TRADE-OFFS IN THE DESIGN OF FLOOD-RISK INFORMATION (Invited Presentation)

The increasingly urgent need to develop knowledge and practices to manage flood risks drives innovative information design. Experts often disagree about design and communication practices. As a result, flood-risk estimates can diverge, leading to different conclusions for decision-making. Using examples of household-scale riverine (fluvial) flood-risk information in the United States, I assess design and communication features that may lead to more actionable information for decision-making. I will discuss opportunities for improved uncertainty characterization and the critical role of information transparency. Heterogeneous areas such as the continental United States may require additional attention to regional flood-risk dynamics that are difficult to capture in a single modeling framework. Dedicated open science initiatives focused on specific decision problems may help improve information credibility and relevance.