Research

M.S. Civil Engineering — GIS-Informed Flood Risk Assessment

University of Missouri–Kansas City · Completed

Research into GIS-informed flood risk assessment, including an automated culvert characterization and analysis workflow built with QGIS, Python, and PyQGIS. The workflow identifies likely culvert locations from terrain and roads, estimates culvert dimensions via hydrologic regression, and predicts overtopping during statistical storm events.

• Hydroconditioning of terrain (breaching), D8 flow routing, stream delineation
• NRCS curve number hydrology from SSURGO soils + NLCD landcover
• Width regression using scikit-learn correlation analysis
• FHWA HDS-5 culvert hydraulics — inlet and outlet control checks

Read the research paper (PDF)

Presentation & Publication History

Selected talks and papers

• EWRI Congress 2023 paper on automated culvert characterization and analysis
• Presentations on rethinking assumptions underlying the run-off curve number method
• Three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics modeling of small urban stormwater structures

Read the EWRI Congress paper (PDF)