Asheville area community members enter a portable dome to experience Living Maps: From Cosmos to Community.

Story by Nancy Foltz

ASHEVILLE, NC—Experts from American institutions known for their pioneering efforts in Earth systems research, education and evaluation have come together to turn economic literacy education on its ear, and RENCI is part of the effort.

The new initiative known as the Worldviews Network seeks to create innovative approaches for engaging the American public in dialogues about human-induced global changes.  Using immersive visualization within the nation’s 600 planetariums and other domed settings to enhance the visual experience, the Worldviews partners are creating tools and techniques for science educators that will help audiences visualize, comprehend and address complex issues from whole-systems perspectives.  The goal is to illustrate how large-scale global processes such as biodiversity loss, climate change and ocean acidification relate to the places where we live by customizing content for issues of regional importance.

Partner institutions include the American Museum of Natural History, the California Academy of Sciences, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, the Exhibit Museum of Natural History, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History, the Institute for Learning Innovation, the Journey Museum, the Minnesota Planetarium Society, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, NASA Ames Research Center, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Program Office, NOVA/WGBH Boston, RENCI at UNC Asheville and The Elumenati, a design and engineering firm that specializes in immersive visualization.  The three-year project is funded by NOAA.

“RENCI at UNC Asheville was invited to be part of the Worldviews Network because it is at the forefront in enabling communities to understand complex interconnections and use the information to make good decisions about their natural, built, social and economic environments,” said David McConville, creative director for the Worldviews Network and co-founder of The Elumenati.

As part of their contribution to the Worldviews Network, RENCI and The Elumenati are applying what they have learned within the Uniview software platform, an interactive scientific visualization platform and storytelling tool.  As a result, experiencing Worldviews stories will be similar to playing a video game, except the data and the decision making will be real.

The timing of Worldviews is perfect for RENCI at UNC Asheville because it coincides with the center’s work as part of the Livable Communities Initiative, a three-year project to develop regional and local strategies for sustainable development, economic prosperity and quality growth in five Western North Carolina counties.

Coordinated by the Land-of-Sky Regional Council and funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Livable Communities Initiative will synchronize existing local community plans to integrate housing, land use, economic and workforce development, transportation and infrastructure investments.  To do this, Livable Communities participants will need to understand the potential interactions of many layers of information and that’s where RENCI comes in.  One of RENCI’s roles will be to provide visualizations to help participants understand the region’s vulnerabilities so they can make decisions that will maintain what they love most about the region and make its communities more resilient.

Since each partner in the Worldviews Network must develop regional economic education content, RENCI will reuse the content it creates for the Livable Communities Initiative for Worldviews.  The first of this dual-purpose content was revealed on September 29 in a portable dome at the Land-of-Sky Regional Council’s headquarters.  In a program titled Living Maps: From Cosmos to Community, RENCI seamlessly combined the Worldviews Network’s cosmic, solar system and Earth stories with regional stories it developed for Livable Communities.  The visualizations were followed by a discussion with the audience to set the stage for the next three years of the Livable Communities Initiative.

In future Worldviews Network programs developed to assist in the Livable Communities Initiative, audiences will see actual solutions other communities have implemented in response to challenges similar to those faced in Western North Carolina, and residents in the region will make decisions that will dramatically affect their future.

“I expect a lot of “a-ha” moments as planners and other Western North Carolina residents see visuals and hear wonderful stories about how economic, land use, energy, social, transportation and housing choices fit together,” said Jeff Hicks, a RENCI geospatial analyst.  “Just as the the Livable Communities Initiative will influence policy decisions in Western North Carolina, it will help guide the Worldviews Network project as well.  We are pleased RENCI and the UNC system are part of both important efforts.”

More photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/nemacstaff/sets/72157627664123407/

RENCI at UNC Asheville Director Jim Fox (right) receives the Friends of the River Award from Bob Davy of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council at the group’s annual dinner

ASHEVILLE, NC—RENCI at UNC Asheville received the Friends of the River Award by the Land-of-Sky Regional Council at the 33^rd annual Friends of the River Dinner held Sept. 29.

The Friends of the River Award is presented to persons, private organizations, civic groups, and public agencies who have made a significant contribution toward the restoration and enhancement of the French Broad River or its tributaries as a recreational, economic, and cultural resource for the residents of Buncombe, Henderson, Transylvania, and Madison counties. RENCI at UNC Asheville was sited for its contributions to informed decision-making that lead to better water management, marking the first time that a university entity has received the award.

On hand to receive the award were RENCI at UNC Asheville Director Jim Fox, Project Manager Susan Weatherford, and GIS Research Coordinator Greg Dobson.

Letta Jean Taylor, Chair of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council, presented the award, saying, “RENCI has become an invaluable partner in ongoing efforts around our community and region for better decision making tools that are user friendly and not just accessible and understandable to engineers and architects.  Jim [Fox] is an original member of the Asheville-Buncombe Flood Damage Reduction Task Force. RENCI provided GIS, visualizations, 3D movies, decision support tools, museum displays, and more in support of this group. The RENCI team of Jim, Susan Weatherford, Greg Dobson, and Bridget O’Hara have been invaluable in helping to define the alternatives for flood control measures that take into account important community values and blend those values with the latest engineering and technology and thoughts on how to prepare for the next flood event – and climate changes in general – without harming our enjoyment of rivers like the French Broad and Swannanoa Rivers. They are a highly capable team ready, willing, and able to help our region visualize and understand the possibilities and limitations.”

In addition to the work done supporting the Swannanoa Flood Reduction Task Force, Taylor noted that, “RENCI partners and supports education and outreach on water issues. They support RiverLink, the Arboretum, and the Colburn Museum to get the information into the classrooms and community. They also provided key support in the creation of the Water Suitability Maps for our region in partnership with the Land of Sky Linking Lands project.”

At the dinner, the Land-of-Sky Regional Council celebrated over 30 years of regional efforts to improve the French Broad River and its tributaries. Said Council member David Gantt, “We have all worked together to bring about a greater awareness of our river as a resource – for its beauty, its recreational potential, its economic value, its fish and wildlife habitat, and as a drinking water source.”

Charlotte,  N.C. – From 1976 to 2006, land development in the North Carolina mountains increased 568 percent, from 34,348 acres to 229,422 acres, and is expected to increase another 63 percent by 2030 (an additional 145,374 acres), according to a study just released by researchers at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at UNC Charlotte.

Population, meanwhile, increased only 42 percent between 1976 and 2006 and is projected to increase another 25 percent by 2030.  The result?  An increase in the average number of developed acres per person, or the “development footprint,” from 0.06 acres per person in 1976 to 0.30 acres in 2006, and a projected 0.39 acres per person by 2030.

How has rapid urban growth and land development changed western North Carolina’s natural landscape since 1976?  What challenges will the region face over the next 20 years in accommodating growth and protecting its abundant natural resources and great biodiversity?  Researchers at UNC Charlotte’s Center for Applied Geographic Information Science (CAGIS), a research partner with RENCI at UNC Charlotte, are collaborating with RENCI at UNC Asheville to address these and other urbanization issues.  The study was made possible through funding from the City of Asheville, the U.S. Forest Service and RENCI’s home office in Chapel Hill.

Using historical satellite imagery and population data and projections, the researchers have developed an Urban Growth Model that generates statistical and visual representations of likely trends in developed land area.  Satellite image analysis reveals how the landscape has changed from 1976 through 2006.  The Urban Growth Model combines the satellite image-based maps of development with population trends and offers forecasts of future development in the region through 2030.  The 19-county western North Carolina study builds upon similar studies by RENCI at UNC Charlotte, including the 2009 four-county analysis of Asheville and surrounding area and the 2007 original study of development in the Southern Piedmont / Greater Charlotte Metropolitan region.

