Overview

A hazard layer is a type of data product that collects peril- and region-specific hazard data that characterizes the vulnerability of properties to catastrophe events.

Hazard data includes enhanced exposure data, hazard metrics, and risk scores. This data is made available to Intelligent Risk Platform tenants in hazard layers.

• Standard hazard layers are available to all licensed Intelligent Risk Platform tenants.
• Enhanced risk data hazard layers are available with a separate license.

During a hazard lookup job, the Intelligent Risk Platform enriches the available information about a location exposure by "looking up" the proprietary hazard data available for that location in the hazard layer. Locations must be both geocoded and enriched with hazard data before they can be modeled using DLM models. In general, hazard lookups are not required to model locations using HD models.

Look ups of hazard data for location exposures in specific hazard layers are tied directly to the DLM or HD model used to model those locations.

The Geohaz API exposes operations that enable the client to look up hazard data for the specified account or portfolio, Depending on the hazard layer specified, the hazard lookup job will enrich relevant location exposures with hazard metrics, enhanced exposure data, or risk scores.

Standard hazard layers

Standard hazard layers are leveraged in hazard lookup workflows to improve the quality of the data available about a site.

The table identifies standard hazard layers that are supported in the Geohaz API:

The first two columns identify the hazard layer as it is named in the Risk Modeler application and documentation. The final three columns identify these hazard layers as they are identified in the Geohaz API by name, engineType, and version. All three of these parameters must be specified in a Create Geohaz Job request.

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Note

The version number that identifies a hazard layer in the Geohaz API does not always match the version number used to identify the same hazard layer in the Risk Modeler application.

Flood (HD)

The Flood hazard layer (fl_hazard) is a data product that offers high-resolution flood hazard data across the contiguous United States (48 states).

Flood hazard layer data delivers a consistent, comprehensive view of flood hazard that is applicable at every stage of risk management, from the point of underwriting through to portfolio management and risk transfer decisions.

Flood HD hazard data enriches location exposures that can be modeled using the FLOOD MODEL. As with other HD models, the FLOOD MODEL does not require that location exposures be enriched with hazard data prior to analysis.

This hazard layer is available in the following versions: 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, 1.3.

Earthquake (HD)

The Earthquake layer (hd_earthquake) contains site hazard values that characterize the vulnerability of locations to earthquakes including the RMS Soil Index, RMS Landslide Index, and RMS liquefaction Index.

The RMS Soil Index, RMS Landslide Index, and RMS liquefaction Index values identify site conditions and the soil/landslide/liquefaction risk of the location exposure.

Earthquake HD hazard data enriches location exposures that can be modeled using the Japan Earthquake, Tsunami HD Model, and New Zealand Earthquake Model. As with other HD models, these models do not require that location exposures be enriched with hazard data prior to analysis. For the Japan Earthquake and Tsunami HD Model, these hazards do not impact model loss calculations. For the New Zealand Earthquake HD Model, soil and landslide values do impact model loss calculations; liquefaction values do not.

This hazard layer can be used to define hazard jobs using the HD engine, and is available in the following versions: 2.0, 3.0.

Earthquake (RL)

The Earthquake hazard layer (earthquake) contains site hazard values that characterize the vulnerability of locations to earthquakes including the RMS Soil Index, RMS Landslide Index, and RMS liquefaction Index.

The RMS Soil Index, RMS Landslide Index, and RMS liquefaction Index values identify site conditions and the soil/landslide/liquefaction risk of the location exposure.

This hazard layer can be used to define hazard jobs using the RL engine. Flood RL hazard data enriches location exposures that can be modeled using the FLOOD DLM MODEL. Prior catastrophe modelling using this DLM model, location exposures should be enriched with hazard data in the Earthquake RL hazard layer.

The overrideUserDef and skipPrevHazard parameters must be specified in the layerOptions object.

This hazard layer is available in the following versions: 18.0, 18.1, 21.0, 22.0, 23.0, 24.0, 25.0.

Surge/Flood Elevation (US Only)

The Surge/Flood Elevation hazard layer (surge) contains surge and flood data "for analyzing surge losses with the US Inland Flood HD Model. Surge/Flood elevation data includes Ground Elevation, Basement Likelihood, Flood Zone Group, First Floor Height Above Ground, First Floor Height Match Level, Flood, more.

The Surge/Flood Elevation hazard layer enriches location exposures that can be modeled using the US Inland Flood HD Model. Unlike other HD models, the US Inland Flood HD Model requires that location exposures be enriched with hazard data prior to catastrophe modeling. To learn more, see US Inland Flood HD Model in Support Center.

This hazard layer can be used to define jobs using the HD engine. Note that the version that identifies the layer in Geohaz API does not always match the layer version. This layer is available in the following versions: 18.1 (1.0) and 21.0 (1.1, 1.2, 1.3).

Wildfire HD

The Wildfire layer (wf_model_hazard) defines a GEOHAZ job using a version of the specified version of the Windstorm layer.

includes Distance to Vegetation, Fuel Type, Slope, Distance to Coast, and Elevation hazard data.

The Wildfire layer can be used to define jobs using the HD engine.

This layer is available in the following versions: 1.0, 2.0.

Windstorm

The Windstorm layer (windstorm) initiates a GEOHAZ job using a version of the specified version of the Windstorm layer.

This layer can be used to define hazard jobs using the RL engine. The overrideUserDef and skipPrevHazard parameters must be specified in the layerOptions object.

This layer is available in the following versions: 18.0, 18.1, 21.0, 22.0, 23.0, 24.0, 25.0.