Department: Flood Control District
Department Head/Elected Official: Alan R. Black, P.E., Interim Executive Director
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Negotiation
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): National Severe Storms Laboratory, a Unit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
MWDBE Participation (if applicable): N/A
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Request for approval to negotiate an agreement with National Severe Storms Laboratory, a unit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for cooperative research and development to develop, maintain, and provide real-time gauge adjusted gridded rainfall data to the District (Countywide).
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Background and Discussion:
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which is the parent agency of the National Weather Service (NWS) and National Severe Storm Laboratory (NSSL), is a key federal partner of the District. The District leverages data and hazard products provided by NOAA and its various divisions to conduct emergency management operations during weather events and for communicating risk with partners, officials, and citizens in and around Harris County. In addition, the District utilizes the numerous real-time and forecast rainfall available from NOAA to perform flood modeling and analysis during flood events. The NWS and District identified an opportunity to develop a new real-time radar rainfall product that leverages the scientific and advanced capabilities available through NOAA/NSSL/NWS and the extensive rainfall gauge network provided by Harris County's Flood Warning System. This product, formally called Gauge Adjusted Radar Rainfall (GARR), would provide a better estimate of rainfall than radar products that are currently available from NOAA by incorporating rainfall from Flood Warning System rain gauges into the radar rainfall creation process. In addition to incorporating FWS gauges, ...
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