Sea Level Rise Phone App FAQs
Sea Level Rise App FAQs
What is the Sea Level Rise app?
The Sea Level Rise phone app was developed by Wetlands Watch and local app developer, Concursive, to crowdsource information about flooding events, giving flood modelers, emergency managers, and planners detailed data about where flooding is happening on a street level. Users of the app have a GPS mapping tool at their fingertips, logging data points with the tap of a button as they walk along the waterline of a flooded area.
How do I download the Sea Level Rise App?
Search for the “Sea Level Rise” app on the App Store or Google Play, and download it to your phone. Sign up for an account using your email!
If you have the app downloaded with it’s newest update (v3.0.6), you might notice a link in the profile menu to “Share your flood story” with Virginia’s Department of Conservation & Recreation! Check out this two-page fact sheet to learn more about this call for information.
How do I use the Sea Level Rise App?
Choose either the written tutorial or photo tutorial to the right to learn how to register for the app, sign up for official Catch the King regions and events, and drop data points. If you’re having trouble with the app while out in the field, please use this troubleshooting form to let us know!
You can also view the tutorial videos below to learn how to use the Sea Level Rise app to sign up for an official Catch the King region and event, and how to drop your first pins!
Detailed instruction video for the Sea Level Rise app (7 minutes)
Simplified instruction video for the Sea Level Rise app (4.5 minutes)
When should I map?
Follow these instructions and/or reference NOAA’s tide chart websites below to find the closest tide station to your neighborhood, and determine the right time to map for high tide. Expect a mapping window of about 1 hour before and after high tide!
NOAA/National Weather Service Water Level Forecasts
You can map any (or multiple) days during the Catch the King event. Some volunteers have been given extra permissions in the Sea Level Rise app to create events outside of the CTK event — if you are interested in mapping outside of CTK, please reach out!
This map is informed by feedback from volunteers, flood risk maps, and general local knowledge of local flood spots. Not all locations may experience flooding during the king tide (some may flood during a rainfall event, for example), and some sites may have ongoing mitigation projects that reduce flooding (such as seawalls, living shorelines, etc.) overtime. We encourage you to check out your mapping sites in advance to learn more about the characteristics of your mapping location.
Virginia Institute of Marine Science Map
Explore Catch the King data from previous years by clicking on the VIMS map to the right to find areas that need flood data (this link will open the map in full-screen).
Please remember: Map at your own risk - stay safe, smart, and vigilant while near flood waters! Additionally, please do not map on private property without explicit permission from the owner.
Where should I map?
Click on the image of the map to the left to find CTK data from 2023 (the blue pins) and flood locations for data collection in 2024 (the red stars). This is an interactive Google map for volunteers, so any time you click on a red star, it will provide you with Google Maps driving directions to that pin! You can map the same location(s) each day you participate in Catch the King, but you are not required to!
If you know of other locations that flood in your community that are not designated on our map, you are more than welcome to map there - our map is not comprehensive, and mapping at red stars is not required!
Catch the King Training Events
More Information
To register for any/all training events, you can also click the link below:
CTK Virtual Office Hours
Join us via Zoom on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and we’ll answer all your questions. Click the button below to join.
Tuesdays 4pm to 5pm
Wednesdays 3pm to 4pm
HRPDC Adopt a Sensor: Instructions & Field Guides
Experienced Catch the King volunteers and Tide Captains have been invited to participate in a pilot roadway flood sensor monitoring program on sensor sites installed by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission during flood events, year-round. If you are interested in this program, please first reach out to Gabi Kinney (gabi.kinney@wetlandswatch.org) to be invited to the HRPDC Adopt a Sensor region in the Sea Level Rise app. Review these guides ahead of time to help you in the field:
Please note: You must have experience with the Sea Level Rise app and field data collection to participate. If you have specific questions about the flood sensor network, please reach out to Emma Corbitt (ecorbitt@hrpdcva.gov).
Visit our interactive Google map to locate a sensor near you to adopt. Sensors are marked subtly on the map by a gray and white compass (see the image above). Sensors are labeled as a mixture of letters (and sometimes numbers), ex. NFMS1.
Review this instructional flier to find and join the correct region and sensor “event” in the Sea Level Rise app, and prepare for data collection in the Tools tab. If you are unsure how to find certain tabs or buttons in the app, please review our app tutorial guide.
Monitor the tides and weather for conditions that a roadway flood sensor will collect data. Plan your field visit appropriately (bring the right flood proof gear and map at your own risk!). Utilize the resources under the “When should I map?” section of this page to help you out.
Once you are at your flood sensor site, follow this Site Assessment Guide for instructions on what data to collect in the Tools tab of the Sea Level Rise app. Please (1) delineate flood waters using the Drop Pin button, and (2) report on observations requested by the PDC in the Site Assessment Guide using the “Add an optional note” and “Capture Photo” features of the app.
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