People made some 760 million trips aboard New York’s subway system last year. Granted, that’s down from around 1.7 trillion trips, pre-pandemic, but still far outpaced the next two largest transit systems — DC’s Metro and the Chicago Transit Authority — combined. So when major storms, like last year’s remnants of Hurricane Ida, nor'easters, heavy downpours or swelling tides swamp New York’s low lying coastal areas and infrastructure, it’s a big deal.
And it’s a deal that’s only getting bigger thanks to climate change. Sea levels around the city have already risen a foot in the last century with another 8- to 30-inch increase expected by mid century, and up to 75 additional inches by 2100, according to the New York City Panel on Climate Change. To help city planners, emergency responders and everyday citizens alike better prepare for 100-year storms that are increasingly happening every couple, researchers from NYU’s Urban Flooding Group have developed a street-level sensor system that can track rising street tides in real time.
The city of New York is set atop a series of low lying islands and has been subject to the furies of mid-Atlantic hurricanes throughout its history. In 1821, a hurricane reportedly hit directly over the city, flooding streets and wharves with 13-foot swells rising over the course of just one hour; a subsequent Cat I storm in 1893 then scoured all signs of civilization from Hog Island, and a Cat III passed over Long Island, killing 200 and causing major flooding. Things did not improve with the advent of a storm naming convention. Carol in 1954 also caused citywide floods, Donna in ‘60 brought an 11-foot storm surge with her, and Ida in 2021 saw an unprecedented amount of rainfall and subsequent flooding in the region, killing more than 100 people and causing nearly a billion dollars in damages.
As the NYC Planning Department explains, when it comes to setting building codes, zoning and planning, the city works off of FEMA’s Preliminary Flood Insurance Rate Maps (PFIRMs) to calculate an area’s flood risk. PFIRMs cover the areas where, “flood waters are expected to rise during a flood event that has a 1 percent annual chance of occurring,” sometimes called the 100-year floodplain. As of 2016, some 52 million square feet of NYC coastline falls within that categorization, impacting 400,000 residents — more than than the entire populations of Cleveland, Tampa, or St. Louis. By 2050, that area of effect is expected to double and the probability of 100-year floods occuring could triple, meaning the chances that your home will face significant flooding over the course of a 30-year mortgage would jump from around 26 percent today to nearly 80 percent by mid-century.
As such, responding to today’s floods while preparing for worsening events in the future is a critical task for NYC’s administration, requiring coordination between governmental and NGOs at the local, state and federal levels. FloodNet, a program launched first by NYU and expanded with help from CUNY, operates on the hyperlocal level to provide a street-by-street look at flooding throughout a given neighborhood. The program began with NYU’s Urban Flooding Group.
“We are essentially designing, building and deploying low cost sensors to measure street level flooding,” Dr. Andrea Silverman, environmental engineer and Associate Professor at NYU’s Department of Civil and Urban Engineering, told Engadget. “The idea is that it can provide badly needed quantitative data. Before FloodNet, there was no quantitative data on street level flooding, so people didn't really have a full sense of how often certain locations were flooding — the duration of the floods, the depth, rates of onset and drainage, for example.”
“And these are all pieces of information that are helpful for infrastructure planning, for one, but also for emergency management,” she continued. “So we do have our data available, they send alerts to see folks that are interested, like the National Weather Service and emergency management, to help inform their response.”
FloodNet is currently in early development with just 23 sensor units erected on 8-foot tall posts throughout the Gowanus neighborhood in Brooklyn, though the team hopes to expand that network to more than 500 units citywide within the next half decade. Each FloodNet sensor is a self-contained, solar-powered system that uses ultrasound as an invisible rangefinder — as flood waters rise, the distance between the street surface and the sensor shrinks, calculating the difference between that and baseline readings shows how much the water level has risen. The NYU team opted for an ultrasound-based solution rather than, say LiDAR or RADAR, due to ultrasound tech being slightly less expensive and providing more focused return data, as well as being more accurate and requiring less maintenance than a basic contact water sensor.
