Flooded roadways remain one of the leading weather-related transportation hazards, yet many agencies still rely on disconnected forecasting, mapping, and operational systems when making critical roadway management decisions. While weather forecasts, hydrologic models, and transportation data all exist, integrating them into actionable information for transportation operations remains a significant challenge.

This presentation introduces the Stormwater Integrated Flood Forecasting Tool (SWIFFT), an open-source geospatial platform being developed by the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) to transform flood forecasts into operational decision support. Rather than focusing solely on forecasting where water will be, SWIFFT is designed to answer the questions transportation agencies actually need to solve: Which roads are likely to flood? When will conditions become hazardous? How certain is the forecast? What actions should operators take?

The session will explore the system architecture behind SWIFFT, including the integration of real-time environmental observations, weather forecasts, hydraulic modeling, flood inundation mapping, transportation assets, and operational workflows using open geospatial technologies, cloud-native analytics, and interoperable data standards. Attendees will learn how the platform leverages open-source software and open standards to connect traditionally siloed datasets into a scalable decision support framework.

Beyond the technical implementation, the presentation will discuss lessons learned from developing SWIFFT through collaboration among federal, state, regional, and local partners. Topics include designing for interoperability, communicating forecast uncertainty, supporting impact-based decision making, and building software that agencies can deploy, extend, and sustain without dependence on proprietary platforms.