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    tracking the rise

    Rice University crafts pivotal new flood tracking system for Houston's most vulnerable spots

    Steven Devadanam
    May 25, 2021 | 2:07 pm
    Houston, Hurricane Harvey, flood photos, Downtown from 45 Overpass
    Courtesy of tylerherman13/Instagram

    The recent Houston deluge is a sobering reminder of the constant potential of flooding here, especially in at-risk areas. To that end, a local university has devised a new tool to tackle high water threats in vulnerable spots.

     

    Engineers at Rice University have crafted a new radar-based flood assessment, mapping and early-warning system to help planning for and responding to flooding at Houston hospitals and other critical facilities, namely on the watersheds of Brays, Sims, Hunting and White Oak bayous.

     

    Dubbed the Flood Information and Response System (FIRST), the system covers several flood-prone and at-risk communities, including Kashmere Gardens, Gulfton, and Sunnyside, a press release notes.

     

    Funding for the project comes courtesy of the CARES Act; the system was commissioned by the Houston Health Department. Experts notes that the FIRST system is much like FAS5, the latest version of the Rice/Texas Medical Center Flood Alert System. FAS5, created by Bedient, has performed accurately in more than 60 storms in Brays Bayou, including Tropical Storm Allison and Hurricane Harvey.

     

    How does it work? According to a description, during a storm, weather radar is used to measure how much rain is falling over each portion of the watershed. That data, along with information from stream gauges on the bayous, is fed to a computer that compares the input with pre-populated scenarios from the map library.

     

    For example, FAS5 has warned hospital officials in the Texas Medical Center as much as 2 1/2 hours before rising water has arrived at their doors.

     

    FIRST’s maps also show the location of hospitals, nursing homes, and fire stations in the four watersheds. Emergency managers can establish warning thresholds so they have access to flood level information during rain events.

     

    “What if first responders have to go to a shelter, a nursing home or another facility where there’s COVID, right in the middle of a flood,” Phil Bedient, the lead engineer on the project asked in a press release. “The idea is to provide a tool that can help emergency managers better deal with situations with multiple risks.”

     

    Those interested can check out the new tool here.

     
    technologyweather
    news/innovation

    to infinity and beyond

    Houston company wins $150M NASA software contract for space-based robots

    InnovationMap Staff
    Jul 16, 2025 | 1:17 pm
    MacLean Engineering and Applied Technology Services METECS NASA contract
    Courtesy of METECS
    The contract begins in October.

    Houston-based MacLean Engineering and Applied Technology Services LLC, known as METECS, has received a five-year contract from NASA to develop simulations and software services for space-based vehicles and robots, with a maximum value of $150 million.

    Two other Houston-area companies, Tietronix Software Inc. and Vedo Systems LLC, were assigned as subcontractors for the award.

    "This award is a strong testament to NASA’s continued trust in the quality of our work and their confidence in our ongoing support of the human spaceflight program," John MacLean, president of METECS said in a release.

    According to NASA, the awardees are tasked with providing:

    • Simulation and software services for space-based vehicle models and robotic manipulator systems
    • Human biomechanical representations for analysis and development of countermeasure devices
    • Guidance, navigation, and control of space-based vehicles for all flight phases
    • Space-based vehicle on-board computer systems simulations of flight software systems
    • Astronomical object surface interaction simulation of space-based vehicles
    • Graphics support for simulation visualization and engineering analysis
    • Ground-based and onboarding systems to support human-in-the-loop training

    The contract is called Simulations and Advanced Software Services II (SASS II), and begins in October. This is the second time METECS has received the SASS award. The first also ran for five years and launched in 2020, according to USASpending.gov.

    METECS specializes in simulation, software, robotics and systems analysis. It has previously supported NASA programs, including Orion, EHP, HLS, Lunar Gateway and Artemis. It also serves the energy, agriculture, education and construction sectors.

    Tietronix Software has won numerous awards from NASA. Most recently, it won the NASA JSC Exceptional Software Award (2017). Some of its other customers include Houston Independent School District, Baylor College of Medicine, DARPA and Houston Methodist.

    Video Systems offers software for implementing human-rated, AI and autonomous systems, as well as engineering services to address the needs of spaceflight and defense. The company has previously worked with NASA and METECS, as well as Axiom Space and defense contractor Lockheed Martin.

    The three companies are headquartered near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

    ---

    This story originally was published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

    news/innovation
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