ScienceDaily: Computers & Math News

Researchers have developed the first three-dimensional operational storm surge model. The model simulates compound surge and flooding -- especially hard in transition zones where the river meets the sea. Since April 2021, NOAA has run daily 2D and 3D compound flood models on the Frontera supercomputer. During Tropical Storm Claudette (June 2021), the three-dimensional, real-time storm surge model closely matched observations across the Gulf Coast.

Flat materials that can morph into three-dimensional shapes have potential applications in architecture, medicine, robotics, space travel, and much more. But programming these shape changes requires complex and time-consuming computations. Now, researchers have developed a platform that uses machine learning to program the transformation of 2D stretchable surfaces into specific 3D shapes.