Guidance for Creating Basin-Wide Projects in the MIP
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents...............................................................................................................................1
1. Purpose.......................................................................................................................................1
2. Background................................................................................................................................1
3. Setting Up a Basin-Wide MIP Project.........................................................................................2
3.1. Create Study Project: Create Project Screen......................................................................2
3.1.1. Obtain List of Communities and Counties in Study Area..............................................2
3.1.2. Select Primary Region for Multi-Region Studies...........................................................2
3.1.3. Create Study Project: Project Information Screen.........................................................3
3.1.4. Create Study Project: Community Information Screen.................................................3
3.1.5. Finalize Project Scope....................................................................................................4
3.2. Obligate Project Funds........................................................................................................7
3.3. Data Development Activities............................................................................................10
3.3.1. Uploading Data for a Data Development Task.............................................................12
3.4. Preliminary and Post-Preliminary Processes....................................................................13
3.5. Uploading Study Data with No Associated MIP Task.....................................................13
4. Summary..................................................................................................................................14
1. Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to users of the Mapping Information Platform
(MIP) when they are setting up new mapping projects on a basin-wide (watershed) basis rather than
as a county/community-based project.
The MIP Studies Workflow was designed for community based or county-wide projects.
However, it does allow for the entry of basin-wide projects. This document provides the
steps that users should follow for entering basin-wide projects into the MIP, including a
number of workarounds to circumvent current system limitations. These steps will facilitate
the proper setup of projects in the MIP to allow accurate storage and retrieval of the project data.
It is possible that other basin-wide scenarios exist that are not fully covered in this
document. FEMA is in the process of considering a fully operable technical solution for
true basin-wide functionality in the MIP. This evaluation should lead to updates to the MIP
to make the entry, tracking and reporting on basin-wide projects more user friendly and
efficient.
2. Background
The MIP, which was deployed in 2004 as part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Flood Map Modernization (Map Mod) program, facilitates the management, production, and sharing of
flood hazard data and maps in a digital environment. It integrates program and project management,
data storage and retrieval, standardized quality control reviews, and map production status tracking into
one Web-based application. Another core component of Map Mod was to combine community-based
paper Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) into a countywide product, and to deliver the new product in
digital (DFIRM) Geographic Information System (GIS) format. Since its deployment in 2004, the MIP
has continued to grow and evolve to meet the needs of FEMA and its contractors to manage and monitor
the progress of its flood hazard mapping data.
As FEMA transitions to Risk MAP, it will enhance program delivery by providing Flood Insurance
Studies (FISs) based on watersheds. Historically, flood hazard analyses were performed for FISs at a
community/county level and only addressed reaches within that jurisdiction.
This document provides guidance on how to utilize the MIP study workflow application for a
basin-wide study. The document is not intended to provide step-by-step guidance on the MIP
workflow process, but it provides guidance and screen shots to highlight specific steps associated
with basin-wide studies, from the creation of the project through the obligation of funds.
3. Setting Up a Basin-Wide MIP Project
This section describes the MIP workflow steps and outlines impacts to the process caused by a study
being basin-wide instead of countywide. A Basin-wide project is set up similarly to a county-based
study project that includes multiple communities. The key differences between a basin-wide study and
a multi-community study are in the naming of the basin-wide study and the configuration of files for the
data upload tasks.
3.1. Create Study Project: Create Project Screen
The first step in setting up a basin-wide project is for a FEMA Project Officer to create a project
record in the MIP database. Scoping baseline information (contracted organization, cost, and
schedule) is also entered at this point.
Create a Study Project Screen shot
Before creating a study project, the following activities must be performed:
3.1.1. Obtain List of Communities and Counties in Study Area
The FEMA Regional staff should work with their Production and Technical Services (PTS)
contractors, if needed, to determine the complete list of communities within the watershed which
will be affected by the study. Community names will need to be obtained before project setup,
based on where the study area boundary and study extents intersect community boundaries.
NOTE: Information for all States, counties, and communities involved in the project must be
collected in advance, but only one Region can be selected at this step. Communities from other
Regions will be added at a later step.
3.1.2. Select Primary Region for Multi-Region Studies
Only one Region can be selected for MIP data storage purposes. A multi-Region study will require
coordination between Regions and potentially between multiple PTS contractors, if the Region’s
boundary is also a PTS boundary.
If a basin-wide project falls within multiple FEMA Regions, select the Region funding the study. If
multiple Regions are contributing to the funding, select the Region that will claim the project. All
Regions involved in the basin-wide study should decide in advance under which Region’s MIP
folder structure the data will be stored. FEMA has decided that study data will only be stored in
one location to avoid confusion, versioning issues, storage redundancy, and gaps in data deliveries.
