First Street's National Flood Adaptation Database
First Street's National Flood Adaptation Database has data on over 23,000 adaptation projects that protect 14.6 million properties.
Types of Adaption Projects
Our database covers a wide set of adaptation projects:
Green = green infrastructure Grey = grey infrastructure Yellow = green/grey infrastructure
Adaption Feature Properties
For every adaptation project, we collected:
- Project name
- Adaptation project type
- Flooding scenario (pluvial, fluvial, tidal)
- Type of flood reduction
- Return period exclusion
- Increased infiltration
- Enhanced conveyance
- Step change
- Original data source
- Notes
Every adaptation project also has a source ID reference and that source ID shows where we obtained our information for each project. The source can provide additional information like costs and year built.
How Adaption Feature Are Used
Adaptation features are incorporated into our model in two ways:
- A digitized service area (area protected by an adaptation feature)
- A modeling mechanism
Digitized Service Areas
Resources that we used to research and draw adaptation protection zones include, but are not limited to:
- FEMA FIS reports
- Public datasets
- Communications with GIS specialists and planners
- USACE datasets
Modeling Mechanisms
- Return period exclusion
- Soil change
- Conveyance
- Model informed
- Step change
- Digitize no reduction
- Coastal methods
Example Adaption Project
Learn More About Our Flood Adaption Work
For more information, you can find a basic summary of our adaptation methodology here. Another way to learn more is to read or watch our webinar on our adaptation research, which appears in the second half of the linked video.
Lastly, you can dive into the adaptation section of our flood methodology document, which gives an overview of our research methods in particular. You can also find an overview of the methodology here.