Juno Maps, a geospatial technology company, has been named a winner of the RISE Riverine Community Resilience Challenge II, an international competition led by RISE Resilience Innovations to address flooding risks in inland communities in western Virginia. The award recognizes Smart Site Plan, Juno Maps' cloud-based platform that helps local governments prepare for, respond to, and recover from flood events.
Smart Site Plan allows municipal teams, regardless of technical background, to visualize flood risk, assess vulnerable infrastructure, and collaborate in real-time across departments. The platform is designed for accessibility, enabling data-driven decision-making for communities that may lack specialized expertise. As a Challenge winner, Juno Maps will pilot Smart Site Plan in multiple western Virginia municipalities, aiming to demonstrate how intuitive geospatial tools can support resilience planning in high-risk areas.
“We're honored to be selected as a winner of the RISE Riverine Community Resilience Challenge II,” said Dustin Rauch, President & CEO of Juno Maps. “We're excited to partner with Virginia riverine communities and offer a solution that has the potential to save lives and protect infrastructure. This recognition reinforces our mission to build tools that put powerful data in the hands of those who need it most.”
Paul Robinson, Executive Director of RISE, highlighted the platform's impact: “Juno Maps is tackling a real and urgent need, giving communities the tools to see and understand their flood risk before disaster strikes. That's why their solution is so compelling. It gives local governments an immediate, easy-to-use way to understand and respond to risk. We're proud to support Juno Maps in bringing this level of clarity and confidence to flood-prone inland Virginia communities.”
Funded by the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, the RISE Riverine Community Resilience Challenge II supports scalable solutions that strengthen long-term recovery, improve local decision-making, and build resilience to freshwater flooding. Juno Maps was selected for its potential to deliver measurable, real-world impact in high-risk communities.
This recognition underscores the growing importance of accessible geospatial technology in disaster preparedness. By equipping local governments with tools to anticipate and mitigate flood risks, Juno Maps aims to reduce the economic and human costs of flooding. The pilot program in western Virginia will serve as a model for other regions facing similar challenges, potentially influencing broader adoption of such technologies nationwide.
