Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners
- Procedure Memorandum 42
- Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) and DFIRM Database Information
- Document Control Procedures Manual
- FEMA Procedure Memoranda
- Diary of Revisions
- Document Organization
- Version Control
- Guidelines and Specifications Archives
- How to Submit Comments and Suggestions
- For More Information
In Guidelines and Specifications for Flood Hazard Mapping Partners, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) defines technical requirements, product specifications for Flood Hazard Maps and related National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) products, and associated coordination and documentation activities. When it was distributed in February 2002, the Guidelines combined FEMA technical, programmatic, and administrative procedure publications, guidance documents (listed below), and memoranda regarding Flood Hazard Map production. In April 2003, FEMA updated the Guidelines to reflect current requirements for FEMA products and processes, including changes to the processes and products associated with implementation of Flood Map Modernization (Map Mod).
Procedure Memorandum 42
On June 21, 2007, FEMA issued Procedure Memorandum No. 42 (PM 42), Quality Control Requirements in the Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) Production Process. PM 42 improves the study production process to support FEMA's goal of transforming the flood hazard mapping process from a paper-driven process to a DFIRM database-driven process. The study production process improvements allow communities ample time to adopt their maps before they are scheduled to become effective by facilitating earlier distribution of maps to communities. Earlier distribution of the maps also benefits the planning efforts of insurance and flood determination industries.
For a detailed explanation of PM 42 and an array of other useful FEMA, NFIP, and Map Mod resources please visit the FEMA Library.
Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) and DFIRM Database Information
The requirements for the production and processing of two key products of Map Mod—the DFIRM and the DFIRM Spatial Database—are documented in Volume 1 and Appendices K, L, and N of the Guidelines. FEMA has developed additional information to support the FEMA product and process requirements detailed in Volume 1 and the appendices.
Document Control Procedures Manual
The FEMA Document Control Procedures Manual is to be used in conjunction with the Guidelines. The Manual provides guidance to FEMA, mapping partner, and contractor staff for the processing of standard and non-standard documents used in FEMA-contracted studies/restudies, community-initiated map revisions, conditional and final map revisions based on conditions other than fill, conditional and final map revisions based on fill, conditional and final map amendments, Letter of Determination Review, and special conversions. The Manual also provides procedures and sample documents for use in tracking community compliance and documenting a community's entry into NFIP.
FEMA Procedure Memoranda
When appropriate, FEMA has issued, and will continue to issue, Procedure Memoranda in the following situations:
- To implement updates to the Guidelines and the Document Control Procedures Manual.
- To provide additional clarification of procedures to be followed by FEMA, contractors, and mapping partners that are not documented in published guidance documents.
- To establish procedures and policies for FEMA, contractors, and mapping partners.
Diary of Revisions
When FEMA updates and re-issues the Guidelines, detailed Summaries of Changes are provided at the beginning of each affected section or subsection. A general list of changes made to components of the Guidelines also is provided in a Diary of Revisions.
Document Organization
The Guidelines have been organized into 3 volumes and 14 appendices as follows:
- Volume 1 explains the activities involved in the completion of Flood Map Projects and provides guidelines for performing those activities in five phases: mapping needs assessment; project scoping, topographic and flood hazard data development; map and report production; and Preliminary/Post-Preliminary processing.
- Volume 2 provides guidelines for conditional and final revisions and amendments to Flood Hazard Maps initiated by communities and other Mapping Partners, including conditional and final Letters of Map Amendment, conditional and final Letters of Map Revision Based on Fill, conditional and final Letters of Map Revision, and Physical Map Revisions.
- Volume 3 provides guidelines and specifications for support activities performed for FEMA by various Mapping Partners in five general categories: program coordination, special technical and program support, public outreach activities, special correspondence support, and other program support.
- Appendices A through N provide additional guidelines and specifications for the processes and products associated with aerial mapping and surveying (including Airborne Light Detection and Ranging Systems); datum conversions; hazard analyses and mapping of riverine, coastal, shallow, ice-jam, and alluvial fan flooding; evaluation and mapping of flood protection systems; scoping for Flood Map Projects; Flood Insurance Study report format guidelines and specifications; Flood Hazard Map format guidelines and specifications; draft digital data and DFIRM database preparation guidance; technical and administrative support data preparation and processing requirements; and Data Capture Standards.
Version Control
The Guidelines will undergo periodic updates. In the interim, FEMA will use the procedure memorandum process to add, revise, and supersede standards and guidelines when immediate changes to the Guidelines are warranted. FEMA Regional and Headquarters Office staff will notify mapping partners and contractors when changes are made.
To ensure FEMA mapping partners and contractors are provided with a controlled and current version of the Guidelines for Flood Hazard Map production and processing activities, FEMA implemented the following document control procedures:
- A new version of the Guidelines will be posted as warranted as a collection of PDF and TXT files.
- A header on each page will identify the version date.
- A footer on each page will provide the page number and major section number (e.g., 1.1, 1.2).
- A date (month and year) reflecting the last time the section or subsection was revised will appear to the right of the heading for each numbered section and subsection.
FEMA mapping partners and contractors will also be able to keep up to date on changes to the Guidelines through the Diary of Revisions discussed above.
Guidelines and Specifications Archives
To facilitate review by FEMA, mapping partner, and contractor staff, FEMA is maintaining a Guidelines and Specifications Archive that will contain superseded versions of the Guidelines.
How to Submit Comments and Suggestions
Written comments and suggestions may be submitted to FEMA electronically by sending an e-mail message to FEMACG&S@floodmaps.net. Alternatively, comments and suggestions may be mailed to the address below or transmitted by facsimile to the number below.
Federal Emergency Management Agency
Mitigation Division - Risk Analysis Branch
500 C Street, SW
Washington, DC 20472
Facsimile: 202-646-3755
Attention: Max Yuan, FEMA G&S Coordinator
For More Information
For more information or additional assistance:
- Please e-mail a Map Specialist.
- Please call a Map Specialist in the FEMA Map Assistance Center; toll free, at 1-877-FEMA MAP (1-877-336-2627).
- Please register to receive Map Mod updates via e-mail.
Last Modified: Tuesday, 05-Feb-2008 14:11:23 EST
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