GeoRisk Pro

Our app assesses hazard occurrences (volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods) monthly, creating safe travel routes based on low to severe risk areas.

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Inspiration

In the United States alone, over 927 billion USD and 32,366 human lives were lost to natural disasters between 1960 and 2015 (Center for Emergency Management and Homeland Security, 2019). Tourists are particularly vulnerable to the threat of natural disasters because they are unfamiliar with their destinations and the natural forces impacting various regions. As a result, we decided to provide granular, comprehensive information about natural hazards present across the United States, which will help users understand the risks associated with travel and make informed decisions

What it does

When user plans a trip for any destination, this app determines the risk of a natural hazard occurrence (volcanoes, earthquake, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, etc.) for a particular month in any location in the United States. A travel route is created, and users receive information regarding when their travel route passes through areas with low, medium, high or severe risk for natural hazards.

How we built it

We built the web application by using typescript, python, spatial analysis and ArcGIS Pro, Experience Builder, ArcGIS Runtime SDK for JavaScript.

Challenges we ran into

The hazard source data included very large files that were difficult to process and transform into usable data. In order to compute hazard prevalence from historical data, we had to come up with a workflow involving Kernel Density models with a vector output, and this workflow was very difficult to perfect. Once the data had been transformed, we ran into errors producing web maps using the data that even mentors had never seen before. One of the challenges we faced was the lack of experience in spatial analysis.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are proud of our team's achievements in creating a functional web app that will be highly beneficial to users. We are proud of creating hazard maps that are usable and meaningful to users: we converted dataset with close to a million polyline features into risk polygons that convey to users historical risk better than other visualizations can.

What we learned

We learned to use ArcGIS Api’s for JavaScript, Kernel density and other spatial analysis Pro tools

What's next for GeoRisk Pro

Allow users to contribute by sharing their travel experiences and any hazards they encountered during their trips. This user-generated content can provide valuable insights to other travelers.

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