Information/Data Needs for Floodplain Management

Information is the principal resource of almost any government agency, and that is particularly true with agencies involved in floodplain management. Problems caused by the inaccessibility, incompleteness, inaccuracy, or untimeliness of the information can severely limit flood management personnel in meeting their objectives in the most productive and effective manner. In the aftermath of the Red River of the North (RRN) flood of 1997, the governments of Canada and the United States agreed that steps should be taken to reduce the impact of future flooding. They asked the International Joint Commission to analyze the cause and effects of the 1997 flood and to recommend ways to reduce the impact of future floods, including a relevant information base for the basin. An International Red River Basin Task Force (Task Force) was formed to conduct this work. The Task Force recommendation to devise strategies to effectively integrate and manage disparate data and information types parallels the vision of the Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN). GDIN is a multi-agency initiative within the U.S. to promote cooperation between user and provider interests in support to disaster management. To reach that goal the Task Force has been working to devise a strategy to identify an information infrastructure for the area of interest, to promote this concept within the broadest possible stakeholder community, and to make recommendations for a sustainable virtual presence. In July 1998, the Task Force conducted a series of workshops in Minnesota, North Dakota, and Winnipeg, Manitoba. A broad spectrum of stakeholders clearly articulated unmet needs in information and data availability, management, and the need for sustaining information infrastructure to improve emergency response and floodplain management. The process for generating local input for the information needs assessment as well as the results will be discussed.