The High Intensity Rainfall Design System (HIRDS), developed by Earth Sciences New Zealand, helps planners and engineers estimate how much rain could fall at a location, over different durations, and how frequently rainfall of that magnitude might occur.
It supports decisions ranging from sizing culverts and stormwater drains to designing flood protection and other major infrastructure.
Following the July announcement of free access to HIRDS, a version 5 update has been released.
MCERT funding once again means the tool and underlying datasets can be accessed free of charge, including for commercial use, under a creative commons (CC BY) license.
Commercial use of the dataset, including for engineering design and consultancy for public infrastructure, previously attracted a charge.