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Red River Basin Decision Information Network
The Red River Basin, spanning parts of Manitoba, Canada; North Dakota;
South Dakota; and Minnesota
Project Details:
In the aftermath of the Red River flood of 1997, U.S. and Canadian governments asked the
International Joint Commission (IJC) to analyze the flood’s causes and effects and to
recommend ways to reduce the impact of future floods. The IJC Red River Basin Task Force,
in partnership with the Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN) initiative, devised a
strategy to identify and develop a decision support information infrastructure for the Red
River Basin. The idea was to promote the decision support information infrastructure concept
within the broadest possible stakeholder community and to make recommendations for a
sustainable virtual presence. This effort led to the development of the Red River Basin
Disaster Information Network (RRBDIN) and supporting Web site located at
http://www.rrbdin.org.
The US Army Corps of Engineers® secured additional funding for the development of the RRBDIN
(renamed the Red River Basin Decision Information Network). The intent was to create an
Internet-based data dissemination system for the Red River Basin. Potential data could include
an authoritative base map for the basin, spatial data (e.g., topography, imagery), water quality
data, and other related information. The system was also intended to enhance the US Army Corps
of Engineers’ St. Paul District in completing Feasibility Studies. The Corps retained Houston
Engineering as the prime consultant to continue RRBDIN development.
This project consists of three phases. During Phase I, the existing RRBDIN site was relocated
to Houston Engineering’s Minneapolis office. The site was mirrored at a location within the Red
River Basin and development activities continued on the Houston Engineering server. Phase I also
saw that a Project Design Team (PDT) of technical staff was established. A Project Review Team
(PRT) consisting of policy level staff from the likely user community, was also established to
help guide the project. Other Phase I activities: identifying and estimating the cost of operating
and maintaining the site, identifying hardware and software needs and costs, and operating the site.
Phase II focused on completing improvements to the existing RRBDIN, such as enhancement to databases
and the development of new tools and applications based on the Use Case Analysis. These improvements
included applications for water resources planning and management (such as flood forecasting) as well
as emergency preparedness and response. The two most prominent tools are BasinViewer and DataViewer.
The BasinViewer is an interactive, dynamic Web mapping and decision-making tool. The DataViewer is a
data portal, which allows the user to access basin-specific information from across the Web without
leaving the RRBDIN site.
The goal of Phase III is to establish the future direction for the site and to provide an estimate of
the future funding needs for continued development.
Project Benefits:
- Valuable new tools for basin residents, which allow access to better information, for
improved decision-making
- Enhanced communication for agencies and individuals located in the Red River Basin area
- Instant access to detailed, current maps and information affecting the basin
- Sustainable decision support information infrastructure to aid the broadest possible
stakeholder community
Project Web Site:
http://www.rrbdin.org/
“The Houston Engineering team went above and beyond our basic requirements. I felt like we
definitely got our money’s worth. They had a very high priority on quality work and making
sure that we were getting what we needed and wanted.”
Read the complete testimonial ...
- Staff member of the US Army Corps of Engineers
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