Climate Resiliency Through Data: Managing Stormwater Sewers in Detroit

Abstract

Climate change is intensifying weather around the world. In cities like Detroit, USA, larger storms are resulting in widespread flooding and sewer overflows. To adapt to the changing climate, Detroit is modernizing its sewer infrastructure, adding sensors, robotics, and advanced algorithms that have the potential to increase the capacity and adaptability of its sewer system. The water utility is struggling, however, to incorporate these new technologies into its existing user workflows. We have conducted a user study of water operators in Detroit focused on understanding how they currently visualize and use one of their most critical data sources — weather data. Based on our findings, we have developed a new weather dashboard that minimizes weather data uncertainty by synthesizing multiple sources. This research aims to inform the design of new data interfaces for water operators, and learn best practices for incorporating uncertain data in data-driven decision-making processes.