Supergeo is providing free online GIS web courses to support real-world case application of GIS technologies. The courses will introduce GIS software on various platforms, from basic to advanced. Through the courses, users can gain geospatial knowledge and a comprehensive understanding of SuperGIS software operations and applications.
Supergeo is dedicated to providing total GIS solutions for worldwide users and enabling personnel in diverse domains to apply spatial technologies on various platforms, including desktop, server, mobile devices, and web services. The courses will cover:
Desktop GIS: the use and application of SuperGIS Desktop and extensions, analysis functions in SuperGIS Toolkit, and image data processing.
Server GIS: Publishing map services and customizing JavaScript map website with SuperGIS Server, the applications of Mobile SDK, and so on.
Mobile GIS: Collecting spatial data with smart devices, recording GPS tracklog, viewing waypoints with Augmented Reality in SuperSurv (for iOS), and more.
Epson America has introduced its next-generation family of large-format color printers — the Epson SureColor T3270, T5270, T7270, T5270D, and T7270D. Available in both single- and now dual-roll models, the SureColor T-Series features the Epson PrecisionCore TFP print head and Epson UltraChrome XD pigment ink to provide technical, corporate and marketing professionals an unprecedented combination of precision, performance and brilliance, the company said. The new line will be available in September.
“The next-generation of SureColor T-Series printers were designed based on direct feedback from customers who demand cost-effective, versatile and scalable printing solutions,” said Timothy Check, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “The new SureColor T-Series printers not only meet the specific requirements of today’s engineering and scientific professionals, they incorporate the latest in printing technology to create accurate large-format prints well-suited for a variety of projects and applications, ranging from CAD drawings and GIS maps to corporate graphics and retail posters.”
The Epson SureColor T-Series delivers extreme line accuracy with resolutions up to 2880 x 1440 dpi at incredibly fast speeds — producing a presentation quality D-size plot in as little as 25 seconds, the company said. For increased efficiency, the SureColor T-Series single-roll printers use a horizontal catch basket for enhanced output stacking, while the dual-roll printers feature a high-capacity catch basket for quick retrieval and reduced sorting time.
In addition, the SureColor T-Series 36- and 44-inch printer models offer an optional multifunction (MFP) module, enabling PC-free full-color scan and copy capabilities — up to 36-inches wide — at best-in-class speeds for added convenience. In addition, ergonomic design with intuitive copy and scan-to-share capabilities ensures seamless integration to maximize workflow performance, Epson said.
The SureColor T-Series is comprised of five printer models, offering varying performance and feature sets to accommodate a range of printing needs:
The SureColor T3270, T5270, T7270, T5270D, and T7270D offer a range of value-added features that help lower total cost of ownership and increase productivity, including:
Three printer widths: The SureColor T-Series features maximum print widths of 24, 36, and 44 inches, with minimal floor space requirements to fit virtually anywhere.
Optional multifunction MFP: An optional upgrade for 36- and 44-inch single- and dual-roll T-Series models, the PC-free MFP Scanner leverages Epson’s REALOID image processing engine to produce crisp color D-size copies in under 40 seconds, and best-in-class color scan speeds up to 6.0 inches per second — maximizing productivity.
Epson UltraChrome XD ink: Epson pigmented ink delivers brilliant color and crisp lines on virtually any paper type, as well as truly archival and extremely smudge and water-resistant output; the SureColor T-Series printers are designed to be used exclusively with these specially-formulated inks, and not with other brands of cartridges or inks.
Varied ink capacities: To maximize efficiency and keep printing costs low, each of the five ink colors — cyan, magenta, yellow, photo black, and matte black — are available in 110 ml, 350 ml and high-capacity 700 ml cartridge sizes, which can be used interchangeably to accommodate a range of printing needs; all cartridges are front-loading for easy access.
