Geography: the Pivot and the Picture
Geography provides the glue that links our analysis on natural and man-made hazards.
Risks at addresses, cities, lifelines, regions and across continents; spatial location is the basic reference and building block. Geographically-related techniques such as remote sensing provide new ways to measure hazards, monitor earth systems and survey the human environment. Geography has key tools to analyse, display and communicate patterns and meaning through mapping, geovisualisation and geostatistics.
In recent years development of digital-based geographic information systems, remote sensing facilities and visualisation tools has undergone a revolution in coverage, availability and power. These have brought enormous benefits to risk and insurance and the potential of future developments is significant.
The WRN lies at the heart of this exciting world led by our partners at City University London and the University of Cambridge, and supported by partners across the WRN including Bristol, Durham and Exeter and the large GIS team at Willis.
The GIS research forms an integral part across the Network’s wider programme; here are some general themes and trends.
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Global GeoCoding and GeoReferencing. The challenge of properly locating and accurately representing buildings in electronic space. The WRN focuses on sourcing, integrating and fusing datasets across territories at different spatial resolutions. Challenges here include the cleaning and management of heterogeneous data sources, overcoming the financial and computing cost of higher resolution data required for key hazards such as flood and urban explosion.
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Integrating Geographical Data Sets. Portfolios of information can be enriched and enhanced by the integration and overlay of additional information on hazards, exposure characteristics, financial values and comparative samples.
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Applying Remote Sensing to Risk. WRN members are at the forefront of developing and applying information from new satellite platforms and aerial surveying facilities to increase data quality for hazard, exposure and vulnerability analysis.
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Google Earth and GeoBrowsers. The network, led by City University London is at the forefront of advanced use of Google Earth and other facilities such as Javascript and Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) to integrate and display electronic mapping and geographical analysis. These tools also offer new ways to deliver and communicate risk information directly to users and decision makers.
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GeoStatistics and GeoVisualisation. Network members, led by City University London, use visual techniques to inform users of data quality issues and indicate levels of uncertainty. For example, as part of Willis’ unique Catastrophe Model Sensitivity Analysis (MSA) programme, visual analysis is used to study the sensitivity of cat model output to input data. Ongoing research explores new methods to compare client exposure (policy structure and spatial distribution) to catastrophe model output and working on new methods of visualising complex climatic data.
For more information please contact Nigel Davis on nigel.davis@willis.com