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Approximate Base Flood Elevation Tool

October 27, 2024
Lucy Randl

Forerunner’s new Approximate Base Flood Elevation (BFE)* measurement tool is designed to help riverine communities overcome the challenges of manually calculating BFE values. This feature allows users to measure approximate BFEs directly within the platform, supporting communities without automated BFE values on their Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs).

Forerunner's logic for approximate BFE measurements

In Forerunner, we use the property's latitude and longitude to locate the nearest point on the profile baseline between the two selected cross sections. We then calculate the property's relative distance along this baseline and interpolate the approximate BFE by averaging the two cross sections, adjusting based on the property's position between them. This gives an estimated BFE specific to the property's location relative to the profile baseline.

Check out our HelpDesk article to learn more.

Notes: The approximate BFE values provided are estimates and should be treated as such. They do not represent the official BFE for the property. Please refer to the associated Flood Insurance Study (FIS) to verify these values. Forerunner will only calculate approximate BFEs if valid cross sections with BFE values are present. If cross sections do not have BFE values, we do not have enough information to determine the approximate BFE and you should refer to the FIS profile for more information.

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