Epson PrecisionCore TFP print head: Offers high-performance and consistency for accurate plotting with high-precision line detail and minimum line widths as thin as 0.018 mm, along with variable size ink droplet technology for remarkable photographic print quality
Current and future-ready print language: Epson Precision XD printer language sets a new standard for high-performance, high-resolution printing, compatible with today’s latest applications and workflow software
Optional internal print server: An internal 320GB print server boosts workgroup productivity by quickly transferring print jobs to free-up workstations; adds print queue management, as well as print job save and reprint functionality.
Optional True Adobe Postscript 3 hardware engine: Fastest in-class postscript engine enables direct and hot-folder batch printing and support for secure PDF printing; includes the optional internal print server hardware.
Control panel: Full color LCD panel with simple button layout provides quick access to printer features and controls, as well as an intuitive help system for most frequent tasks
Professional media handling: Supports virtually any media type in roll or cut-sheet, from plain bond paper to 1.5 mm thick posterboard, for use with a wide variety of print applications.
2014 USGS National Seismic Hazard Map, displaying intensity of potential ground shaking from an earthquake in 50 years (which is the typical lifetime of a building).
To help make the best decisions to protect communities from earthquakes, new USGS maps display how intense ground shaking could be across the nation.
The USGS recently updated its U.S. National Seismic Hazard Maps, which reflect the best and most current understanding of where future earthquakes will occur, how often they will occur, and how hard the ground will likely shake as a result.
42 States at Risk; 16 States at High Risk
While all states have some potential for earthquakes, 42 of the 50 states have a reasonable chance of experiencing damaging ground shaking from an earthquake in 50 years (the typical lifetime of a building). Scientists also conclude that 16 states have a relatively high likelihood of experiencing damaging ground shaking. These states have historically experienced earthquakes with a magnitude 6 or greater.
The hazard is especially high along the west coast, intermountain west, and in several active regions of the central and eastern U.S., such as near New Madrid, Missouri, and near Charleston, South Carolina. The 16 states at highest risk are Alaska, Arkansas, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
While these overarching conclusions of the national-level hazard are similar to those of the previous maps released in 2008, details and estimates differ for many cities and states. Several areas have been identified as being capable of having the potential for larger and more powerful earthquakes than previously thought due to more data and updated earthquake models. The most prominent changes are discussed below.
Students conduct the “drop, cover, hold on” safety procedure during an earthquake preparedness drill. Photo Credit: Jessica Robertson, USGS
Informed Decisions Based on the Maps
With an understanding of potential ground shaking levels, various risk analyses can be calculated by considering factors like population levels, building exposure, and building construction practices. This is used for establishing building codes, and in the analysis of seismic risk for key structures. This can also help in determining insurance rates, emergency preparedness plans, and private property decisions such as re-evaluating one’s home and making it more resilient.
These maps are part of USGS contributions to the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), which is a congressionally-established partnership of four federal agencies with the purpose of reducing risks to life and property in the U.S. that result from earthquakes. The contributing agencies are the USGS, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Institute of Standards and Technology, and National Science Foundation (NSF). As an example of the collaboration, the hazards identified in the USGS maps underlie FEMA-sponsored seismic design provisions that are incorporated into building codes adopted by states and localities. The maps also reflect investments in research by academic and other scientists supported by grants from the USGS and the NSF.
“The standards for seismic safety in building codes are directly based upon USGS assessments of potential ground shaking from earthquakes, and have been for years,” said Jim Harris, a member and former chair of the Provisions Update Committee of the Building Seismic Safety Council.
“The committees preparing those standards welcome this updated USGS information as a basis for making decisions and continuing to ensure the most stable and secure construction.”
Key Updates
East Coast
The eastern U.S. has the potential for larger and more damaging earthquakes than considered in previous maps and assessments. As one example, scientists learned a lot following the magnitude 5.8 earthquake that struck Virginia in 2011. It was among the largest earthquakes to occur along the east coast in the last century, and helped determine that even larger events are possible. Estimates of earthquake hazards near Charleston, SC, have also gone up due to the assessment of earthquakes in the state.