NOTE: Contractors must be set up as valid contractors in the selected Region in order to be able to
continue in the MIP studies workflow. Workflow tasks can only be assigned to users with MIP
access rights to the Region selected on the initial screen. Tasks performed by other Regions will
have to be transferred to those Regions’ contractors. This task is performed manually in the
Process Administration section of the MIP by contacting MIPhelp at miphelp@riskmapcds.com.
Step-by-step work instructions are available under the Create Project link on the MIP at:
https://hazards.fema.gov/femaportal/wps/portal/usercare_training.
3.1.3. Create Study Project: Project Information Screen
One of the more important aspects of a basin-wide study is the need to name a project differently
than a countywide study. On the Project Information Screen, complete the required fields, as
indicated by the red asterisk. When naming the project, use the naming convention of ‘Name of
Basin - # of Communities’, for example “Conestoga basin-wide – 72 communities”.
Create Study Project: Project Information Screen Shot
3.1.4. Create Study Project: Community Information Screen
Selecting only County-wides
For Basins that include a large number of Counties and/or Communities the preferred method for
creating the project is to select the county-wide area for all of the counties included. This should be
followed even if all communities within a county are not part of the basin-wide study. A MIPhelp
ticket should be submitted for those communities that are not part of the basin to be removed from
the study project immediately after it is created. Setting up the project with the county-wide
selection will limit the number of DFIRM database tasks later, however if all communities are
chosen MIPhelp can assist with the DFIRM database task at that point. This solution will be
discussed later.
Selecting only Communities
When there are only a few communities included in the basin from each affected county, it is best
to select only communities for the study project. On the Community Information Screen, make
sure to include all affected communities within the basin. After entering information for each
community, click the “Add Area” button to add an additional community. Even if only a part of the
community is included in the study, the community should be included in this step. Map panels can
be specified in a later workflow step. If the basin-wide study includes communities from multiple
Regions, they can all be added in this step. Once this task is completed, MIPhelp must be contacted
to add additional communities, so be sure to include any community that may be part of the project.
It is important to enter complete information at this step in the workflow, since later steps, from
preliminary to effective release, rely on a complete listing of the project geography.
NOTE: Users cannot choose a combination of county-wide and community-based studies. The
areas to be studied must either be set up as county-wide OR community-based. In the following
example, two communities in Chester County and two in Lancaster County will make up the
basin-wide study. In a real scenario, many more communities may need to be entered.
C
Create Study Project: Community Information Screen Shot
3.1.5. Finalize Project Scope
The next step is to Finalize Project Scope. Complete the first two screens, as for a countywide
project. The third screen on this task, Map Panels, is where to choose all of the panels affected by
the basin-wide study. Choose panels individually from the dropdown box, and click “Add Map
Panel.” If all the panels from the communities in the basin-wide study should be included, click the
“Add All” button.
TIME SAVING TIP: If, for example, all but three panels are included in the basin-wide study,
click “Add All” and then delete the panels that are not to be included in the study.
In the Select Scoped Tasks section on the next screen, check only the Scoped Task boxes that are
under contract to be completed for this study. In the Select Areas for Study section, select a
Create Study Project: Finalize Project Scope Screen Shot
community from the Area dropdown box and click “Add Area.” Repeat “Add Area” for each
community in the dropdown to ensure all areas are included in this project. It is not required to
check the Basin Boundary Area box or to enter the percent affected.
Create Study Project: Finalize Project Scope, Select tasks, and Areas for study Screen Shot
3.2. Obligate Project Funds
An important step in creating the basin-wide project is the next task: Obligate Project Funds. At
this step, data development tasks are chosen and funds are obligated for those tasks. In the Task
Information section of the Obligate Project Funds screen, select the appropriate tasks to include in
the project and select the same Task Area (community) for those tasks (Acquire Base Map, Develop
Topographic Data, Perform Field Survey, Develop Hydrologic Data, Develop Hydraulic data,
Perform Coastal Analysis, Perform Alluvial Fan analysis, Perform Floodplain Mapping). All data
will be stored under this community and will reduce the total number of tasks in the Data
Development section of the project. For ease of use and consistency, it is highly recommended that
the first community (in alphabetical order) be selected. In addition, to reduce confusion in other
workflow steps, add the names of the actual communities for that task in the Task Description field.
