Management of Real-Time Data for a Smart Flooding Alert System

Information and technology are key elements in converting cities to Smart Cities. The ability to provide real-time information to residents for supporting their decision making is a primary characteristic of Smart Cities. Some of the challenges of providing real-time data are the availability of such data and the platforms to share it with residents in a meaningful way. In this work, an interdisciplinary, international team of researchers and students from the University of Guadalajara and the University of Texas at El Paso share their progress towards managing (i.e., collecting, processing, and sharing) real-time data during flooding events through the Smart Flooding Alert System (Smart FAS). Flooding events impact the day-to-day activities of city residents such as their mobility and affect the city’s infrastructure. The Smart FAS proposes the use of mobile devices and a wireless sensor network infrastructure for the collection of crowdsourced and sensor-generated data, respectively. The Smart FAS includes algorithms to calculate a metric that can be implemented for generating flood mobility routes that avoid flooded streets. Smart FAS uses metrics and mobile technologies for providing real-time information in a meaningful way to users. The proposed design and features of the Smart FAS proof-of-concept are evaluated using Smart Cities characteristics. The Smart FAS proof-of-concept can inform the development of further information and communication technologies (ICT) and Smart Cities platforms aiming to collect and share real-time data to city residents and stakeholders to support their decision-making process.