The data each sensor produces is transmitted wirelessly using a LoRa transceiver to a gateway hub, which can pull from any sensor within a one-mile radius and push it through the internet to the FloodNet servers. The data is then displayed in real-time on the FloodNet homepage.
”The city has invested a lot in predictive models [estimating] where it would flood with a certain amount of rain, or increase in tide,” Silverman said. Sensors won’t have to be installed on every corner to be most effective, she pointed out. There are “certain locations that are more likely to be flood prone because of topology or because of the sewer network or because of proximity to the coast, for example. And so we use those models to try to get a sense of locations where it may be most flood-prone,” as well as reach out to local residents with first-hand knowledge of likely flood areas.
In order to further roll out the program, the sensors will need to undergo a slight redesign, Silverman noted. “The next version of the sensor, we're taking what we've learned from our current version and making it a bit more manufacturable,” she said. “We're in the process of testing that and then we're hoping to start our first manufacturing round, and that's what's going to allow us to expand out”.
FloodNet is an open-source venture, so all of the sensor schematics, firmware, maintenance guides and data are freely available on the team’s GitHub page. “Obviously you need to have some sort of technical know-how to be able to build them — it may not be right now where just anyone could go build a sensor, deploy it and be online immediately, in terms of being able to just generate the data, but we're trying to get there,” Silverman conceded. “Eventually we'd love to get to a place where we can have the designs written up in a way that anyone can approach it.”
When Rivian drivers do eventually get on the road, they’ll have their pick of charging networks including a brand new one from the EV truckmaker itself. Rivian announced on Monday that the first three sites of its burgeoning “Adventure Network” of Level 3 fast DC chargers are coming online and will be accessible to nearly every other EV on the road, regardless of who makes it.
The first station opened in Salida, Colorado with four chargers capable of delivering 200 kW of power — that’s about 140 miles of range for an R1T in 20 minutes — in addition to the existing set of Level 2 chargers. Rivian will officially open the other stations in Inyokern and Bishop, California, later in the week.
You’ve probably never heard of any of these towns unless you frequent Yosemite National Park, Sequoia National Forest, Mammoth Lakes or Death Valley National Park. Similar to Jeep’s efforts to install charging stations at trailheads, Rivian’s Adventure Network seeks to add fast charging capabilities along both popular cross-country routes and also near national parks and other out-of-the way locations.
“We designed Rivian charging to support electrified adventure, and these first sites demonstrate how we’re enabling drivers to responsibly reach some of the nation’s most breathtaking natural spaces,” Trent Warnke, Rivian’s Senior Director of Energy and Charging Solutions, said in a statement. “In addition to scenic or off-the-beaten-path destinations, our fast charging rollout is designed to ensure travelers have places to charge along major transportation corridors coast to coast.” To that end, the company hopes to install some 3,500 chargers at 600 sites nationwide.
T-Mobile has just defeated Verizon and AT&T as the best 5G mobile network for the second year in a row.
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Folks using Sprint’s legacy 3G CDMA network have just won a slight reprieve as T-Mobile pushes back the date for sunsetting the network by another two months.