Damage to the Washington National Cathedral in DC from the earthquake in Virginia on August 23, 2011. Photo Credit: William Leith, USGS
In New York City, the maps indicate a slightly lower hazard for tall buildings than previously thought (but still a hazard nonetheless). Scientists estimated a lower likelihood for slow shaking from an earthquake near the city. Slow shaking is likely to cause more damage to tall structures in contrast, compared to fast shaking which is more likely to impact shorter structures.
Central U.S.
The New Madrid Seismic Zone has been identified to have a larger range of potential earthquake magnitudes and locations than previously identified. This is a result of a range of new research, part of which was recently compiled by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
West Coast
In California, earthquake hazard extends over a wider area than previously thought. Most notably, faults were recently discovered, raising earthquake hazard estimates for San Jose, Vallejo and San Diego. On the other hand, new insights on faults and rupture processes reduced earthquake hazard estimates for Irvine, Santa Barbara and Oakland. Hazard increased in some parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles region and decreased in other parts. These updates were from the new Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast Model, which incorporates many more potential fault ruptures than did previous assessments. Recent earthquakes in Alaska, Mexico and New Zealand taught scientists more about complex ruptures and how faults can link together. This insight was applied to California for which approximately 250,000 potential complex ruptures were modeled.
New research on the Cascadia Subduction Zone resulted in increased estimates of earthquake magnitude up to magnitude 9.3. Deep-sea cores were collected that show evidence within the sea-floor sediments of large earthquake-generated mudflows. Earthquake shaking estimates were also increased following abundant data gathered from the magnitude 9.0 earthquake in Tohoku, Japan in 2011 and the magnitude 8.2 earthquake offshore of Chile in 2014, as those events ruptured along subduction zones similar to the Pacific Northwest zone.
In Washington, scientists incorporated new knowledge of the Tacoma Fault into the maps and identified changes to the geometry of the Whidbey Island fault in the northern Puget Sound. Earthquake hazard also increased for Las Vegas because of new science. In Utah, scientists dug trenches to study prehistoric earthquakes along the Wasatch Fault. While the overall seismic hazard didn’t change significantly, detailed changes were made to the fault models in this region and robust data were acquired to hone the assessments. This is valuable since approximately 75% of Utah’s population, including the residents of Salt Lake City, lives near this fault.
The magnitude 7.9 earthquake in Wenchuan, China in 2008 provided many new records of shaking that are very similar to anticipated future earthquakes in the western U.S., as the fault structures are similar. Previously, scientists did not have nearly as many shaking records from earthquakes of this size.
Induced Earthquakes — Research Underway
Some states have experienced increased seismicity in the past few years that may be associated with human activities such as the disposal of wastewater in deep wells.
One specific focus for the future is including an additional layer to these earthquake hazard maps to account for recent potentially triggered earthquakes that occur near some wastewater disposal wells. Injection-induced earthquakes are challenging to incorporate into hazard models because they may not behave like natural earthquakes and their rates change based on man-made activities.
Esri and the United Nations are working hard to help communities build resilience to impending twenty-first century disasters. Esri’s Global Disaster Resilience App Challenge is born from the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) campaign “Making Cities Resilient: My City is Getting Ready,” and supports the UN secretary-general’s efforts to accelerate actions that build resilience to climate change. Participating developers will create map tools that help communities see, understand, and prepare for a variety of disasters.
“This partnership with Esri can help bridge the gap between aspiration and implementation,” said Margareta Wahlström, the head of UNISDR. “It puts the latest science and technology at the disposal of those who have joined the Making Cities Resilient campaign.”
UNISDR launched the Making Cities Resilient campaign to improve land use and urban planning for more than 1,800 participating cities worldwide. These communities have committed to observe UNISDR resiliency recommendations. Esri is collaborating with UNISDR on the initiative and giving these cities access to its developer technology. Esri invites the developer community to lend a hand and use the ArcGIS platform developer tools.
Esri launched the Global Disaster Resilience App Challenge to help local, regional, and national governments find the tools they need to reach their goals to become resilient. Developers will build apps relevant to UNISDR’s 10 Essentials for Making Cities Resilient. Esri will present a $10,000 award each for the best professional/scientific app and the best consumer/public-facing app. Winners will be announced in mid-September, one week before the Climate Summit to be convened by UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon on September 23.
