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Researchers use 3D visualization to predict, prevent hurricane damage

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Researchers use 3D visualization to predict, prevent hurricane damage

Galveston Island was used as an example to predict damage that would occur as a result of hurricanes of varying intensities.

Peer-Reviewed Publication

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

Hurricane Ike Damage
IMAGE: DAMAGE ON GALVESTON ISLAND IN THE WAKE OF HURRICANE IKE.

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CREDIT: TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY AT GALVESTON

Beginning annually on June 1, hurricane season poses a major threat to Texas coastal communities, causing both physical and financial damage to the areas they hit. This damage can be staggering; when Hurricane Harvey hit in 2017, it cost Galveston $132.73 billion in damages. Texas A&M University researchers have collaborated to understand the impacts of storm surge floods before they occur to potentially reduce the level of damage. Their study was published in “Urban Informatics.”

The researchers have implemented 3D visualization technology to identify the potential outcomes of hurricane flooding before it occurs. According to researchers, severe weather has been increasing over the last several years due to global climate change. If severe storms and flooding continue to increase in the future, implementing 3D visualization based on real-time weather forecasts could result in improved safety and less damage-inflicted costs.

The 3D modeling technique also allows researchers to examine the effects of damage-preventing infrastructure, such as the proposed Galveston “Ike Dike,” a dike designed to shield Galveston Island from future storm surge and flood events.

Using Galveston Island as an example, researchers used 3D visualization to model the damage that would occur to residential buildings as a result of hurricanes of varying intensities. They also modeled damage with preventative infrastructure — the “Ike Dike” — in place.

An advantage of 3D visualization over other damage modeling methods is that it allows researchers to model specific buildings, accounting for basements, back entrances, and windows. By identifying a residential building’s first-floor elevation level, researchers can predict the physical and financial damage that a hurricane will cause to the specific building.

“3D visualization of hurricanes and storm surges allows us to understand how flooding will impact our coastal communities by allowing us to vividly see how each building and road might be impacted by a given flood,” said Dr. Xinyue Ye, the Harold Adams Endowed Professor of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and affiliated faculty member in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, the Department of Multidisciplinary Engineering, the Department of Geography, and the Section of Visual Computing & Interactive Media.

Faculty collaborators on the project include Dr. David Retchless, associate professor in the Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science at Texas A&M University at Galveston, Dr. Galen Newman, professor and head of the Department of Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning and the Nicole and Kevin Youngblood Professor of Residential Land Development at Texas A&M, and Dr. Nick Duffield, the Royce E. Wisenbaker Professor I in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and director of the Texas A&M Institute of Data Science.

Critical Information For Homeowners

Since 3D visualization highlights the potential damages hurricane flooding may cause, it can give homeowners a better understanding of what to invest in as far as insurance and preventative infrastructure. This technology also creates an increased community awareness around potential outcomes of hurricanes and flooding.

“Having used Galveston as an example, the next step would be to expand that to other coastal communities in Texas,” Ye noted. “In this study, we mainly used residential houses, but we can expand it to other business properties as well.”

Effective use of 3D models can protect Texas residents. By implementing this technology on other coastal communities or community buildings, such as schools and stores, researchers can help residents and officials create a plan for hurricane season. As real-time weather forecasts are implemented into the models, researchers may be able to determine when evacuation is necessary and use this data to alert residents.

“3D visualization serves as a universal language, bridging diverse disciplines and fostering communication between academia and the general public,” said Ye, who also serves as the director of the Texas A&M Center for Geospatial Sciences, Applications, and Technology and the founding director of Urban AI Lab at the Texas A&M Institute of Data Science.

Duffield adds that this project shows how the work at the intersection between geospatial data science and visualization can raise awareness for individuals, communities and government on the consequences of extreme weather and make informed planning decisions for responses.

This study combines the expertise of researchers in multiple fields, including computer engineering, landscape architecture, urban planning, geography, and marine and coastal environmental science. The positive impacts of this research highlight the importance of collaboration between computational science and domain-specific disciplines.