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T-Mobile has been talking about their 5G network for a long time. Not only that, but they’ve really slammed their competition and tried to sell magenta 5G as being the best around. And, well, unfortunately for T-Mobile, that may not have been entirely accurate, and advertising agencies have taken notice. T-Mobile 5G mis-advertising T-Mobile was […]
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In the mobile space Qualcomm is most well-known for their Snapdragon processors. The Snapdragon 865 constantly makes headlines, and you’re probably very familiar with the entire lineup over the years. But networking and modems are a huge chunk of what Qualcomm does, too, and they do them well. Today they’ve taken the wraps off of […]
Come comment on this article: Qualcomm rolls out its first WiFi 6E chips for blazing fast network connectivity
Amazon recently purchased eero, the little mesh router company that could. Since then we’ve seen some pretty nice deals on packs of their routers, including a good discount on some right now for Labor Day. These are the newer versions of eero’s routers, too, so you’re getting some of the best wireless networking performance available […]
Come comment on this article: [Deal] Amazon’s selling our favorite mesh network routers at a big discount right now
Eero is a pretty powerful mesh network system that was recently scooped up by Amazon. So far we haven’t seen any drastic changes in Eero’s software or hardware, with the router sticking to its premium price point. But one thing that made Eero unique was its Eero Plus subscription, which runs $ 9.99 per month and […]
Come comment on this article: Eero will now block ads on your home network for just $ 2.99 per month
As promised earlier this year, Sprint's 5G footprint is getting a little bigger. This morning, the carrier officially lit up four new 5G markets — New York City, Washington D.C., Phoenix and Los Angeles — bringing Sprint's total to nine….
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Certifications for Microsoft software and networking are pretty valuable, but that doesn’t make the tests any less difficult. If you want to make sure you pass them, you’ll want to check out our bundle on the Microsoft Network and Security Fundamentals Certification. This bundle includes training material for two courses: Microsoft MTA-98-366 Network Fundamentals, and […]
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The Sprint/T-Mobile merger has been put on hold while the concerns and details get squashed out, and it looks like another roadblock has been taken down. Originally, the Justice Department had issues with how many carriers the new mega-carrier would own; to resolve this, Sprint or T-Mobile would have to sell something off. Early rumors […]
Come comment on this article: Dish Network is reportedly first in line to buy Boost Mobile and wireless spectrum from Sprint, T-Mobile
Europe's Galileo satellite network, freshly approved by the FCC for US smartphones, has suffered a serious outage. The system has been down since Friday due to what officials at the European GNSS Agency (GSA) have described as a "technical incident r…
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Amidst all of the jokes about apps using smartphone microphones and cameras for illicit purposes comes a new twist from LaLiga, Spain’s soccer league. According to a complaint from Spain’s data protection agency, LaLiga used their app to turn users’ smartphones into spying devices to track down bars that were illegally streaming soccer games. The […]
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Sprint has officially entered the 5G market, turning on their new and upgraded network in a few places around the US. This is just the start of their 2019 plans to have 5G turned on in several new cities, and should be a big boost in coverage and speeds for anyone in one of those […]
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In case you weren’t already aware, 5G is a pretty big thing for consumers, smartphone brands as well as network providers. The UK saw its first commercially available 5G network switched on by the BT-owned network operator EE during an event in London. The first 5G smartphone available in the UK is the OnePlus 7 […]
Come comment on this article: The OnePlus 7 Pro 5G is the first handset to launch on EE’s brand new 5G network in the UK
Eero was one of the first companies to dive into mesh networking, and they’ve consistently delivered some killer products. But like all tech companies and startups, the main goal for these smaller players is to eventually get scooped up by a bigger fish, and that’s where Eero is going next. Amazon has announced that they’ll […]
Come comment on this article: Amazon’s latest massive purchase is the mesh network company Eero
Elon Musk has revealed on Twitter that Tesla is planning a Supercharger expansion that will cover "100 percent of Europe" next year. "From Ireland to Kiev (Ukraine), from Norway to Turkey," he added, in response to a tweet that some parts of Ireland…
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It's almost time for Minecon — an annual convention exclusively for Minecraft — and like last year, you can watch the whole event from the comfort of your living room. Cartoon Network will broadcast the 90-minute event on its YouTube channel (which…
