UTEP and El Paso Water test whether a NASA backed AI model can map flooded streets from satellite images after a storm
The University of Texas at El Paso announced on October 8th, 2026 that a team led by Yong Je Kim has received nearly $500,000 from NASA. The money is for a two year project. It will combine satellite imagery, Earth observation data and artificial intelligence to map flooded areas of El Paso after storms. The team will use Prithvi-EO, an AI foundation model that reads the context around an area rather than single pixels. In El Paso wet pavement, building shadows and swimming pools can look like floodwater in a satellite image. Sentinel-1 radar fills in when clouds block the optical view. El Paso Water is the research partner and intended user, and the plan is a dashboard of flood maps, confidence information and infrastructure overlays. The team says the tool is not meant to replace crews on the ground. The project is expected to finish by June 2028, and no result has been published.
How to take part
The work is a funded university research project rather than a proceeding, so no comment window or hearing attaches to it. The university names the lead researcher and the partner utility on the release. El Paso Water is a public utility whose board meets in public.
Where
1 county. In El Paso.
Timeline
- filed
Date the university published the account of the NASA award
- Today
How this decision moved
One dated line per check, oldest first. A line that says nothing changed means somebody looked and it had not.
- 2026-10-22
Admitted on the university's own release, which names the NASA award, the AI model and El Paso Water as the intended user.
The evidence
Every fact above rests on one of these. The words are the source's own.
the research team has received nearly $500,000 from NASA for a two-year project that will combine satellite imagery, Earth observation data and artificial intelligence to rapidly map areas affected by flooding in El Paso.The University of Texas at El Paso, From Space to the Streets: NASA-Funded Research Takes Aim at El Paso Flooding Primary source, official · utep.edu
The researchers will work with El Paso Water, the local water utility, to explore how advanced NASA satellite data and AI could help utility crews identify flooded areas, prioritize inspections and assess potentially affected infrastructure more quickly after a major storm.The University of Texas at El Paso, From Space to the Streets: NASA-Funded Research Takes Aim at El Paso Flooding Primary source, official · utep.edu
The researchers will use NASA satellite imagery and Prithvi-EO, an advanced AI foundation model designed to analyze Earth observation data using the broader context surrounding an area rather than relying on individual pixels.The University of Texas at El Paso, From Space to the Streets: NASA-Funded Research Takes Aim at El Paso Flooding Primary source, official · utep.edu
That capability could be particularly useful in El Paso, where wet pavement, building shadows and even swimming pools can resemble floodwater in satellite imagery.The University of Texas at El Paso, From Space to the Streets: NASA-Funded Research Takes Aim at El Paso Flooding Primary source, official · utep.edu
The team will also combine optical satellite imagery with Sentinel-1 radar data, which can provide observations when clouds limit optical imagery.The University of Texas at El Paso, From Space to the Streets: NASA-Funded Research Takes Aim at El Paso Flooding Primary source, official · utep.edu
El Paso Water will serve as a research partner and intended end user, helping the team ensure the technology addresses real operational needs.The University of Texas at El Paso, From Space to the Streets: NASA-Funded Research Takes Aim at El Paso Flooding Primary source, official · utep.edu
The technology is not intended to replace crews on the ground or existing emergency response procedures, the team said.The University of Texas at El Paso, From Space to the Streets: NASA-Funded Research Takes Aim at El Paso Flooding Primary source, official · utep.edu
The project is expected to be completed by June 2028.The University of Texas at El Paso, From Space to the Streets: NASA-Funded Research Takes Aim at El Paso Flooding Primary source, official · utep.edu
Questions about this decision
Answered from the record itself. Every answer is assembled from stored fields, so an answer the record has no basis for is left out rather than guessed.
What is this decision?
The University of Texas at El Paso announced on October 8th, 2026 that a team led by Yong Je Kim has received nearly $500,000 from NASA. The money is for a two year project. It will combine satellite imagery, Earth observation data and artificial intelligence to map flooded areas of El Paso after storms. The team will use Prithvi-EO, an AI foundation model that reads the context around an area rather than single pixels. In El Paso wet pavement, building shadows and swimming pools can look like floodwater in a satellite image. Sentinel-1 radar fills in when clouds block the optical view. El Paso Water is the research partner and intended user, and the plan is a dashboard of flood maps, confidence information and infrastructure overlays. The team says the tool is not meant to replace crews on the ground. The project is expected to finish by June 2028, and no result has been published.
Who decides it?
The University of Texas at El Paso decides. The record names the deciding body for every entry it carries.
Can the public take part?
The work is a funded university research project rather than a proceeding, so no comment window or hearing attaches to it. The university names the lead researcher and the partner utility on the release. El Paso Water is a public utility whose board meets in public. No dated public window is on the record. The deciding body is named and reachable.
Where in Texas does it apply?
It covers El Paso County.
Has it been decided?
It has been decided. The dates on the item page carry when.
What happens next?
No future date is on the record. The last dated step on it was filed on October 8th.
When did it start?
The earliest date on its record is October 8th, 2026.
What kind of decision is it?
It is filed under research and science.
What sources back it?
One source backs it. It is primary.
Is it on the ERCOT grid?
No. It sits outside the ERCOT interconnection.
When was it last checked?
Every fact on it was last verified against its source on October 22nd, 2026.
Cite this
Texas AI Docket, UTEP and El Paso Water test whether a NASA backed AI model can map flooded streets from satellite images after a storm. Tracked since October 8th, 2026. Last verified October 22nd, 2026. https://texasaidocket.com/item/tx-2026-0227/. Reuse permitted under CC BY 4.0 with attribution. The same entry is in the docket JSON as item tx-2026-0227.
Beat
Filed under Research and science, with every other decision on that beat.