Displaying a flood change map with change designators

Abstract

In various embodiments, old flood maps may be compared to new flood maps to determine which areas of the flood map have changed. These changed areas may be correlated against geographic area descriptions that are within changed areas of the flood map. The changed areas may also be analyzed to determine whether each area has had a change in. status (e.g., from a high risk flood zone to a non-high risk flood zone or vice versa) or a change in zone within a status (e.g., from one flood zone to another flood zone). The information on type of change (or no change) may be used to populate a database that includes geographic area description identifiers. In some embodiments, detection of certain types of changes may initiate a manual comparison of the old and new flood maps to verify the change.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer system that includes a data processor and is connected to at least one data repository, perform a method comprising:
 (a) electronically accessing, by the data processor of the computer system, a first digitized flood map and a second updated digitized flood map;   (b) analyzing, by the data processor of the computer system, data associated with the first digitized flood map and data associated with the second digitized updated flood map to identify any changes in a risk level status and any changes in a zone designation;   (c) searching, by the data processor of the computer system, a database to identify one or more real estate properties affected by any identified changes in a risk level status and any identified changes in a zone designation;   (d) storing, by the data processor in the at least one data repository, the identified one or more real estate properties in association with any respective identified changes in a risk level status and any respective identified changes in a zone designation that affect the one or more real estate properties;   (e) identifying, by the data processor of the computer system, a plurality of subject properties;   (f) determining, by the data processor of the computer system, whether any of the plurality of subject properties correspond to the identified one or more real estate properties affected by any identified changes in a risk level status and any identified changes in a zone designation; and   (g) generating, by the data processor of the computer system, an alert for any of the plurality of subject properties that correspond to the identified one or more real estate properties affected by any identified changes in a risk level status and any identified changes in a zone designation.   
     
     
         2 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the analyzing comprises comparing a digitized area of the first digitized flood map with a digitized area of the second updated digitized flood map. 
     
     
         3 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein data associated with the first digitized flood map and data associated with the second digitized updated flood map comprise vector data. 
     
     
         4 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the analyzing does not identify any changes in a risk level status. 
     
     
         5 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises providing the generated alert to a loan provider. 
     
     
         6 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of subject properties are identified by receiving a request from a loan provider. 
     
     
         7 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein at least one change in the risk level status and at least one change in the zone designation are identified. 
     
     
         8 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises scaling, by the data processor of the computer system, the first digitized flood map or the second updated digitized flood map if the size of the first digitized flood map and the second updated digitized flood map is different. 
     
     
         9 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises interpolating, by the data processor of the computer system, the first digitized flood map or the second updated digitized flood map if the resolution of the first digitized flood map and the second updated digitized flood map is different. 
     
     
         10 . The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of  claim 1 , wherein the first digitized flood map and the updated second digitized flood map are Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). 
     
     
         11 . A system comprising:
 physical data storage configured to store flood data; and   a computer system in communication with the physical data storage, the computer system comprising computer hardware, the computer system programmed to:   electronically access a first digitized flood map and a second updated digitized flood map;   analyze data associated with the first digitized flood map and data associated with the second digitized updated flood map to identify any changes in a risk level status and any changes in a zone designation;   search a database to identify one or more real estate properties affected by any identified changes in a risk level status and any identified changes in a zone designation;   store, in the physical data storage, the identified one or more real estate properties in association with any respective identified changes in a risk level status and any respective identified changes in a zone designation that affect the one or more real estate properties;   identify a subject property;   determine whether the subject property corresponds to the identified one or more real estate properties affected by any identified changes in a risk level status and any identified changes in a zone designation; and   generate an alert for the subject property if the subject property corresponds to the identified one or more real estate properties affected by any identified changes in a risk level status and any identified changes in a zone designation.   
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer system is programmed to analyze the data associated with the first digitized flood map and the data associated with the second digitized updated flood map by comparing a digitized area of the first digitized flood map with a digitized area of the second updated digitized flood map. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein data associated with the first digitized flood map and data associated with the second digitized updated flood map comprise vector data. 
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer system is further programmed to provide the generated alert to a loan provider. 
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the subject property is identified by receiving a request from a loan provider. 
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein at least one change in the risk level status and at least one change in the zone designation are identified. 
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer system is further programmed to scale the first digitized flood map or the second updated digitized flood map if the size of the first digitized flood map and the second updated digitized flood map is different. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the computer system is further programmed to interpolate the first digitized flood map or the second updated digitized flood map if the resolution of the first digitized flood map and the second updated digitized flood map is different. 
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the first digitized flood map and the updated second digitized flood map are Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs). 
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 11 , wherein the analyzing does not identify any changes in a risk level status.