|
U.S. Hazard Data
The following data products for natural hazard risk in the United States
may be licensed for in-house use and integration.
Flood
RMS Enhanced Flood Zones
Enhanced Flood Zone Data includes all
of the counties participating in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). The zones are derived from FEMA’s Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) with
additional enhancements by RMS to provide the user with more
information. The Enhanced Flood Zone data is ideal for determining the
proximity of a property relative to flood zones, and empowers the
underwriter to make real-time responses and identify properties that may
require additional research.
Hurricane
Distance to Coast
RMS Distance to Coast data covers
hurricane-exposed states along the U.S. Eastern seaboard and the Gulf
Coast. It was created to follow the natural coastline and take into
account wind attenuation. Although Distance to Coast is not a singular
indicator of hurricane risk, the location along the coastline
contributes to the risk of wind or surge damage. As one of the most
common parameters used in underwriting and submission screening,
Distance to Coast can be a factor in setting deductible levels and
internal underwriting objectives.
Windpool Zones
Windpool Zone information covers the
hurricane-prone states that have coastal areas eligible for
participation in state-sponsored insurance pools: AL, FL, GA, LA, MS,
NC, SC and TX. Depending on the insurer's underwriting guidelines and
the particular state requirements, an eligible property may be referred
to the state plan for coverage, or, if retained by the insurer, flagged
as a "voluntary writing" for purposes of securing various financial
credits from the state insurance pool.
Hurricane Risk Score
Hurricane Risk Score provides an indicator
of relative hurricane risk for a property based on the 500 year expected
damage ratio
based
upon the geographic location and key building
characteristics entered by the user. This basic property information,
combined with information on the likelihood of hurricane events of
varying intensities, distance to coast, vulnerability of different
construction types, estimated wind speeds, and adjustments for local
surface roughness, are applied to create expected damage ratios and
assign a risk score on a scale of 1 to 10. Hurricane Risk Score data
covers 22 hurricane-exposed states along the U.S. Eastern seaboard and
the Gulf Coast and is available for each Variable Resolution Grid (VRG)
cell. It can be used as a screening tool to decide whether further
analysis or action is required, such as a detailed financial loss
analysis using RiskLink® or a site inspection.
Hurricane Risk Profile
The Hurricane Risk Profile is similar to
the Hurricane Risk Score however it provides risk indicators for several return
periods for each Variable Resolution Grid (VRG)
cell. These risk levels are assigned based on the 100-year,
250-year and 500-year expected damage ratios for the geographic location
and key building characteristics entered by the user. In addition to
providing damage ratio ranges for several return periods, Hurricane Risk
Profile also includes the location’s risk relative to other locations
contained within the same county and state. The relative risk is
displayed as a percentile rank, which indicates the percentage of risks
that have lower hurricane risk than the location entered.
Earthquake
Alquist-Priolo Zones
The Alquist-Priolo
Earthquake Fault Zones are regulatory zones around active faults in the
state of California. The zones are defined by the State Geologist to
identify areas at risk from surface fault rupture. Zone boundaries are
approximately 500 feet on either side of major active faults, and
approximately 200-300 feet on either side of well-defined minor faults. The main purpose of the Alquist-Priolo Earthquake Fault Zones is to
prevent construction of buildings used for human occupancy on the
surface trace of active faults.
Distance to Fault
RMS Distance to Fault data covers all 50
states in the U.S. The data is used to calculate distance to known major
and minor faults, and is useful in determining both the distance to the
nearest faults, the potential maximum magnitude of event that can occur
on the fault, and the return period for the maximum magnitude event. To
assess potential magnitude, RMS provides the 100-year return period
event magnitude for each fault, indicating the earthquake magnitude that
is estimated to have a 1% probability of occurring in any given year.
Earthquake Risk Score
The Earthquake Risk Score provides an
indicator of relative seismic risk for a property anywhere in the U.S.
based on the 500 year expected damage ratio for the geographical
location and key building characteristics entered by the user. This
basic property information, combined with data on the likelihood of
earthquake events, distance to fault sources, local soil conditions,
liquefaction susceptibility, and landslide susceptibility, are used to
generate expected damage ratios and assign a risk score for each
Variable Resolution Grid (VRG) cell.
The damage ratios, represented as a
percentage of total building value. The damage ratio is assigned a score
on a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 representing the highest level of seismic
risk.