By Alyssa Schaechinger, Texas A&M University Engineering

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ENERGY & TRANSPORTATION

From one car one person to Improved Public Transportation

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Economics

FLIP THE SCRIPT: RESTORATIVE ENERGY POWER

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The energy system most of us rely on?
It’s dirty.
It’s centralized.
It’s owned by corporations who profit while we pay —
financially and environmentally.

Fossil fuels fuel climate collapse.
Utility giants keep raising prices.
Blackouts and breakdowns hit the most vulnerable first.
⚡ And “green” energy?
Too often, it’s just the same system with solar panels slapped on top.

So what do we do?

We flip it.

We build local, community-owned, renewable energy systems that serve the people — not shareholders.

Here’s how we start:

1. Shift from centralized to distributed power.

Instead of one giant grid, imagine thousands of neighborhood-based microgrids — solar-powered, battery-backed, resilient in storms, and locally maintained.

⚡ 2. Make energy a commons, not a commodity.

Energy is a basic human right.
Communities should own and govern their own power — through energy co-ops, public utilities, or hybrid models designed for justice, not profit.

3. Invest in regenerative energy — not just renewable.

Solar and wind are good — but let’s think bigger:
Can your energy system regenerate ecosystems?
Can it be built with recycled materials?
Can it reduce inequality?
That’s the next level.

4. Decolonize and localize your grid.

Corporate energy giants often exploit Indigenous land and push poor communities to the margins.
Energy justice means shifting decision-making to the people who are most impacted.
Decentralize. Democratize. Reclaim control.

5. Shrink demand. Redesign systems.

This isn’t just about switching fuels.
It’s about reimagining how much energy we actually need.
Smart, efficient homes. Community transit. Shared infrastructure.
Less extraction, more intention.

 

Here’s your action step for today:

✅ Research whether your city or town has a local energy co-op or public utility.
✅ If not — organize.
Host a teach-in. Start a solar bulk-buy program.
Link up with groups already flipping the script in energy — because they’re everywhere.

You don’t have to be an engineer to be part of the solution.
You just have to believe this truth:

We already have the tools to power our world differently.
Now we need the will — and the community — to do it.

[soft swell in outro music — slow, powerful, grounded rhythm returns]

This is FLIP THE SCRIPT.
The future of energy is regenerative.
And the power?
It belongs to the people.

 

Highlights of this episode:

  • Connects energy with justice, localization, and regeneration.
  • Offers visionary and grounded examples.
  • Empowers people to take first steps without needing tech expertise.

 

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ENERGY & TRANSPORTATION

Empowered community energy

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Enabling Community-owned Energy Systems/Grids: 

AJ Perkins, a clean energy innovator known for his work on intelligent energy systems, grid modernization, microgrids, and decentralized infrastructure, presents a unique opportunity to explore how the electric grid of the future can be more resilient, renewable, and democratized.

How can communities safeguard their energy grids? How can they take control over the new and improved energy systems without giving in to the dominating energy structures? And much, much more.

AJ Perkins, Hawaii Pacific Alliance for Worldwide Advancement (HI PAWA) and Fanni Melles, What’s the Future for Smart Cities

AJ Perkins, Hawaii Pacific Alliance for Worldwide Advancement (HI PAWA)

AJ Perkins is an award-winning author, speaker, and the CEO of HI PAWA (Hawaii Pacific Alliance for Worldwide Advancement), a Native Hawaiian-led effort to build the first community-owned utility and hydrogen-powered county in the United States, starting on the Big Island. A LinkedIn Top Voice in Renewable Energy, AJ has helped scale multiple clean tech startups, including Instant ON, where he secured over 3.8GW in microgrid projects and partnerships with companies like Schneider Electric, Bosch, and Honda. His earlier work with TechFlow helped secure a $2.1 billion federal contract and introduced electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure across US military bases. Today, AJ’s focus is on bringing energy ownership, resilience, and economic benefits directly to communities—especially Native, Indigenous, and underserved areas—through clean hydrogen, microgrids, and virtual power plants. He is the author of the forthcoming The Hydrogen Hub Toolkit and speaks regularly at leading energy and sustainability conferences nationwide.
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