Topcon Positioning Group has added a cellular modem option for the HiPer SR for GIS receiver.
“The integrated modem provides greater functionality for the HiPer SR,” said Jason Hooten, Topcon GIS national sales manager. The unit can now be used as a cellular base station through the MAGNET® Relay option. In addition, the cellular feature allows the receiver to provide a connection to existing data collectors that do not contain internal cellular modems.
“With the new cellular modem and HSPA (High Speed Packet Access), the receiver not only enables users to easily obtain Spectrum-RTK (Real Time Kinematic) and RTK corrections via the Internet, it also allows it to function as a mobile base station as part of the MAGNET Relay GIS broadcasting service, ‘relaying’ corrections to multiple rovers,” Hooten said.
“The multiple configuration options make the compact and lightweight HiPer SR extremely versatile for any GIS user,” said Hooten.
Additional features of the HiPer SR for GIS include 226-channel Vanguard technology with Universal Tracking Channels and Fence Antenna® technology for signal tracking sensitivity and multipath rejection.
Trimble has announced that Mesa County in Colorado has received a Certificate of Authorization (COA) that will allow the Public Works Department to operate its Trimble UX5 Aerial Imaging Solution throughout the county. A COA is an authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allowing the operation of an unmanned aircraft in a designated area and not for commercial use.
The authorization is currently required to legally operate a public unmanned aircraft in the U.S. The COA was granted to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, who manages the county’s unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operations and has been flying systems since 2008.
Mesa County’s Public Works chose the Trimble UX5 for a variety of applications including determining volumes and compaction of its county landfill, surveying and monitoring capital improvement projects such as roads and bridges, as well as assist the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office or other county departments, as needed. “With the Trimble UX5, Mesa County is one of the first to benefit from a cutting-edge solution that can change how surveyor’s collect data,” said Frank Kochevar, GPS/Survey Supervisor for Mesa County Public Works. The Trimble UX5 was used by Mesa County Public Works to gather aerial images of the landslide that occurred in Western Colorado in May of this year.
“Trimble’s goal is to allow geospatial professionals to quickly and efficiently capture and convert existing field conditions into actionable information for their customers. We are pleased that Mesa County will now be able to apply the Trimble UX5 Aerial Imaging Solution to meet their public works department needs,” said Phil Sawarynski, business area director for Trimble’s Geospatial Imaging solutions.
Mesa County has received multiple COAs since 2008 from the FAA for public safety purposes. This is the first COA issued to the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office that will be used specifically for aerial mapping on surveying and engineering projects, in partnership with the Public Works Department. According to Ben Miller, UAS Program Director for the Mesa County Sherriff’s Office and coordinator for all their COA’s, “In collaboration with Trimble, Mesa County, Colorado continues to demonstrate that small unmanned aircraft are not just a tool to save lives, but a community asset that can help save its citizens tens of thousands of tax payer dollars.”
The Trimble UX5 is an unmanned fixed-wing aircraft targeted at the surveying, oil & gas, mining, environmental and agriculture industries. The system autonomously captures a series of high-resolution images during flight, which is typically up to 50 minutes covering as much as 2.3 square kilometers (approximately 1 square mile) when flying 120 meters (approximately 400 feet) above the ground. Using Trimble Business Center Office software, images are used to easily generate 2D and 3D deliverables such as orthomosaic images, three-dimensional point clouds and contour maps. The Trimble UX5 enables the collection of large amounts of data, often faster than traditional surveying technologies.
Topcon Positioning Group has added the MAGNET Relay for GIS to its suite of cloud-based solutions software. As a component of MAGNET Field GIS, MAGNET Relay GIS is a mobile base station real-time kinematic (RTK) broadcasting service. The system is designed to allow subscribers to connect a GNSS base receiver to MAGNET Relay via a cellular connection for high-accuracy RTK corrections.
