The Polis Center Geoinformatics team continues work as Cooperating Technical Partner (CTP) on a variety of projects related to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Risk MAP program.

Polis has received federal grants through the CTP program every year since 2017 and has worked on Risk MAP projects since 2010. These grants support the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) effort to update Indiana flood maps. IDNR and Polis just submitted the 2021 grant request to FEMA, which is pending approval. It includes the following major tasks: discovery; data development for areas in the Upper White watershed, which cover parts of Delaware, Madison, Hamilton, Henry, Hancock, and Marion counties; preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) development for Madison and Vanderburgh counties; and floodplain mapping for the Wabash River.

Discovery is the first part of FEMA’s Risk MAP project lifecycle to update flood maps. During this phase, the team assembles flood-related information about relevant geographic areas, review data, meet with local stakeholders, and determine which flood risk projects are needed. The 2020 grant included funding to conduct discovery for multiple watersheds across 21 counties. The 2021 grant expands that effort to additional watersheds which intersect 7 counties. Our goal, pending FEMA funding, is to conduct the Discovery process for the entire state in the next five years.