#36: Why Flood Risk Data Exists (But Isn’t Easy to Access) with Kevin Bullock

We have an incredible amount of public geospatial data—high-resolution elevation, weather forecasts, floodplain maps, real-time sensors—yet most people still can’t easily answer a simple question:

“What’s my flood risk right here, right now?”

In this episode, I’m joined by Kevin Bullock, an aerospace engineer and remote sensing expert at Development Seed, to talk about how he turned years of geospatial expertise into Hydra Atlas, a mobile app designed to make flood risk understandable and accessible for everyday users.

We explore why so much critical data remains difficult to use, how Kevin pulled together datasets from FEMA, NOAA, and USGS, and why mobile—not web—was the right platform for this problem. Kevin also shares what it was like building a geospatial app with Swift, testing real-world use cases, and designing an interface that prioritizes clarity over complexity.

This conversation goes beyond flooding. It’s about modern GIS, product thinking, open data, and what happens when geospatial professionals stop building tools for other experts and start building tools for people.

If you’re interested in geospatial product development, public data, mobile mapping, or turning complex systems into usable software, this episode is for you.

Download HydraAtlas: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/hydraatlas/id6749492232
Follow Kevin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevbullock/

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