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'Catch the King' Tide
Let's map how far it floods...
‘Catch the King’ was a citizen science GPS data collection effort centered in Hampton Roads, VA, that sought to map the king tide's maximum inundation extents with the goal of validating and improving predictive models for future forecasting of increasingly pervasive "nuisance" flooding. Prior to the flood event, Dr. Loftis at the CCRFR designed a webmap to direct volunteers to public places that were forecasted to flood during the King Tide using hydrodynamic models. Then, during the king tide, GPS data points were collected by many volunteers to effectively breadcrumb/trace the high water line. This approach mapped the flooding extents across 12 Coastal Cities and Counties in Virginia by pressing the 'Save Data' button in the Sea Level Rise App every few steps along the water's edge during the high tide on the morning of Nov. 5th, 2017.
Response from the event's dedicated volunteers, fueled by constant media coverage leading up to the event, caused 'Catch the King' to become the largest flood-related crowdsourcing data event in the world. Over 35 separate volunteer training events were held all over Hampton Roads resulting in 510 known participants collecting 53,006 time-stamped GPS maximum flooding extent measurements and 1,126 geotagged photographs of the king tide flooding during the 4-hour event. Click here for a map with an illustrative visual distribution of these statistics.
Catch the King, is sponsored by The Virginian-Pilot, WHRO Public Media, the Daily Press, and WVEC-TV are sponsors of an event aimed at measuring the flood extents of the king tide. They’re supported by the nonprofit group Wetlands Watch and Concursive Corp., creators and developers of the citizen-science Sea Level Rise app (iOS and Android), and the Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency. The Dynamic Story Map below was used to recruit the event's many volunteers.
Dynamic Story Map
The above Story Map received >10,000 page views in Fall 2017.
Catalogue of Recent Media Coverage of "Catch the King":
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"Catch the King": A King Tide Mapping Event, November 2017
Dave Mayfield, The Virginian-Pilot, and Derek Loftis, Commonwealth Center for Recurrent Flooding Resiliency, VIMS, W&M, Sep. 14, 2017
http://arcg.is/1f8W1q - VIMS Contributes to ‘King Tide’ Mapping Project
David Malmquist, VIMS, Sep. 17, 2017
http://www.vims.edu/newsandevents/topstories/2017/king_tide.php - An astronomical high tide will hit Hampton Roads on Nov. 5 -- will you help us Catch the King tide?
Dave Mayfield, The Virginian-Pilot, Sep. 14, 2017
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/environment/an-astronomical-high-tide-will-hit-hampton-roads-on-nov/article_e8eb4963-4a78-5270-b2f4-bb2a4378a1f4.html - King Tide: Help scientists 'Catch the King'
Arrianee LeBeau, WVEC, Oct. 30, 2017
http://www.13newsnow.com/weather/king-tide-help-scientists-catch-the-king/487222892 - Learn how to 'Catch the King' Tide
Kate Mishkin, Daily Press, Sep. 26, 2017
http://www.dailypress.com/news/dp-nws-king-tide-preview- 20170926-story.html - Why King Tides Are Flooding Coastal Cities More Often
John Perritano, HowStuffWorks.com, Oct. 17, 2017
https://science.howstuffworks.com/nature/natural-disasters/why-king-tides-are-flooding-coastal-cities-more-often.htm - Four newsrooms, 350 volunteers ready to engage Virginians on sea's rise
Ashley McBride, Poynter, Oct. 17, 2017
https://www.poynter.org/news/four-newsrooms-350-volunteers-ready-engage-virginians-seas-rise - Catch the King Tide in Hampton Roads
Belinda Elliott, WHRO Education, Sep. 26, 2017
http://whro.org/station-initiatives/whro-education/56196-catch-the-king-tide-in-hampton-roads - 'King Tide' mapping project
David Malmquist, VIMS, Science Daily, Sep. 18, 2017
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/09/170918142147.htm - Regional Flood Mapping Event Uses "Sea Level Rise" Phone App
Skip Stiles, Wetlands Watch, Aug. 10, 2017
http://wetlandswatch.org/directors-blog/2017/8/10/regional-king-tide-mapping-work-uses-our-phone-app - What is the King Tide? Hampton Roads' highest astronomical tide of the year!
Yasmeen Freightman, WVEC, Oct. 11, 2017
http://www.13newsnow.com/news/local/king-tide/470643018 - Hampton Roads media, scientists are teaming up to understand tides. We need your help.
Dave Mayfield, The Virginian-Pilot; Daily Press, Sep. 14, 2017
http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws-king-tide-introduction-20170914-story.html - New App to Document King Tide Flooding in Hampton Roads
Chesapeake Bay Magazine, Oct. 2, 2017
https://www.chesapeakebaymagazine.com/baybulletin/2017/9/28/ml6ukn30uffnrusqs71c04f1jpdmcg - Catching the King Tide in Hampton Roads
The Virginian-Pilot Editorial Board, Oct. 15, 2017
- An astronomical high tide will hit Hampton Roads on Nov. 5 -- will you help us Catch the King tide?
