TAMPA, Fla. — A new app developed by researchers at the University of South Florida could help people navigate floodwaters like what was seen during Hurricane Helene, or even during regular rain storms.

The app, called the CRIS-HAZARD app, utilizes cameras set up at different locations in St. Petersburg to help determine the depth of floodwaters. Artificial Intelligence is used to compare them with photos of flooding uploaded by users.

“You can zoom into the map…” said USF Professor Barnali Dixon, the executive director of the university’s Initiative for Coastal Adaptation and Resilience. “You can actually put in a mark, say confirm the location. You can add a description and take a photo and upload it.”

That information is then plugged into the app’s map and shows users what streets are flooding in real time, similar to popular traffic apps already on the market.

Dixon says this acts as a control to help determine just how deep the floodwaters are. All of that data is made available on the app’s map, so users can avoid roads underwater.

“It’s kind of like a WAZE for flooding,” said Dixon. “The ultimate goal is to capture people’s lived experiences and make data out of it.”

USF currently has 14 cameras installed around St. Petersburg. Eighteen more cameras are set for installation at other locations throughout Pinellas County.

Next up, Dixon says, is spreading the word — because the more users, the more photos, and the more photos, the more accurate the app’s map is the next time a storm system comes through.