CivilGEO

For decades, engineers have relied on a patchwork of data consisting of field surveys, orthographic photos, and other sources to piece together baseline topographic data for infrastructure design and other purposes. The United States Geological Survey (USGS) has long been aware that 3D elevation data for...

As cities grapple with flood preparedness, a strategy known as “stochastic storm transposition” (SST) is increasingly viewed as a tool useful for flood risk assessment. Today, the method is principally used by U.S. federal agencies managing large critical infrastructure. The methodology makes use of high...

If only the most alarming trends we are witnessing lately—warming oceans, heat waves in the Arctic and record high temperatures elsewhere—could be credited to normal fluctuations. But the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) makes clear in the latest Global Climate Report (GCR), released in March 2026...

Flood frequency analysis (FFA) is a core element of water resource engineering and critical for floodplain management, infrastructure design, risk assessment and more. Over the last 35 years, methodologies to perform FFA have evolved significantly, adapting to changing environmental condit...

With passage of the federal Clean Water Act (CWA) in 1972, the U.S. finally had a landmark environmental protection law on the books to protect “navigable waters” or “waters of the United States, including the territorial seas” (WOTUS).

But the reach of a federal law depends on its s...