ALL OTHER NATURAL HAZARDS COMBINED. OUR GOAL IS TO PROTECT COASTAL AND RIVERINE MANUFACTURING HUBS AGAINST THE ESCALATING THREATS OF FLOODING, EXTREME WEATHER, AND CLIMATE CHANGE. THERE IS A MASSIVE RISK OF MANUFACTURING COMPANIES LEAVING AMERICAS INDUSTRIAL HEARTLAND ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE GREAT LAKES DRIVEN AWAY BY THE INABILITY OF MANY UNDER-RESOURCED HOST COMMUNITIES TO MANAGE ONGOING AND RECURRING WET-WEATHER DISRUPTIONS. IN THIS SBIR PROPOSAL, WE WILL COMBINE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART WIRELESS SENSING TECHNOLOGIES TO TRANSFORM THE ABILITY OF MUNICIPAL MANAGERS TO SAFEGUARD FACILITIES AND THE VITAL WORKFORCE THAT UNDERPINS LOCAL MANUFACTURING HUBS. THE INCORPORATION OF AI IS CRITICAL FOR ENSURING THAT OUR SOLUTION IS ACCESSIBLE FOR COMMUNITIES THAT LACK THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES OR TECHNICAL EXPERTISE TO DEVELOP AND MAINTAIN COMPLEX MANUAL SYSTEMS, THEREBY DEMOCRATIZING ACCESS TO ADVANCED FLOOD MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES. LEVERAGING A WIRELESS SENSOR PILOT NETWORK IN DEARBORN, MI, WE WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH MUNICIPAL MANAGERS TO TEST THE PROJECT OUTPUTS IN A MANUFACTURING-CENTRIC COMMUNITY AT THE FRONTLINES OF US CLIMATE ADAPTATION. THE CORNERSTONE OF THIS PROJECT IS THE RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT (R & D) OF A NOVEL ANALYTICS TOOLCHAIN, DESIGNED TO DELIVER EARLY WARNINGS FOR DEBRIS JAMS IN URBAN DRAINAGE SYSTEMS, STREAMS, AND RIVERS. THE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THIS PROJECT INCLUDE: 1) RESEARCH FOR TRANSFER LEARNING ALGORITHMS TO SUPPORT AUTOMATED ANOMALY DETECTION FROM WIRELESS WATER LEVEL SENSORS, 2) OPTIMIZING ANOMALY DETECTION THROUGH DYNAMIC THRESHOLDING ALGORITHMS, AND 3) REAL-WORLD APPLICATION AND USER TESTING IN A REAL SENSOR NETWORK TESTBED. WE WILL LEVERAGE OUR OWN DENSELY-DEPLOYED SENSOR NETWORKS TO LOCALIZE THE VALUE DELIVERED BY NOAA'S DATA SOURCES, INCLUDING THE NATIONAL WATER MODEL AND METEOROLOGICAL SERVICES. THE FINAL OUTCOME WILL REDUCE FREQUENT OCCURRENCES OF FLOODING AND ENABLE ENTIRELY NEW ADAPTATION STRATEGIES THAT ENSURE MANUFACTURING FACILITIES AND COMMUNITIES ALIKE REMAIN MINIMALLY DISRUPTED BY INTENSIFYING WEATHER PATTERNS. THIS PROJECT BUILDS TOWARD A BROADER PHASE II GOAL OF ADVANCING COMMERCIAL SOLUTIONS TO ROBUSTLY PROTECT MANUFACTURING HUBS, SUPPLY CHAINS, AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS AGAINST FLOODING.