Practice Test Geeks(CFS) Certified Floodplain Surveyor Practice Test
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Technology & Digital Tools Flashcards

7 cards from real CFS practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

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  1. The National Water Model (NWM) operated by NOAA provides floodplain surveyors with:

    Answer: Continuous streamflow simulations for ~2.7 million river reaches

    NOAA's National Water Model produces continuous hydrologic simulations—analysis, short-range, medium-range, and long-range forecasts—for approximately 2.7 million reaches across the US.

  2. In HEC-HMS, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) Curve Number method is used to estimate:

    Answer: Rainfall-runoff transformation (excess precipitation)

    The SCS CN method converts gross rainfall to excess precipitation (direct runoff) by accounting for antecedent soil moisture, land cover, and hydrologic soil group.

  3. Which tool within the ESRI ArcGIS environment is most commonly used for automated watershed delineation in floodplain studies?

    Answer: ArcHydro toolset

    ArcHydro provides tools to condition DEMs, delineate flow direction, accumulation, stream networks, and watershed boundaries for hydrologic modeling.

  4. A total station survey for cross-section data collection requires a benchmark with known elevation. In modern practice, this benchmark elevation is most accurately referenced to:

    Answer: NAVD 88 via NGS published control or RTK GNSS

    FEMA requires cross-section elevations to reference NAVD 88, established through NGS published benchmarks or corrected GNSS observations.

  5. A community uses FEMA's Hazus software to estimate flood losses. Hazus primarily relies on which input data to generate damage estimates?

    Answer: Flood depth grids combined with building inventory and depth-damage functions

    Hazus overlays flood depth grids with a building inventory database and applies depth-damage functions to estimate economic losses for each structure.

  6. When downloading USGS StreamStats data for a floodplain study, the primary output useful for hydraulic modeling is:

    Answer: Peak flow frequency estimates at ungaged sites

    USGS StreamStats uses regression equations and basin characteristics to estimate peak flow frequencies (e.g., Q100) at ungaged locations needed for hydraulic modeling.

  7. In a LiDAR-derived DEM used for floodplain mapping, 'hydro-flattening' is performed to:

    Answer: Assign consistent flat water surface elevations to lakes and rivers within the DEM

    Hydro-flattening enforces hydraulically correct flat-water surfaces on water bodies within the DEM, preventing false terrain artifacts from pulse returns off choppy water.