Dave Mayfield, The Virginian-Pilot, Sep. 14, 2017
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/environment/hampton- roads-media-organizations-are- teaming-up-to-understand- tides/article_e8eb4963-4a78- 5270-b2f4-bb2a4378a1f4.html - Will You "Catch the King"?
Nicole Alvarado, Military News, Sep. 17, 2017
http://www.militarynews.com/life/events/will-you-catch-the-king/article_332bb7fc-9bbd-11e7-8c6d-0b77d232bd7c.html - A few questions and answers about Catch the King
Dave Mayfield, The Virginian-Pilot, Sep. 14, 2017
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/environment/a-few-questions-and-answers-about-catch-the-king/article_80c473d2-87b3-509b-b301-9fca31c06a70.html - Volunteers Learn Tips, Tricks to Measure King Tide
Kate Mishkin, Daily Press, Sep. 28, 2017
http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws-king-tide-0929-story.html - Scientists Seek Citizen Help to Map Nov. 5 King Tide Sea Levels
Laurie L. Dove Sep. 25, 2017
https://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/citizen-science-king-tide-sea-level-11-2017.htm - "Catch the King" Tide Monitoring Event
Lizz Gunnufsen, City of Chesapeake, Aug. 29, 2017
https://nextdoor.com/agency-post/va/chesapeake/city-of-chesapeake/catch-the-king-tide-monitoring-event-62001701/ - Calling All Hampton Roads Residents to Help Catch the King Tide
Daniel Kvaternik, City of Newport News, Sep. 29, 2017
https://www.nngov.com/Blog.aspx?IID=1256 - “How are we going to pay for this?” agencies ask re: climate change costs?
Wes Siler, Rapid Shift, Sep. 11, 2017
http://www.rapidshift.net/how-are-we-going-to-pay-for-this-agencies-ask-re-climate-change-costs/ - King Tide volunteer sign-up ends Sunday
Tamara Dietrich, Daily Press, Oct. 20, 2017
http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws-king-tide-signup-20171020-story.html - Help Document Sea Level During King Tide Event Nov 4-6
Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, Oct. 22, 2017
http://www.ahherald.com/newsbrief/local-news/24762-help-document-sea-level-during-king-tide-event-nov-4-6 - King Tide offers York County school real-world teaching opportunity
Josh Reyes, Daily Press, Nov. 1, 2017
http://www.dailypress.com/news/york-county/dp-nws-york-county-yorktown-elementary-king-tide-20171029-story.html - Podcast: Women in the Military (King Tide Segment: 37:30 - 46:00):
Cathy Lewis, WHRO, HearSay with Cathy Lewis, Nov. 2, 2017
http://www.npr.org/podcasts/381444504/hear-say-with-cathy-lewis - Mild weather, flooded streets: Ideal conditions to Catch the King
Dave Mayfield, The Virginian-Pilot, Nov. 3, 2017
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/environment/mild-weather-flooded-streets-ideal-conditions-to-catch-the-king/article_21dbdf05-da11-5762-9cc4-ec385cedeb2d.html - Hundreds of volunteers turn out to Catch the King tide
Dave Mayfield, The Virginian-Pilot, Nov. 5, 2017
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/environment/hundreds-of-volunteers-turn-out-to-catch-the-king-tide/article_14364a12-985c-53ef-b675-872e35f1c954.html - Peninsula volunteers catch the king tide
Tamara Dietrich, Daily Press, Nov. 5, 2017
http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws-catch-the-king-coverage-20171030-story.html - Four things we learned from tracing the king tide across Hampton Roads
Dave Mayfield, The Virginian-Pilot, Nov. 7, 2017
https://pilotonline.com/news/local/environment/things-we-learned-from-tracing-the-king-tide-across-hampton/article_81e82d0d-b6d6-53c7-a1da-a94b51305e07.html - An App and Volunteer Army Are Improving Local Tidal Flood Forecasts
Jessica Leber, News Deeply, Dec. 1, 2017
https://www.newsdeeply.com/oceans/community/2017/12/01/an-app-and-volunteer-army-are-improving-local-tidal-flood-forecasts - Reporters, Scientists, and Citizens Team to Map Virginia’s Highest Tide
Dawn Wright, ESRI Blog, Dec. 13, 2017
https://www.esri.com/about/newsroom/blog/mapping-virginias-highest-tide/ - An App is Improving Local Tidal Flood Forecasts
Ocean Leadership, Dec. 8, 2017
http://oceanleadership.org/app-volunteer-army-improving-local-tidal-flood-forecasts/ - King Tide data shows Peninsula flooding in 50 years
Tamara Dietrich, Daily Press, Jan. 23, 2018
http://www.dailypress.com/news/science/dp-nws-king-tide-folo-20180109-story.html - How Virginia Beach involves citizens in disaster preparedness
Nurfilzah Rohaidi, Gov Insider, Feb. 1, 2018
https://govinsider.asia/smart-gov/sridhar-katragadda-city-of-virginia-beach-stormsense/ - Podcast: King Tide (Segment: 28:00 - 46:30):
Cathy Lewis, WHRO, HearSay with Cathy Lewis, Feb. 1, 2018
http://www.hearsay.org/2018/02/01/default.aspx - More to come...
See an article that should be included in this list? Please email it to me at jdloftis@vims.edu.