“The RTK base station can be used by up to 10 rovers, which makes MAGNET Relay a great solution for large scale and highly precise GIS projects,” said Jason Hooten, Topcon national sales manager for GIS products.
“MAGNET Relay for GIS allows for data to be collected in the field without the need for post processing, and then quickly transferred to the office using the company’s secure, cloud-based MAGNET Enterprise account,” Hooten said. “Additionally, the service brings real-time network-based corrections to project sites that do not have existing coverage.”
LizardTech, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, is announcing the newest addition to its product line at the 2014 Esri International User Conference this week. LizardTech GeoGofer is a software solution for finding geospatial imagery quickly and efficiently and will be available later this summer.
The conference takes place in San Diego, California, where LizardTech will demonstrate GeoGofer in booth #1516.
GeoGofer was designed to streamline the process of finding, organizing, and tracking geospatial imagery. GeoGofer comes with powerful search and filter features to find imagery by keyword, by projection, by file format and more, LizardTech said. With GeoGofer, users can browse all of their imagery on a single map, tag images for later use, and perform powerful queries using simple tools. Users can search by modification date, by number of bands, or by resolution to find the imagery they need.
GeoGofer integrates fully with Esri technology. GeoGofer uses an existing ArcGIS Online subscription to store and query image information. If users have ArcMap installed on the same machine that runs GeoGofer, they can open images directly in ArcMap.
Those interested in GeoGofer can enter their names at www.lizardtech.com/geogofer to be notified of the product launch later this summer.
Scene Sharp USA has introduced its Fuze Go Plugin for ENVI this week at the Esri User Conference in San Diego. The plugin gives ENVI software users access to Fuze Go MS Sharp, an automated multispectral image fusion software that can simultaneously fuse up to 30 spectral bands of data from inside the ENVI geospatial processing package.
“The Exelis ENVI software is widely known for its multi- and hyperspectral image processing capabilities and is an ideal platform for geospatial information users to access the automated Fuze Go MS Sharp image fusion software,” said Ian Lucas, President and CEO of Scene Sharp Technologies Incorporated.
Scene Sharp is demonstrating the Fuze Go plugin along with the full line of Fuze Go software products in booth #410 at the Esri User Conference being held July 14-18 in San Diego.
The plugin gives users the option of accessing the Fuze Go MS Sharp software either within the ENVI workflow or outside of it so that fusion can be performed as a stand-alone application. This frees up the ENVI software license for other image processing activities. No GIS or image processing experience is needed to utilize the Fuze Go tools.
Fuze Go is a fully automated technology that enables users to quickly and easily fuse data sets to add color to non-colorized satellite and aerial imagery with just a few mouse clicks. One of its most common applications is pan-sharpening. By colorizing image data, GIS users can visualize and extract richer information content from remotely sensed data to make better informed decisions.
Also at the 2014 Esri UC, Scene Sharp USA is demonstrating the processing capabilities in its Fuze Go SAR Sharp application, which was designed for more effective exploitation of data captured by satellite-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) sensors. Fuze Go SAR Sharp fuses gray-scale radar data with optical multispectral bands to colorize the SAR data set. The Dynamic Reader allows pre-process on-the-fly viewing of SAR imagery with real-time adjustment of color intensity being added to the scene.
Fuze Go MS Sharp and SAR Sharp are available for purchase for an annual license fee. Batch processing versions of the software packages are also offered to perform automatic fusion of multiple optical or SAR scenes.
Icaros Inc., a provider of advanced aerial remote sensing and 3D visualization solutions, will introduce its Icaros Measurement Tool (IMT), a simple but powerful photogrammetric visualization application based on ArcGIS technologies, at the 2014 Esri User Conference. The 2014 Esri User Conference will be held July 14-18 in the San Diego, California, Convention Center.
The IMT enables customers working within Esri’s GIS environment to view and measure structures in oblique aerial imagery captured by any commercial oblique sensor system, including those from Pictometry, Vexcel/Microsoft, IGI, Leica, Midas, as well as oblique sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).