By examining historical and forecast patterns of urbanization, RENCI researchers hope to assist policy makers, planners, and land conservationists in developing tools to understand and plan for rapid urban growth.  James Fox, the director of RENCI at UNC Asheville and the school’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC), said local stakeholders already are showing an interest in the study’s results.  “This versatile study from RENCI at UNC Charlotte has allowed us to gain maximum benefit from the limited resources available in today’s economic climate.  Being able to use this study at a variety of scales has proved invaluable.”

Fox added that UNC Asheville has used the study’s results in conjunction with the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, the local Land of Sky Council of Governments, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Analysis of historical satellite imagery indicates that between 1976 and 2006, development in the 19-county region occurred at an average rate of 17 acres per day, outpacing population growth nearly 14-to-1.  The Urban Growth Model forecasts that by 2030, the average rate of development in the region will be 16.3 acres per day, and development will continue to outpace population growth 2.5-to-1.

The results also show great variation in forecast gains in development among the counties in the region.  Alleghany, Ashe, and Madison counties are expected to experience the highest rates of forecast development, with Madison County experiencing the greatest percent increase – 109 percent – in developed acres, Alleghany County experiencing a 102 percent increase, and Ashe County a 103 percent increase.  Buncombe and Henderson Counties, the two most populated counties in the region, are expected to contribute roughly 17 percent and 13 percent, respectively, of total forecast gains for the region.

Looking forward regionally, the model predicts that by 2030, when the population is expected to approach 1 million, an additional 145,374 acres of land will be developed, the equivalent of an area roughly the size of Alleghany County (147,333 acres), or nearly six times the acres within Asheville’s city limits.

The full research report is available at http://ui.uncc.edu/content/nearly-570-increase-development-western-nc-mountains-1976.

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For more information about the model, or to schedule an interview with the study’s authors, contact Vicki Bott at (704) 678-2762 or vabott@uncc.edu.  For more information about plans for incorporating the study’s results into ongoing work in the region, contact Jim Fox at (825) 301-2075 or jfox@unca.edu.

3D model looking south down Asheville’s Haywood Street with the Basilica of St. Lawrence (green domed roof) in the foreground.

As the city of Asheville considers how to redevelop sites in its busy and historic downtown, researchers at RENCI at UNC Asheville are assisting them with a tool that models design alternatives in an interactive, three-dimensional environment.

A new RENCI-developed model of Haywood Street  and the Civic Center/Basilica of St. Lawrence Plaza was unveiled at a meeting at the Asheville Design Center on Wednesday, March 17. The model uses geo-referenced data to create an accurate, 3D animation of a portion of Haywood Street that includes the Asheville Civic Center, the adjacent Basilica of St. Lawrence, and a parcel across the street that includes a small parking lot and an empty storefront.

The city wants to redevelop that parcel but is sensitive to how redevelopment could impact the 100-year-old brick and stone Basilica, which sits on high ground at the north end of the street, its impressive façade viewable for several blocks.

The new RENCI tool creates a geo-referenced model of Haywood Street’s buildings, sidewalks and the street—complete with landscaping and architectural details so that users can easily recognize the locations in the model. When completed, the model will use the Unity 3D video game engine to allow users to walk around and view details from different perspectives, much as they would in a video game.

“We used building blueprints to make the most accurate models possible and to flesh out the details like windows and streetscapes,” said Jeff Hicks, a geospatial analyst at RENCI at UNC Asheville. “Incorporating the game engine will add a new level of interactivity.”

The tool will be a new-and-improved version of the decision support tool developed by RENCI at UNC Asheville to model the 2004 floods in the Biltmore Village area. The RENCI researchers partnered with The Elumenati an Asheville-based company that designs immersive projection systems, to incorporate the Unity 3D engine into the model.

