Waikīkī FloodWatch

Waikīkī faces multiple flood threats—king tides, storm drain backflow, groundwater inundation, runoff, and wave flooding—all projected to worsen as sea levels rise. Waikīkī FloodWatch enhances resilience in Hawai‘i’s urban coastal zone by deploying smart sensors and cameras throughout stormwater infrastructure and roadways.This system gathers real-time data, supporting rapid emergency response and providing actionable intelligence to agencies, planners, and the community. The project integrates a multi-tiered smart sensor network with UH high-resolution flood models to produce a dynamic digital twin of Waikīkī. Combining subsurface flow data and AI analytics, it visualizes flooding at centimeter scale, allowing decision-makers to test adaptation strategies before investment, ensuring cost-effectiveness and resilience. FloodWatch will co-develop open-access tools with community advisory teams for immediate and long-term hazard planning.