Academic project in conjunction with Juanita Halim (MCP '23) and Shaler Campbell (MCP '23) for Advanced GIS Workshop and Spatial Statistics at MIT | 2021-22
Storm surges are an imminent threat to the future and security of vulnerable economies in Northern Massachusetts. Through a GIS based mapping methodology, we aimed to spatially identify these vulnerable residential parcels along the coastline, tabulate their vulnerability, and isolate high-priority cities/towns based on residential economic loss. In addition, we quantified significant economic loss based on the differential between assessed property value and the rebuild value post-flooding. Further, we juxtaposed maps of high priority areas in 3 particular regions - Salem, Revere and Salisbury across FEMA hazard mitigation plans to determine which tax parcels are excluded from the FEMA risk designation, and therefore would not be receiving adequate aid and insurance. We determined economic losses owners and renters across the tax parcels, and computed collective loss across a spectrum of affected regions. Once the high priority areas are identified, these can be further evaluated on the basis of storm surges, sea level rise, mortage and tenure vulnerability, build back value etc to arrive at a more granular analysis.