The final interactive 3D rendering of Haywood Street is several months from completion. When completed, users will be able to view Haywood Street with the redeveloped parcel across the street from the Basilica in place. They will be able to see how the area would look with the sun at different angles, from different sides of the redeveloped parcel and under different proposed uses.

“It’s all about using the most trusted information to create tools that tell the story,” said Hicks. “The end goal is to support the decision makers.”

Asheville, N.C. – Ever wanted to predict the future? Researchers at UNC Asheville and UNC Charlotte, as part of an ongoing Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) project, are learning how to do just that. Using historical satellite imagery, development trends, population data and population projections, they’ve been able to design an Urban Growth Model that can generate a visual representation of what our landscape may look like in the near future.

Building upon a similar study of the Charlotte region, released in 2007, researchers are in the process of analyzing land conversion patterns for all of western North Carolina. The initial results of their collaborative research highlight the effect of development on four western North Carolina counties: Madison, Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania. Those results indicate that between 1976 and 2006, development in the four-county region increased nearly 500 percent, or at an average rate of six acres of green space per day – outpacing population growth nearly 10-to-one.

Researchers have identified several predictors of development patterns, such as an area’s proximity to a road or interstate interchange, an urban area or a major employment center. Topographical slope and “development pressure,” or proximity to already developed areas, are also key indicators of where urbanization and future development are likely to occur.

The Urban Growth Model indicates an additional 47,489 acres of forests and cultivated farms will be developed in the four-county region by 2030, which is the equivalent of losing almost 75 square miles worth of greens space – or more than six properties the size of the Biltmore Estate. That’s significant for an area that draws visitors from around the globe for its natural and scenic attractions.

The statistical forecast, which only extends to 2030 because that’s as far into the future as the state has projected population growth, is also important for policy makers, planners and conservationists. Understanding when development is likely to occur will help them know where to focus their attention.

James Fox, the director of RENCI at UNC Asheville and the university’s National Environment Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC), has already witnessed local lawmakers’ interest in the modeling data. “It’s going to be used by several different groups of decision makers,” he said, adding the study is an important tool that will make it easier for local governments to collaborate with each other when making policy and planning decisions.

“This is another important tool we can incorporate into our work,” said Richard Broadwell, a Land Protection Specialist for the Conservation Trust of North Carolina, which is working to preserve the scenic viewsheds along the Blue Ridge Parkway. His organization plans to use the data to help them determine which lands to protect and “how to spend our limited funds.”

Most of the predicted development is expected to occur in Buncombe and Henderson Counties, with Henderson County experiencing the greatest increase – 11.6 percent – relative to county area. By 2030, it’s expected 21.3 percent of Henderson County will be developed, not counting water or protected areas.

“For every acre of land that is converted from a natural state through development, there is a really big impact on the mountains’ plants and animals,” said Carl Silverstein, Executive Director for the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.

Silverstein is also concerned about development pressure on local farmers, decreased interest from tourists and the impact urban sprawl could have on the headwaters of rivers, which provide drinking water for millions of North Carolina citizens.

Additional findings demonstrate that humans require more impervious land per person than they once did. In 1976, land development equated to 0.06 acres per person in the four-county area. By 2030, researchers forecast per-capita land requirements will jump to a quarter-acre, or approximately 9,500 square feet.

Madison County’s “human footprint” is projected to increase more than the other three counties, by 0.18 acres per person (or 67 percent). In comparison, per-capita land use in Buncombe, Henderson and Transylvania Counties is only forecast to increase by 28 percent, 13 percent and 18 percent, respectively, in the same period.

The study on the four-county expansion of the urban growth model was conducted by researchers at UNC Charlotte’s Center for Applied Geographic Information Science (CAGIS), which is one of the partners in the RENCI at UNC Charlotte team. RENCI’s UNC Asheville engagement center is the lead regional partner for the western North Carolina expansion, with funding from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the City of Asheville, the U.S. Forest Service and RENCI’s home office in Chapel Hill. The study’s findings for the remaining western North Carolina counties are expected to be released in the spring of 2010.

