Open data may sound like a nerdy
As Hurricane Harvey pelted the southern coast of Texas, a local open-data resource helped provide accurate and up-to-date information to the state’s residents. Inside Harris County’s intricate bayou system–intended to both collect water and effectively drain it–gauges were installed to sense when water is overflowing. The sensors transmit the data to a website, which has become a vital go-to for Houston residents.
Since the storm hit, many of the bayous have completely run over, says Rafael Lemaitre, the former national director of public affairs at FEMA, who currently lives in Houston. He routinely checked the flood gauge website over the weekend, as did many residents in the Houston area. They watched intently as green marks on the page turned to red, indicating that the water was rising. “I know a lot of my neighbors rely on that during during the storms,” he says.