“Icaros is opening the oblique imagery market to all GIS users by building our IMT’s coming functionality upon Esri’s Arc Engine,” said Richard Baumgartner, vice president of business development at Icaros. “IMT lets users unlock the full potential of their imagery by combining 3D analysis capabilities with their GIS data.”
IMT is specifically designed to make highly accurate vertical and horizontal 3D measurements of structures and surfaces, including calculating distances, areas, slopes and azimuths in complex 3D features.
For too long, Baumgartner explained, oblique imagery has been limited by proprietary collection systems and metadata formats. Usage beyond tax assessment and public safety applications is very rare. The Icaros vision is to expand the use, visualization and analysis of oblique aerial images into the entire spectrum of the GIS market with special focus on local and state government segments.
Beyond tax assessment and public safety, oblique analysis of structures can be beneficial to a host of new applications such as facility management, pipeline corridor infrastructure monitoring, energy audits, economic development, and asset management. In addition, as Esri users continue the move to 3D, oblique imagery will be critical for constructing accurate image-based realistic 3D models.
“Icaros has done a terrific job designing easy to use, yet highly sophisticated, measurement tools for any client wanting to do 3D oblique measurements. Not only are these tools well developed, but they are integrated completely within Esri’s ArcGIS platform, which is a critical advantage for our clients,” said Paige Parker, Vice President at Control Cam, an Icaros distributer serving the state and local markets.
IMT enables users to manipulate and view oblique imagery while leveraging other geospatial data layers within their GIS environment. This capability allows users to navigate multi-image scenes in three dimensions while zooming and panning. The software also provides an optional Icaros Digitizer Tool (IDT).
“IDT provides additional tools to extract physical building structures and digitize them into open format models, such as Collada, Obj, and Ply, textured from the source imagery,” said Baumgartner. “Automated 3D model generation from oblique imagery is at the intersection between imagery and GIS.”
To view a demonstration of the Icaros Oblique Viewer, visit Icaros in booth #619 at the conference.
CoreLogic — a global property information, analytics and data-enabled services provider — has released its 2014 storm surge analysis featuring estimates on both the number and reconstruction value of single-family homes exposed to hurricane-driven storm surge risk within the United States.
According to the findings, more than 6.5 million homes along the U.S. Atlantic and Gulf coasts are at risk of storm surge inundation, representing nearly $1.5 trillion in total potential reconstruction costs. More than $986 billion of that risk is concentrated within 15 major metro areas. This exposure could constitute significant risk for homeowners and financial services companies, as many at-risk homes lack protection from insurance coverage.
The analysis examined homes along the coastlines of 19 states and the District of Columbia in the Gulf and Atlantic regions, extending as far west as Texas and as far north as Maine. Florida ranks number one for the highest number of homes at risk of storm surge damage, with nearly 2.5 million homes at various risk levels and $490 billion in total potential exposure to damage. At the local level, the New York metropolitan area, which encompasses northern New Jersey and Long Island as well, contains not only the highest number of homes at risk for potential storm surge damage (687,412), but also the highest total reconstruction value of homes exposed, at more than $251 billion.
To enhance accuracy, the 2014 CoreLogic storm surge analysis has been expanded from prior years’ reports to encompass additional categories of single-family residential structures including mobile homes, duplexes, manufactured homes and cabins, among other non-traditional home types. The addition of these categories, along with new construction, contributed to a higher number of total homes identified within potential surge areas. The values represent estimates of reconstruction costs, taking into account labor and materials, and are based on 100-percent or total destruction of the residential structure. Depending on the amount of surge water from a given storm, there may be less than 100 percent damage to the residence, which would result in a lower realized reconstruction cost.
While scientific predictions are pointing to lower-than-normal storm activity for 2014, the risk of significant damage to homes is a constant threat. “Though the 2013 hurricane season will be remembered for the fact that no storms made landfall along the U.S. coast, this reprieve from hurricane-related damage should not lead to complacency in preparing for future storms and the potential life-threatening conditions they can bring,” said Dr. Thomas Jeffery, senior hazard scientist for CoreLogic Spatial Solutions. “This year’s season is projected to be slightly below normal in hurricane activity, but the early arrival of Hurricane Arthur on July 3 is an important reminder that even a low-category hurricane or strong tropical storm can create powerful riptides, modest flooding and cause significant destruction of property.”