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Ford hasn't been shy about its plans for a self-driving car network in 2021, including its hopes of fielding a purpose-built vehicle that year. However, there have been questions about the size — will this be like the services we've seen so far, wh…
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Many a gamer has had regrets about their choice of username — xXxDeathCrusher420xXx might not be quite so appealing in adult life as it was in your teenage years. And for PlayStation fans, that's been a big problem when your PSN name has always been…
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Python is a very powerful and popular programming language, so getting a solid understanding of the language under your belt will definitely look great on your resume or while job hunting. To help you out with that, you can pick up a Python Network Programming bundle to teach you a few thing. The bundle contains […]
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According to a new report in the Wall Street Journal, Amazon and Dish Network are having some serious discussions regarding a partnership to create a new wireless business. Sources indicate the talks have occurred at the very highest level of the two companies between their CEOs, Charlie Ergen for Dish Network and Jeff Bezos for […]
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FirstNet's priority LTE network for first responders is a long time coming. Now that its deal with AT&T means the project is finally moving forward, some states' firemen and EMTs might have a dedicated network for communication very, very soon. T…
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T-Mobile’s 600MHz network will be ready for testing within the next couple of months. After being granted the necessary spectrum licenses by the FCC on Wednesday, T-Mobile says it’ll be ready for “deployment activities” this summer. The carrier spent $ 8 billion on the spectrum to build a network that’ll become what everyone considers a “5G […]
Come comment on this article: Prep for 5G begins as T-Mobile’s 600MHz network launches this summer
T-Mobile’s star has been ascending the last few years. Most people are familiar by now with the unconventional business strategies that T-Mobile, led by their CEO John Legere, has been implementing via their Un-carrier campaign. Backing those efforts to attract and retain customers is a corresponding set of moves by T-Mobile to make improvements to […]
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BT, a telecommunications provider in the U.K., has sent a letter to the European Commission announcing its support for Google in an ongoing antitrust case involving Android, the world’s largest mobile operating system.
The post Britain’s largest network operator defends Google in EU Android antitrust case appeared first on Digital Trends.
FreedomPop just added another partner to its short list: AT&T. Now customers will be able to get a hot spot or a SIM that works on AT&T’s network, but at FreedomPop’s super-low price.
The post FreedomPop brings its low-cost SIM and hot spot plans to AT&T’s network appeared first on Digital Trends.
Verizon has announced that it will shut down its 2G CDMA network by 2019. It’ll work to transition the service’s remaining users to LTE in the intervening years.
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Invoxia’s Voice Bridge will soon be receiving an update that lets users make calls with their landline number on any Wi-Fi network. Previously it was restricted to making calls on your home Wi-Fi.
The post Voice Bridge now lets you make calls with your landline from any Wi-Fi network appeared first on Digital Trends.
BitTorrent is looking to expand its live streaming offerings by launching a TV news network in time for the November election, Variety reports today. The news network would be an expansion of the OTT News app the company released for Apple TV, iOS an…
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Like it or not, it looks like the Internet of Things is going to be more than an annoying buzzword or passing fad. The latest proof is that Bosch is offering an end-to-end environment to get your house communicating with the various devices and appli…
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Sprint has announced a revamped LTE services to deploy to markets with a significantly improved wireless experience for customers. This new network is deploying to 77 markets today, and it offers some notable new technologies that should make a world of difference for Sprint customers.
LTE Plus utilizes all three of Sprint’s bands of spectrum, using the 2.5 GHz band for speed, the 1.9 GHz band for coverage, and the 800 MHz band for building penetration. Carrier aggregation allows LTE Plus to bond multiple spectrums together to beef up the bandwidth and speed available to users, and Sprint claims the new network doubles both of those. Pretty impressive, especially considering that claim means capable devices can reach theoretical speeds of up to 100Mbps on that network.
The biggest claim that LTE Plus can make? It’s faster than Verizon and AT&T’s LTE network. Third party testing in 44 of the biggest markets show that data is transferred faster on Sprint’s LTE Plus network than Verizon or AT&T’s LTE network, which should give Sprint’s marketing department some serious ammunition to work with.
You can hit the link below to check out where Sprint is deploying this new network.
source: Sprint
Come comment on this article: Sprint is bringing their stronger, faster LTE Plus network to 77 markets