All over the country, millions of Americans still live behind dams or levees, and if these were to fail and unleash catastrophic flooding, as some did in New Orleans in 2005, property and life might once again pay the price. Answers to at least some of the problem are now on the way, thanks to a team led by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T).

The team has developed powerful software tools combined into a seamless Web application to visualize a flood, address consequences, and properly train emergency responders. And this new tool is fast. If a flood would take 24 hours to inundate downstream areas, this software tool could potentially model the inundation in less than 24 minutes.

The key component of the project is DSS-WISE™ (Decision Support System for Water Infrastructural Security) and the underlying flood simulator, CCHE2D-FLOOD™, which provides unmatched number-crunching speed. The flood simulator can replicate flooding caused by any cataclysm less fateful than The Great Deluge: a breached levee, a failed dam, a surging tide, a tsunami -- even water waves caused by massive landslides.

First, DSS-WISE™ selectively prioritizes affected regions. It also processes only the model's "skeleton," or wireframe, while applying the "skin" afterward. Finally, it divides the flood path model into tens of millions of geometric cells, using parallel processing to parcel them out to separate processors.

The other critical piece of the puzzle is the Dams Sector Analysis Tool, or DSAT. This powerful Web-based application is a one-stop shop where dam owners and operators have secure access to analytical capabilities within a user-friendly graphical environment. Dam owners and operators use algorithms in DSAT to identify and prioritize the most critical dams within their portfolios. DSAT also incorporates a geospatial viewer that provides query capabilities as well as access to real-time information (earthquakes, weather, etc.).

The DSAT geospatial viewer includes a function called DSS-WISE™ Prep. Select your dam on a map, fill in a few facts, direct DSAT how high the reservoir will be when the flood starts, and click Begin. The request is bundled into a data file and automatically sent to the DSS-WISE™ flood simulator. As the simulation unfolds, the consumer will not see heavy activity but will immediately receive automatic progress reports by email.

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