The successful candidate will work on a 3-year federally funded project to build connections and enhance networks and communications for the purpose of integrating flood inundation mapping tools and technologies into local community planning efforts. This will be accomplished by incorporating current research and applications in social, economic and behavioral sciences along with the current capacity of Maryland state and local Sea Grant networks to affect a positive change on individual, group, and community health and well-being.
The specialist will develop a plan of work and logic model to address the targeted priorities of various communities within riverine areas where current National Weather Office flood inundation maps are available or will be available by the end of the project. The specialist will identify key communities and audiences as well as conduct priority assessments that will result in activities to address high-capacity areas and smaller or more rural municipalities with lower capacities in the riverine (non-tidal) regions of Maryland. The specialist will serve as part of a team supervised by the Program Leader for Environmental, Natural Resources and Sea Grant Programs, University of Maryland Extension. The specialist will share common methods and tools where appropriate but will develop unique pathways based on the individual needs of stakeholders, and the new tools and technologies available to each community. The specialist will work closely with the NOAA Weather Program Office (WPO) to integrate Flood Inundation Mapping Service (FIMS) and other tools and technologies into Extension programming activities.
- Implementing an outreach plan that incorporates stakeholder intersections of climate, flooding, health, socioeconomic vulnerability, and social inequity;
- Building and enhancing relationships with respect to data (including data needs and possible data partners) to identify locally-relevant data gaps, including new data pathways with a focus on community-relevancy, timelines and scale (e.g., social vulnerability metrics, infrastructure vulnerability, public health, flood inundation mapping services (FIMS) verification, etc.);
- Identifying opportunities and pathways to socialize, promote, and evaluate end-user relevance of FIMS;
- Connecting with community groups, NGOs, academia and other organizations to co-produce, test, and implement communication and education strategies with and for diverse and underserved audiences;
- Developing an evaluative framework for FIMS information, products and tools inclusive of end-user application and societal outcome measures;
- Understanding and addressing equity challenges for populations at risk of high impacts from flooding;
- Facilitating the transfer of project impacts, methodologies, and operational outcomes across the Sea Grant network and National Weather Service offices (e.g., Weather Forecast Offices, River Forecast Centers, and the National Water Center).
