GPS World

Tag: modeling

  • CoreLogic Releases Natural Catastrophe Platform and Risk Models

    corelogic-australia-earthquake
    Historical earthquakes across Australia.

    CoreLogic, a  global property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider, has released a new version of its EQECAT natural catastrophe modeling platform, which contains three new proprietary risk models that quantify and analyze the potential financial impact of catastrophic natural hazards in peak exposure regions across the globe. The expansion of natural catastrophe risk analysis includes modeling for earthquake and tsunami events in Japan and earthquake events in Singapore, as well as for European windstorms, including a North European offshore wind farm risk model.

    EQECAT, which was acquired by CoreLogic in December 2013, first introduced its natural catastrophe risk modeling platform RQE (Risk Quantification & Engineering) in January 2013 that includes more than 180 natural hazard models for 96 countries and territories spanning six continents. Loss calculations simulate 300,000 years of losses to provide comprehensive and highly credible estimates of risk exposure to earthquakes, tropical cyclones and windstorms, severe convective storms, brushfires, winter storms and flooding.

    “This release of the RQE v15.0 platform not only advances the innovative and industry-leading science that is the hallmark of EQECAT risk models, but also demonstrates the commitment CoreLogic has to delivering timely enhancements and new platform features to our clients,” said Paul Little, head of EQECAT.

    The additional catastrophe risk modeling delivered through the new RQE v15.0 platform includes:

    • The European Windstorm Model, which introduces the ability to analyze offshore wind farm turbines that are rapidly expanding in Europe as a result of major investments in alternative energy. The “Eurowind” model extends over the North Sea, Irish Sea, Baltic Sea and Atlantic Ocean, and gives insight into loss caused by wind storms. In addition, the windstorm model includes two views of frequencies — the empirical model based on the historical record from 1960 to present, and the analytic model with a continuous 1200-year simulation of an Earth System Model (ESM) driven by climatic background conditions to characterize the frequency and severity of European windstorms. The European Windstorm Model also now incorporates Spain and Portugal, extending the existing coverage to 24 countries and provides analysis of extratropical cyclone risk. Expanded capabilities also include access to Global Climate Model research used to help determine the frequency and scale of European windstorms.
    • The Japan Earthquake Model, which provides the most current view of earthquake risk across the country based on December 2013 research released by the Japanese government and national research organizations. This model accounts for previously un-modeled very large magnitude events with updated seismic source zones and increased maximum magnitudes. New damage and loss data from the 2011 Great East Japan (Tōhoku-oki) earthquake prompted a complete review and update to model vulnerability functions, including major changes to performance -based effects of deep building foundations and base isolation. For the first time, CoreLogic introduces tsunami as a sub-peril, offering both a fully probabilistic and a scenario-based tsunami risk model, using 30-meter digital elevation maps for more granular and precise risk evaluations for a complete view of earthquake and tsunami risk across Japan.
    • The Singapore Earthquake Model, which accounts for the increased probability of a near-term large-magnitude earthquake on the Sunda (Java) megathrust fault. This fault zone is one of the most active on Earth and largely influences earthquake risk in Singapore. This new model accounts for seismic risk factors specific to Singapore, such as soft soils that amplify intermediate-period ground motions from distant large earthquakes and the existence of reinforced concrete high-rise buildings.

    “Combining more than 30 years of collected data from CoreLogic with EQECAT natural catastrophe models allows us to deliver a more comprehensive, highly credible analysis of key drivers of hazard risk at various levels of exposure around the globe, from across regional borders to individual site levels,” said Mahmoud Khater, chief science officer for catastrophe modeling.

    The updated EQECAT RQE v15.0 platform also offers significant enhancements to user interface, reporting options and workflow management tools. Enhancements include a more comprehensive view of exposure data with expanded filter options, event-specific hazard intensity reports for individual locations, and analysis of annual exceedance probability refined by region and sub-peril to show drivers of portfolio losses, among other capabilities.

  • Presenting Now — the Whole Earth!

    Earth observing satellites are generating big data sets.
    Earth observing satellites are generating big data sets — Really Big!

    I’m stepping in just for this month as a self-invited guest columnist, giving a brief look at the trailblazing work of the International Centre for Earth Simulation.

    Look for both Eric Gakstatter and me at the ESRI User Conference in July, where Eric will also host a webinar on the hottest trends in mapping.  We hope to accommodate a live audience at the webinar. If you’re not attending ESRI, attend the webinar anyway! For a top-level look at conference doings, register free.

    In easily the most mind-blowing presentation of the Geospatial World Forum held recently in Geneva, Bob Bishop of the International Centre for Earth Simulation spun a vision of Big Data Earth Science, using the world’s largest computing resources (talk of exoflops and exobytes and “the human mind cannot comprehend these large volumes of data” supplied by many orbiting imagery satellites and other sensor inputs) to model the Whole Earth: surface, subsurface, ocean, atmosphere, and social economics.

    The Centre’s mission is “Helping guide the successful transformation of human society in an era of rapid climate change and frequent natural disasters.”

    In its prospectus, Bishop writes “The key to solving problems in weather, climate and environmental science is high-performance computing. Nature can only be accurately described and computed from equations that take account of complex, non-linear interactions between multiple natural systems, i.e. rivers, lakes, oceans, mountains, forests, dust, pollution, cloud cover, snow cover, ice, polar regions, etc. Such equations of motion are so interconnected and intertwined that they can only be managed when all aspects are held in big memory and computed simultaneously. Only then can we begin to address the systemic risks associated with natural disasters and planetary change.”

