Developing Rain Gauge Sensors for a Flood Prediction Platform; Effectiveness of Flash Flood Monitoring Systems on Disaster Safety Communication and Public Perception 82 views

Flash floods are a dangerous natural disaster that require a highly connected technical and social system to monitor and mitigate. In my technical capstone I worked on a remote sensing system to collect critical rainfall level information that could be used to predict floods. Data collection is an important and critical step as it allows predictions to be more accurate and prompt. In my Science, Technology, and Society (STS) research paper I investigated why some individuals have a mistrust of flash flood warnings and subsequently ignore them. It is important to consider the social aspects with the technical factors to best protect people. The technology being developed in my capstone plays a role in the system I am studying in my STS research. When the system is successful, flood prediction is the first part of a chain of events that ends with improved public safety. My technical capstone was done as a part of a project called Floodwatch at the University of Virginia. This is a research team focused on developing a platform for flood prediction that visualizes and utilizes data collected from real time sensors. I was working on the Internet of Things team to continue development on and testing for a set of new rain gauge sensors. These devices are small, low power devices capable of collecting and transmitting data on rainfall levels. This data can be visualized and used further for more complex prediction algorithms. At the conclusion of my technical capstone the rain gauge sensors were set up. Additionally, I created instructional material for their use. It is important that the devices are accessible to the general public so they can be widely distributed. The project showed the importance of thoroughly testing a system to verify that it is working in an expected manner. My STS research paper focused on the sociotechnical system behind flash flood prediction. The technology, communication, and public trust must all be strong to keep people as safe as possible. Failures in this system can cause people to lose trust in the system or not receive alerts. I investigated this system with a literature review and a survey, and then analyzed it with Actor-Network Theory. Previous literature and my survey results point to flaws in the system surrounding the availability of data, public education, and trust within communities. Flash flood mitigation is best when it is addressed at the community level due to differences in local environments and infrastructure, along with the possibility of people feeling fatigue towards national level alerts. To address mistrust in the system people need to have access to local educational and data sources.

BS (Bachelor of Science)

Flash Flood; Flood Prediction; Public Safety; Rain Gauge Sensor

School of Engineering and Applied Science Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Technical Advisor: N. Rich Nguyen STS Advisor: Pedro Augusto P. Francisco

English

All rights reserved by the author (no additional license for public reuse)

2026-05-01