Earthquake Risk Profile
The Earthquake Risk Profile is similar to
the Earthquake Risk Score; however it provides risk indicators for several return
periods for each Variable Resolution Grid (VRG)
cell. These risk levels are assigned based on the 100-year,
250-year and 500-year expected damage ratios for the geographic location
and key building characteristics entered by the user. In addition to
providing damage ratio ranges for several return periods, Earthquake
Risk Profile also includes the location’s risk relative to other
locations contained within the same county and state. The relative risk
is displayed as a percentile rank, which indicates the percentage of
risks that have lower earthquake risk than the location entered.
Ground Shaking Intensity (MMI) by ZIP Code
Ground Shaking Intensity (MMI) data is
available by ZIP Code for the entire U.S. The data include ZIP
code-based MMI estimates for 100, 200, 250, and 475-year return periods,
and are used to determine the effects of ground shaking due to
earthquakes.
High-resolution Ground Shaking Intensity (MMI)
RMS' High-Resolution Ground Shaking
Intensity (MMI) data includes coverage in high-risk areas of
Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada,
New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
The data shows the expected level of ground shaking for each Variable
Resolution Grid (VRG) cell for 100, 200, 250 and 475-year return
periods, and are ideal when combined with local soil conditions that can
magnify or dampen ground shaking intensity.
Landslide Potential
RMS has Landslide Potential Data for all
earthquake-prone areas of the U.S. including high-resolution coverage for
California and the Puget Sound region of Washington, as well as ZIP Code
level coverage elsewhere. RMS Landslide Potential Data provides a
measure of the relative susceptibility to landslide at a particular site
in the event of an earthquake.
Liquefaction Susceptibility
RMS Liquefaction Susceptibility Data
provides a measure of the relative susceptibility to liquefaction at a
particular site in the event of an earthquake. The data is available for all earthquake-prone areas of the U.S.
including high-resolution coverage for the 13 western states of the U.S.
as well as ZIP Code level coverage elsewhere. This data indicates a
location's vulnerability to liquefaction, which can result when certain
types of unconsolidated soils are subjected to repeated, cyclical
vibration commonly due to earthquakes. Underwriters can apply this
information to differentiate between individual risks on a site-specific
basis, since local conditions can vary substantially. To achieve an
assessment of overall risk, Liquefaction Susceptibility Data should be
used in conjunction with other RMS earthquake hazard data.
Soil Type
RMS has Soil Type coverage for all
earthquake-prone areas of the U.S. including high-resolution coverage
for the 13 western states of the U.S. as well as ZIP Code level coverage
elsewhere. RMS soil data provides an indicator of the possible
amplification effects of ground shaking that increase structural damage
in the event of an earthquake per Variable Resolution Grid cell or zip
code.
RMS combines data on rock type, age, composition, degree of
weathering, and other characteristics to derive four soil categories,
based on their expected response to ground shaking during an earthquake. Since local soil conditions can
vary substantially, an underwriter can use this information to
differentiate between individual risks on a site-specific basis.
Wildfire
California Wildfire
RMS California
Wildfire Data provides information on wildfire threat (the likelihood of
fire impacting an area), susceptibility (the probability of severe
damage given that a fire occurs nearby), and hazard (the annual
likelihood of severe damage to a structure accounting for both threat
and susceptibility). The data also includes descriptions of land cover
and predominant surface fuel type, special climate conditions that
influence a location's risk, and average ignition occurrence and response times for
land-based fire suppression services for the local area.
General
Elevation
The Elevation data
covers the entire U.S. and is calculated based on source data from the
United States Geological Survey’s Digital Elevation Model (DEM).
Two levels of
resolution are available: 1° DEM and 7.5' DEM. The 1° DEM data has a
grid spacing of approximately 90 meters and is available for the entire
United States. The 7.5' DEM data has a grid spacing of approximately 30
meters and is available in most major urban areas and areas with varied
topography for the following 24 states and territories:
AL, CA, CT, DC, DE,
FL, GA, HI, LA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OR, RI, SC, TX, VA, VT, WA
and WV.
Slope
RMS Slope data covers
the entire U.S. and is calculated based on source data from the United
States Geological Survey’s Digital Elevation Model (DEM).
Two levels of
resolution are available: 1° DEM and 7.5' DEM. The 1° DEM data has a
grid spacing of approximately 90 meters and is available for the entire
United States. The 7.5' DEM data has a grid spacing of approximately 30
meters and is available in most major urban areas and areas with varied
topography for the following 24 states and territories:
AL, CA, CT, DC, DE,
FL, GA, HI, LA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OR, RI, SC, TX, VA, VT, WA
and WV. |