The goal of adding all data to one community is to have the data easily available, being stored in
only one folder. In the following example of the MOD Basin-wide study, all of the data are stored
in the folder of one community (Christiana), instead of in multiple locations.
Every community that is selected for a project needs to have a data development task associated
with it. Since it has been decided for that all data for tasks mentioned above will be stored in the
first community alphabetically, a Develop DFIRM Task will be associated with each community in
the project.
Because DFIRMs are generally created at the county level (unless the map is community based), an
individual Develop DFIRM Database task must be created for each county (or community, if the
map is community based). If the project was created using the county-wide option, each county
would get a separate DFIRM task.
If the project was created using communities, select the Develop DFIRM Database task from the
Task Name dropdown and click the “Add All” Areas box. This will add that task for each of those
areas. Also add the Contract Information and click “Add Cost” and click “Add Task “to include the
Develop DFIRM Database task on the project. It is likely one DFIRM database will be prepared
per county, although not all communities are included in the study, multiple uploads are therefore
not necessary. Since data is stored in the first community alphabetically for the other data
development tasks, MIPhelp should be contacted to provide DFIRM upload and validation bypasses
for all of the additional communities in the project. The bypass will allow you to move through the
workflow without having to get validation for the same DFIRM database for each community.
In the example below, Parkesburg and Paradise are required to perform the Develop Hydraulic Data
task, but the Borough of Christiana is chosen as the Task Area where all data will be stored (as it is
first in alphabetic order). For each additional task except Develop DFIRM Database, the Borough
of Christiana will be assigned as the Task Area. Don’t forget to click “Add Area” in order for the
changes to be accepted.
Continue entering information on this screen, including Contract Information, and click “Add
Cost.” Independent Quality Assurance is optional on all tasks. Once the Task Information and
Contract Information are entered, click “Add Task” to save this task information. Follow steps 1, 2,
and 3 on the screenshot below to ensure the task has successfully been added. Repeat for each data
development task that has been scoped.
In certain circumstances, multiple contractors will be performing different tasks for the same
basin-wide study. The only difference in the setup of the project is in the Obligate Project Funds
task. As in projects with only one contractor, add the required tasks and select the same Task Area
where the data will be stored. However, at the Contract Information section, add the different
organizations and costs. This will ensure that the correct mapping partner receives the appropriate
tasks on its Work Items list.
Obligate Project Funds screen with Task Information, Affected Areas, Contract Information, Task Cost, and IndependentQA.
1
2
3
The screenshot below displays all of the data development tasks, excluding Develop DFIRM
Database, that were added for this project.
Expanding each Task Information section shows that all tasks have been assigned to Borough of
Christiana as the Task Area, even if Christiana does not need all of the specific tasks.
Screen shot displays all of the data development tasks, excluding Develop DFIRM Database, that were added for this project.
Screen shot of expanding each Task Information section.
Setting up the project in this manner will reduce the total number of tasks to appear on the
Producer’s workbench. It will also reduce the quantity of data on the MIP file servers, since the
data artifacts will only be uploaded to one location. In addition, it will allow anyone searching for
the basin-wide project to find data in only one folder – in our example, Christiana.
In the previous screenshot, only one task will appear on the user’s workbench for the Develop
Hydrologic Data task, instead of three (one for each community).
The screenshot below shows all of the tasks added for our sample basin-wide project. The project
setup is complete, and now these tasks are assigned to the Producer workbench for completion.
3.3. Data Development Activities
In this example, because only one contractor is assigned for all tasks, all tasks appear on the Work
Items list of the assigned contractor. The default Work Items display lists all of the tasks; however,
it is difficult to know which task is for which community for Develop DFIRM Database, since the
community name is not shown on the Work Items list.
This screenshot shows all of the tasks added for our sample basin-wide project.
Screen shot of the Work Items List
For more information about those specific tasks, click the Options link, highlight the Community
field and click the arrow to the right to add it to the list of displayed columns, and click Save.
The Work Items list now displays the community for each Develop DFIRM Database task.
In the example shown above, the header of the task and the file path in the Submit Data section
identify the Borough of Christiana. However, the Task Description field in the Project and Task
Information for Develop Hydraulic Data: Data Submission, indicates that Parkesburg and Paradise
are the only contracted communities for this task.
Screen shot for more information about specific tasks
Updated Work Items list screen shot
Work Item Details for example Project screen shot
3.3.1. Uploading Data for a Data Development Task
When uploading data for this task, the user must include data in the metadata file for all
communities contracted for this task. This includes naming the metadata file correctly and ensuring
the correct data are included. Without the exact information shown below, the MIP Search and
Retrieve application will not find the study data. Avoid using a template from another county or
community, since it is easy to forget to update all the references to that other project.
