Department of Homeland Security Features AWARE
Flood in New Video
In 2018, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology Directorate (DHS S&T)
collaborated with Intellisense Systems, Inc. to design, develop and test a network of inexpensive,
readily-deployable inundation sensors to respond to the increasing risks of flooding. Flooding is
now the nation’s leading natural disaster in terms of property damage and loss of life. Over the last
30 years, floods have accounted for $8.2 billion in damages and 105 fatalities every year. Much of
this devastation can be allayed by deployable flood sensors with Internet of Things (IoT) technology
that monitor flood-prone areas in real time and rapidly alert first-responders, city officials, and
citizens to flooding events.
Now the DHS S&T has released a video promoting the benefits of flood sensor technology like
Intellisense’s AWARE Flood System. It highlights the system’s relative accuracy within a 1/2 inch of
water level, as well as its ability to detect minimal water level rise. These capabilities allow
emergency managers to monitor and quickly respond to urban flash flooding, coastal zone tidal
surge, dam and reservoir height fluctuations, and other flood hazard events. The video
demonstrates that proven and dependable low-cost flood inundation sensors can offer flood hazard
monitoring, alerts warnings, and notifications to communities, giving officials and citizens the time
needed to respond to fast-moving flooding events.
The video also features testimonies from community leaders and officials who have benefited from
the AWARE Flood System. “The accuracy of the low-cost sensors exceeded expectations for
reliability and accuracy when compared to the USGS stream gauge data,” said a project manager
from the Charlotte-Mecklenburg (North Carolina) Storm Weather Services. A Flood Warning
System Manager in Howard County, Maryland added, “After major flooding events in both 2016
and 2018, our participation in the flood sensor project helped us refine our models and help us
better understand areas that could be impacted.” Finally, an Assistant Manager at the Kentucky
Division of Water (KY DOW) affirmed that, “The accuracy requirements for the KY DOW Dam
Safety Program were completely met by the low-cost flood sensors.”
In addition to this video, the DHS S&T also published a performance analysis of the AWARE Flood
System after a two-year deployment. The system met and in many cases exceeded the needs of the
local storm weather services with water level measurements that nearly matched the existing and
more expensive USGS flood gauges. The DHS S&T ultimately concludes these cost-effective and
innovative technologies are invaluable to helping protect property, improve community resilience
to flooding, and – most importantly – save lives.