Created in 2004, RENCI includes a statewide network of academic institutions working to solve complex problems affecting quality of life and economic competitiveness in North Carolina by tapping into university expertise and through the use of advanced technologies.

Additional research findings, including animated maps of land conversion rates for the four-county region, are available at http://renci.uncc.edu/WesternExpansion/.

About RENCI
RENCI operates facilities at UNC Asheville, UNC Charlotte, East Carolina University, UNC Chapel Hill, Duke University and NC State University as well as its flagship site off campus in Chapel Hill.

RENCI at UNC Charlotte involves faculty and staff from three UNC Charlotte research centers: the Urban Institute, the Center for Applied Geographic Information Science and the Charlotte Visualization Center.

RENCI at UNC Asheville focuses on disaster research, mitigation, and preparedness, taking advantage of western North Carolina’s expertise in weather and climate modeling, visualization, and public outreach.

About UNC Asheville
As the only designated liberal arts institution in the 16-campus University of North Carolina system, UNC Asheville serves students who are prepared for academic challenges by offering an intellectually rigorous education that builds critical thinking and workforce skills. UNC Asheville’s 3,400 undergraduate students select from 30 majors. The University gets high marks for educational innovation from U.S. News & World Report and is ranked among the best liberal arts colleges nationally.

About UNC Charlotte
A public research university, UNC Charlotte is the fourth largest campus among the 17 institutions of The University of North Carolina system. It is the largest institution of higher education in the Charlotte region. The university offers 18 doctoral programs, 62 master’s degree programs and 90 programs leading to bachelor’s degrees. Fall 2009 enrollment will surpass 24,000 students, including 5,000 graduate students.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact John Chesser at (704) 678-2762 or jchesser@uncc.edu.

CONTACTS:
John Chesser, Associate Director for Research Services
UNC Charlotte Urban Institute
jchesser@uncc.edu
(704) 687-2762

James Fox, RENCI and NEMAC Director
UNC Asheville
jfox@unca.edu
(825) 301-2075

ASHEVILLE, NC–RENCI at UNC Asheville and Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College (A-B Tech) announce the third annual celebration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day in Western North Carolina. The community drop-in event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12, at the RENCI at UNC Asheville Community Engagement Site, located in the Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville.  The event is free and open to the public.

GIS Day provides an opportunity to see how geographic information systems work and how they are being used in local initiatives. Visitors will see a 16-foot visualization wall, an immersive GeoDome and 3-D visualizations in action as they learn about GIS projects such as map Asheville’s Priority Places, the newly released Urban Growth Model for the Asheville region, a multi-hazard risk analysis tool, GIS-based analysis of threats to eastern forests, flooding impacts and mitigation, and geospatial climate information viewers.

GIS professionals from local and regional organizations, including the City of Asheville, Buncombe County, the Land of Sky Regional Council of Governments, the Metropolitan Sewerage District of Buncombe County, the National Climatic Data Center, the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, Resource Data, Inc., and the USDA’s Forest Service’s Southern Research Station, as well as UNC Asheville and A-B Tech, will be on hand to highlight and discuss current GIS activities and initiatives.

GIS is a computer-based mapping tool that takes information from a database about a location, such as streets, buildings, water features, and terrain, and turns it into visual layers. The ability to see geographic and land use features on a map gives users a better understanding of a location, enabling planners, analysts, other decision makers and the general public to make informed decisions about their communities.

“GIS is a powerful tool for turning basic information into useful and meaningful products that can assist a variety of local, regional, and national decision makers and the general public,” said Greg Dobson, GIS research coordinator for RENCI at UNC Asheville and UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center. “It gives us the ability to assess layers of information, all within a spatial context. This is certainly the focus of our research center. GIS Day is an excellent opportunity to share with the community the power of GIS and how it has impacted our local community.”