Naming the Metadata File
The file name must include the Community Identification Number (CID) for the community where
the data is to be stored. Note that the community used to name the metadata may have not been
funded for that task but is being used for consistency. Make sure that metadata for all funded
communities are included within the file. In the Christiana example, the file name would be
420542_Hydraulics_metadata.xml
Update the FEMA Case Number
In the metadata file, update the FEMA Case tag to equal the case number of the project. In the
Christiana example, the case number would be 08-03-0291S. The accuracy and completeness of the
information is critical.
Add Placekey Elements for ALL Communities in the Study
In the metadata file, update and add placekey elements for all communities in this task. In the
Christiana example, placekey elements are added for Parkesburg and Paradise, as follows:
REGION 03
STATE PA
COUNTY Chester
COUNTY FIPS 42029
COMMUNITY Parkesburg, Borough of
FEMA-CID 422277
REGION 03
STATE PA
COUNTY Lancaster
COUNTY FIPS 42071
COMMUNITY Paradise, Township of
FEMA-CID 421777
Additional assistance in editing metadata files, and specifically the placekey elements, can be found
on the MIP under the Tools and Links tab.
3.4. Preliminary and Post-Preliminary Processes
Once a basin-wide study reaches this point in the MIP workflow, the standard preliminary and
post-preliminary procedures apply. The basin-wide studies will have been completed and broken
out into the appropriate political jurisdictions for inclusion in the county-wide or community
DFIRMs. The separate Develop DFIRM Database tasks will determine separate paths for the
subsequent DFIRM quality reviews and preliminary and post-preliminary due processes.
3.5. Uploading Study Data with No Associated MIP Task
The MIP Workflow currently has no task for uploading certain types of study data, including
Technical Support Data Notebooks (TSDN), appeals correspondence, studies correspondence,
Preliminary FIS reports, and scoping data. These types of study data deliverables (artifacts) are
loaded through the Tools and Links, Data Upload, Load Studies Data Artifacts portlet.
Load Study Data Artifacts screen shot
As shown in the screenshot above, select the FEMA Case Number and the type of artifact to be
stored. Since there are no metadata files for these types of data, it is important to make sure that the
Abstract section describes the geographic area covered by the study. At a minimum, all counties
affected by the study should be listed in the Abstract section. Using the example shown in previous
sections, a user would enter “TSDN for Chester County PA and Lancaster County PA”.
If the project was set up properly, as defined in the Create Project Task, Finalize Project Scope, and
Obligate Project Funds sections, the study data artifacts will be loaded to the community folder
where the other study data were filed.
When using the Search & Retrieve tool for counties or communities associated with a multi-county
or multi-community project, the MIP is capable of returning results for the project even though the
artifacts are loaded into the first community and/or county alphabetically. The search is not limited
to the county or community that the data was uploaded to.
4. Summary
The MIP can be used for basin-wide studies, but specific business rules and methods must be
applied at key steps in the MIP Project workflow. These key steps are: Create Project Task,
Finalize Project Scope, Obligate Project Funds, and Data Development Activities.
The following table summarizes the highlights of MIP project requirements at each key step for
basin-wide studies.
Task
Critical Information
Create Project Task
Required Naming convention – ‘Name of Basin - # of communities’, for example
“Conestoga Basin-Wide Study – 72 communities”.
Community information screen – add all affected communities, even those that
are only partially affected by the study.
Community information screen – choose either all communities or all counties, no
mixed community/county combinations are possible
Call or email the MIP help team if a project is created using multiple county-wides
to remove the communities from those counties that are not included in the
basin.
Finalize Project Scope
Choose all affected map panels
The Basin Boundary Area check box is not necessary
Obligate Project Funds
Select the same Task Area for each task assigned (except Develop DFIRM
Database), even if that community is not contracted for that task.
Enter the actual communities for that task in the Task Description section
For Develop DFIRM Database, click the Add All Areas button
Data Development
Activities
Make sure to upload the correct data for the contracted task, not just what is
displayed in the title of the task; confirm the Task Description is for the
communities contracted for that task. For example, load the Hydraulics data for
the entire study, not just the one community selected to store the data.
Data Development
Activities with No MIP
Tasks
For TSDNs, appeals correspondence, studies correspondence, preliminary FIS
reports, and scoping data, be sure to list all the affected counties or communities
in the Abstract field of the MIP Load Studies Data Artifacts portlet.