    The ICES Foundation supports Open Science, which incorporates a combination of open data files, open source code, and open access publications. Much of the data supplied by the following organizations, upon whose resources ICES draws, is either directly produced by or referenced to GPS/GNSS data: Global Observing Systems Information Center and the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Adminisration; the European Space Agency and Centre for Space Records; the U.S. Geological Survey; the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration; the European Union’s Joint Research Center; the U.S. National Center for Atmospheric Research; the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory; the European Commission’s Infrastructure for Spatial Information in the European Community (INSPIRE); and many more.

    Slides from Bishop’s Geneva presentation are available here. These, however, of necessity lack some of the video and Flash Player simulations that he showed at the conference, revealing truly a dynamic planet in all aspects.

    Bishop warned of both sequential and synchronous collapse of natural systems, leading to cascading crises. His language and message bear some resemblance to Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, but Bishop, whose previous 40-year professional career had him responsible for building and operating the international aspects of Silicon Graphics Inc., Apollo Computer Inc., and Digital Equipment Corporation, has assembled some actual practical tools to apply to the many problems.

    The immediate goal is modeling, simulation, visualization, and ultimately understanding of the whole, leading to new forms of civic engagement and insights as to risk, safety, food, water, and energy.

  • Arithmetica to Launch Pointfuse Modeling Engine at Intergeo

    A vector model displayed in orthographic projection.
    A vector model displayed in orthographic projection.

    Arithmetica will be demonstrating Pointfuse at Intergeo, which is being held this week in Essen, Germany.

    Pointfuse is a powerful modeling engine that has been created to give professionals a fast, precise and flexible way of turning vast point cloud data sets (whether derived from LIDAR or photogrammetry) into high-fidelity vector models, the company said.

    Replacing painstaking and costly manual modeling, Pointfuse uses advanced techniques at the interface of mathematical optimization and computational statistics to automatically and rapidly convert point clouds into accurate vector models that can then be manipulated using any industry-standard CAD system.

    Pointfuse is fully mobile compatible, and can process data from mobile scanners as easily and quickly as from terrestrial or airborne systems. Results can be output and used on standard handheld mobile devices, making it  useful for creating and viewing highly detailed models in the field.

    A point cloud image of a motorway with crash barriers extracted and highlighted by Pointfuse. Data courtesy of Blom Aerofilms Ltd.
    A point cloud image of a motorway with crash barriers extracted and highlighted by Pointfuse. Data courtesy of Blom Aerofilms Ltd.

    The software will also fully automate extraction of features from point cloud data, allowing the intelligent recognition, measurement and cataloguing of objects and built environments, and other forms of extracted knowledge.

    George Skrobanski, chief technical officer of Arithmetica, explains the significance of this development. “Achieving the automatic extraction of features from point cloud data has been the Holy Grail for the industry. Pointfuse uses its proprietary technology to provide true automation and we believe this changes the game.”

    At Intergeo, learn more at Arithmetica’s booth (Hall: 3 – Booth: D3.046).

  • Geosoft 2012 Software Released

    Geosoft announced the availability of its 2012 Software Release, including updates to Oasis montaj, Target, Target for ArcGIS and GM-SYS Modelling software, and the new release of Geosoft VOXI Earth Modelling, a geophysical inversion software service that generates 3D voxel models from airborne or ground gravity and magnetic data. The 2012 release includes major 2D and 3D workflow enhancements and new capabilities that deliver greater efficiency and flexibility for resource explorers and earth scientists exploring the earth’s subsurface.

     

    “Each year Geosoft has continued to make improvements in developing our software technology to support explorers challenged to visualize and analyze more complex structures, deeper under cover, within integrated interpretations,” says Louis Racic, Geosoft Product Director. “The 2D to 3D workflow is an important one to get right, and a particular challenge for geoscientists working across GIS and exploration software platforms. Bridging the gap between 2D and 3D is a key improvement area within our 2012 Software Release.”

    Release highlights

    According to the announcement, new capabilities and workflow improvements in the Geosoft 2012 Software Release help save time and provide greater flexibility when visualizing multidisciplinary geoscience data in 2D and 3D.

    Improved 2D to 3D workflows in Target for ArcGIS: The 2D to 3D workflow enhancements, include new display capabilities, and new section import and export options. Layers, such as interpretation layers from sections or plans can now be easily displayed in their correct geospatial orientation within your 3D view. 2D section interpretations can be exported to a 3D georeferenced file, such as shapefiles or DXF files, to be shared with other 3D applications. 3D vector files, such as open pit outlines, and wire frames can now be easily imported to multiple section and plan maps.

    3D Viewer improvements: Geosoft 3D gridding methods have been expanded to include IDW and direct gridding; these new methods better support the 3D gridding of a broad range of data types. Angled clipping of objects in 3D views provides the ability to clip parallel or perpendicular to dataset orientation or geological strike. Geoscientists can set a clipping plane that aligns with any direction chosen.

    Expanded GM-SYS 3D density model support: Voxels can be used to define the 3D density variation within GM-SYS 3D model layers. This provides more direct integration with 3D seismic data as the generated density cubes may be used directly in the GM-SYS model.

    BING Maps imagery: Geoscientists can now add satellite imagery to their basemaps by connecting to the Bing Maps online data source. This is a useful, additional data layer which provides geographic context to maps.

    VOXI Earth Modelling

    Geosoft VOXI Earth Modelling is a new geophysical inversion software service that generates 3D voxel models from airborne, ground gravity and magnetic data. VOXI Earth Modelling is accessiblewithin Geosoft Oasis montaj and uses the power of cloud computing to rapidly invert large exploration datasets. More information on VOXI Earth Modelling is available at www.geosoft.com/voxi.

    Release availability

    Online installation of the Geosoft 2012 Software Releaseis available within Geosoft software and from the Downloads page within the Geosoft online support centre. Information on how to request an update DVD is available in the Geosoft Support Knowledge Base.