GIS is used throughout the world to solve problems related to the environment, health care, land use, business efficiency, education and public safety. The power supply directed to homes, the patrol cars and fire trucks that keep neighborhoods safe, and the delivery trucks on the roads all function more efficiently because of GIS. This technology can also help businesses place ATMs and restaurants at more convenient locations, allow people to pull maps off the Internet, and help farmers grow more crops with fewer chemicals.

For further information on GIS Day in Western North Carolina, please contact Greg Dobson, GIS research associate at UNC Asheville, at 828-251-6973 or gdobson@unca.edu, or Pete Kennedy, GIS instructor at A-B Tech, at 828-254-1921, ext. 289, or pkennedy@abtech.edu.

The UNC Asheville Community Engagement Site is located in Suite 116 of the Grove Arcade, on the O’Henry Avenue side of the building, at One Page Avenue, Asheville, North Carolina, 28801.

Media Contacts:
Merianne Epstein, UNC Asheville News Services, 828/251-6676;
Mona Cornwell, A-B Tech Director of Communications, 828/254-1921, ext. 117

ASHEVILLE, NC — Community and university leaders celebrated the opening of the new downtown location of RENCI at UNC Asheville on Oct. 1. The event featured a ceremonial ribbon cutting and messages of support for the Asheville center from Erskine Bowles, president of the University of North Carolina System, UNC Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder and Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy.

RENCI at UNC Asheville is a university, government and private sector partnership and was the first RENCI engagement center to open outside the Triangle area. For the last three years, the center has operated out of space at the Enka campus of Asheville-Buncombe Community College. The new site puts RENCI in the historic Grove Arcade in downtown Asheville and within easy walking distance of community and business leaders and researchers at the National Climate Data Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The city of Asheville agreed to pay the rent for the downtown space in appreciation of the collaborations the site will foster among area businesses, government, and federal and university researchers.

An open house, which followed the grand opening ceremony, featured demonstrations of work being done at the Asheville center, including computer modeling to understand the effects of floods and landslides in the region and computer tools for mapping natural hazard risks for emergency officials responding to floods, landslides, wildfire and other threats around Buncombe County.

Jim Fox, director of RENCI at UNC Asheville, welcomes visitors to the new RENCI center as UNC System President Erskine Bowles, far right, and Asheville Mayor Terry Bellamy, second from right, look on.

Bowles said the RENCI center is an example of what the university system and the city can do if they leverage their resources and work together.

“You can use the analytical tools that we have here as a catalyst for decision makers to help them find the balance between economic growth and preserving the natural beauty that we have here,” he said.

RENCI Director Stan Ahalt attended the grand opening as part of his first week on the job.

“This engagement center clearly exemplifies why I took the job at RENCI,” said Ahalt. “This is a marvelous example of how the excellent research, the excellent science and the excellent knowledge developed at our university can be transferred into real impact for North Carolina.”

The Urban Growth Model, a tool created at RENCI at UNC Charlotte that shows urban development patterns over 30 years, was one of many ongoing projects on display. The model originally depicted growth in the Charlotte region but has been expanded to western North Carolina through funding from the city of Asheville and the U.S. Forest Service.

On the center’s 20-foot visualization wall, RENCI’s Jeffrey Hicks offered a close-up look at recent flooding in western North Carolina with live feeds from rain and stream gauges and a look at the persistent drought conditions in the eastern part of the state.

The center’s portable dome showed a computer simulation of flooding along the Swannanoa River and the RENCI ROVER (RENCI Outreach Vehicle for Education and Research) stood curbside, demonstrating hands-on curricula offered to youngsters through a partnership involving RENCI, the North Carolina Arboretum and other educational outreach organizations.

For more on the RENCI at UNC Asheville grand opening see The Asheville Citizen-Times story and video and WLOS ABC 13 story and video.

