A Community-Oriented Flood Map Visualization and Evaluation Framework

Moiyyad Sufi , Carlos Erazo, Bong-Chul Seo, Felipe Quintero Duque, Pitamber Wagle, Daniel Ames, James Nelson, Ibrahim Demir

Flood inundation maps are essential for preparedness, response, and long‑term risk mitigation, yet many existing visualization platforms remain limited by rigid data structures and region‑specific workflows. This study introduces FIMApp, a client‑side, web‑based framework and platform for integrating, visualizing, and comprehensively evaluating flood map products using standardized, portable data formats. The system incorporates three JSON‑based specifications, the FIM Database, FIM Scenario, and FIM Damage formats, which enable interoperable representation of flood extents, near-real-time inundation stages, and property‑level impacts. FIMApp supports raster and vector datasets, interactive scenario exploration, model comparison, and browser‑based persistence without server dependencies. A comprehensive case study demonstrates the framework’s ability to render stage‑wise inundation for the Chickasawhay River MS, quantify agreement between HAND and SRH‑2D models in Batesville, TX, and integrate hosted flood datasets (e.g., HydroShare). The results highlight the framework’s extensibility, reproducibility, and suitability for flood risk communication. The result is a scalable, community‑oriented platform for integrating and analyzing diverse flood mapping products.