Hurricane Ian brought significant storm surge and heavy rain to Florida and the southeastern U.S., resulting in extensive flooding and catastrophic damage. NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) tracked water levels during the storm in real-time through the CO-OPS’ Coastal Inundation Dashboard web mapping application. This tool allows users to monitor elevated water level conditions along the coast when a tropical storm or hurricane watch or warning is issued. CO-OPS’ network of water level stations along the coast captured significant water levels at many locations, providing insight into the devastating impacts that Hurricane Ian had on the communities in its path. The water level observations are also critical for National Weather Service (NWS) hurricane specialists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) who use the data for storm surge forecast validation in real-time.
Read more at: Extreme Water Levels During Hurricane Ian
Over the last few months I have used this space in the newsletter to create a picture of what it takes to foster innovation. November 2023 newsletter: Innovation is a team sport. It requires diverse perspectives and experiences to find a creative solutions. It requires courage to try things out and be willing to learn what won’t work as much as what will work. It requires tenacity to keep going and going and going.
Thank you to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital (JHACH) for sponsoring and hosting our inaugural Morning Sparks: Innovation X-change breakfast. The event was kicked off by Alicia Schulhof, President of JHACH, and followed by an overview of the topic - Artificial Intelligence - by Dr. John Licato of USF's Advanced Machine and Human Reasoning Lab.
Kudos to the Volunteers of America Florida, City of St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County for the recent opening of the new downtown apartments, located in the Innovation District called Innovare. Innovare’s 50 apartments provide stable homes for individuals and families who earn 60 percent or less of the Area’s Median Income (AMI), including many who are transitioning from homelessness.