ASHEVILLE, NC–RENCI at UNC Asheville Director Jim Fox and media artist and co-founder of design and engineering firm The Elumenati David McConville were featured in a half-hour program that aired on Asheville’s educational channel twice a day from May 12 to May 19. The show, “Climate, Technology and Our Environment,” was one episode in a four-part series hosted by UNC Asheville Chancellor Anne Ponder. The series explored the challenges and opportunities facing Western North Carolina citizens and communities and featured some of the region’s outstanding innovators, policy-makers and educators.

As director of RENCI, Fox works with Buncombe County leaders on flood mitigation and land use issues and on strategies for developing the region’s climate-related business sector. He is also the director of UNC Asheville’s National Environmental Modeling and Analysis Center (NEMAC).

To watch the show, go to http://www.unca.edu/conversations/.

ASHEVILLE, NC–As a possible April snowstorm approaches, eyes are turned to the sky. Now weather buffs won’t have to look out the window to get a glimpse of regional weather, thanks to a new weather watching website created by staff and student researchers at the Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at UNC Asheville. The Web site, http://www.weatherwebcams.org, gives viewers access to images from dozens of local webcams, showing nearly real time weather in more than 100 locations across North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and Georgia.

The site’s images are collected from public websites including sites maintained by amateur weather enthusiasts, ski resorts, the U.S. Forest Service, the state Department of Transportation and real estate companies. These images can provide critical verification of inclement weather, including snow and ice accumulation on roads, flooding or dangerously foggy conditions. Weatherwebcams.org provides geospatial context, linking Google Maps icons to each webcam to show its exact location on a map, complete with information on the webcam’s elevation, direction and image refresh rate.

RENCI at UNC Asheville researchers Greg Dobson and Todd Pierce, with help from students, created the site by combining a Google Application Program Interface (API), Google Maps and a database of area webcams. The team’s original intent was to build a product for local emergency managers and the Greenville-Spartanburg National Weather Service office. When other regional decision-makers expressed interest in having RENCI expand the site to cover other areas, the team created weatherwebcams.org to gather weather information from across the region.

Area residents who have an outdoor webcam that can provide reliable weather conditions can have data added to the site. For more information or to get involved, contact Dobson at gdobson {at} unca.edu or 828-251-6973.

A house destroyed by a debris flow in Starnes Cove after Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The Multi-hazard Risk Tool reveals natural hazard risks for properties in Buncombe County. (Photo courtesy of Rick Wooten, Geological Survey, NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources)

Emergency personnel and town planners and managers in Buncombe County have a new online tool for analyzing natural hazard risks and their potential costs.

The Buncombe County Multi-hazard Risk Tool was introduced to emergency responders and government officials from Asheville and nearby communities by Todd Pierce of RENCI at UNC Asheville at a March meeting to discuss the county’s Multi-jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan.

The web-based tool allows users to view information about the risks of natural hazards, including floods, landslides, fires, dam breaks and winter storms, in specific areas. A user who wants to know the flood risks in the town of Black Mountain, for example, will learn that 446 land parcels, or about 1,740 acres, sit in the 100-year floodplain. Users can also view a map that displays multiple layers of geographic information about an area of inquiry, including roads and other critical infrastructure, current and projected land use, and sensitive or vulnerable populations.

The tool can generate reports showing the total number of tax parcels at risk by each hazard and the total assessed market value. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) requires the county to provide these data as part of its updated hazards mitigation plan.

The multi-hazard risk tool uses data from a variety of trusted sources, including census data, recorded deeds, satellite and aerial photographs, and hazard layers generated by state geologists and hydrographers.
Pierce said that the system is an experimental prototype and the risk reports it generates should be considered drafts, rather than final products, until all county planners have accepted the underlying risk models. Pierce developed the tool in collaboration with RENCI staff at Europa Center in Chapel Hill and the Buncombe County Emergency Operations Center.

The site is password protected and not yet intended for use by the general public.

More information: http://unca.renci.org