The 2014 analysis shows that total exposure varies significantly from state to state given differences in population, trends in residential development, geographic risk factors, length of coastline and other distinguishing factors. Florida and Texas, for example, are within the top five states for number of properties at risk primarily because of their extensive coastlines. Louisiana and New Jersey, on the other hand, have a smaller coastal area overall, yet are included in the top five list as a result of relatively low elevation that allows storm surge inundation to extend farther inland and affect more homes.
The concepts in this analysis also complement Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood zone information to provide a snapshot of potential damage exposure at the property level, as many properties located outside designated FEMA flood zones are still at risk for storm surge damage. The standard FEMA flood zones are designed to identify areas at risk for both freshwater flooding as well as storm surge based on the likelihood of either a 100-year or a 500-year flood event. They do not differentiate risk based on storm severity, and as a result, do not effectively define the total extent of the risk possible along coastal areas.
To illustrate varying degrees of flood risk exposure, Table 6 compares homes that are not located within FEMA 100-year floodplains against the number of homes located in surge inundation zones, as well as those located in both surge and FEMA Special Flood Hazard Areas (SFHA). Homeowners who live outside the FEMA flood zones typically do not carry flood insurance, given that there is no mandate to do so, and therefore may not be aware of the potential risk storm surge poses to their properties.
Among select major metro areas, Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, VA-NC, has the highest percentage of homes (86 percent) at risk of storm surge, but not designated in a FEMA flood zone. Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD and Jacksonville, Florida, also top the list at 85 percent and 76 percent, respectively. Even in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA, 68 percent of homeowners at risk of flood or surge inundation would not be required to carry flood insurance because they are not located within a designated FEMA 100-year floodplain.
Additional findings in the CoreLogic storm surge analysis include:
The five states with the highest total number of properties at risk include: Florida (2,488,277), Louisiana (738,165), New York (466,919), New Jersey (445,928) and Texas (434,421).
The five states (including the District of Columbia) with the lowest total number of properties at risk include: the District of Columbia (3,895), New Hampshire (10,853), Maine (23,439), Rhode Island (26,558) and Delaware (48,534).
The five states with the highest value of reconstruction costs for homes at risk include: Florida ($490,403,653,377), New York ($182,474,294,695), Louisiana ($161,062,467,382) New Jersey ($134,194,963,314) and Virginia ($92,001,482,217).
The five states with the lowest value of reconstruction costs for homes at risk include: District of Columbia ($394,437,173), New Hampshire ($2,649,086,294), Maine ($6,629,856,369), Rhode Island ($7,389,384,876) and Alabama ($10,333,310,460).
The reconstruction value of the homes exposed to storm surge damage in the Gulf is much less than the reconstruction value of homes in the Atlantic region, as indicated in Table 2. The total reconstruction cost value of homes along the Atlantic coast is nearly $951 billion, which is approximately double the value of at-risk properties in the Gulf region at just over $545 billion.
CoreLogic releases storm surge data to enhance understanding of the risk that hurricane-driven storm surge poses to homes, institutions and economies that are prone to tropical storms. Fully understanding the number of homes and financial impact of sustaining storm surge damage is critically important for financial institutions, corporate entities and local governments to make better informed risk management decisions. Storm surge data is highly useful for insurance providers and financial services companies, as it enhances the understanding of potential exposure to water damage for homes, including those that do not fall within the designated FEMA flood zones. Recent regulatory guidelines are compelling financial services companies subject to federal stress testing to understand under-insured or uninsured risks like storm surge flooding, since exposed properties have a significant risk for default following an event. More granular insight into storm surge impact is necessary for preparation and mitigation efforts that can help reduce the amount of damage and loss, and also improve safety and disaster response.
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 (TÅhoku-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.
