Developing New Zealand’s open source multi-hazard risk assessment tool: RiskScape 2.0
identify · risk assessment · Stakeholder collaboration
The cumulative impacts from natural hazards on our social and economic environments are unsustainable. As risk is dynamic and continues to change we require strong risk tools to provide credible loss and impact assessments both before and crucially during emergencies. It is essential these tools need to be simple and functional so they may be practically applied by a range of users. Since May 2018, GNS Science, NIWA and Catalyst IT have been developing the RiskScape 2.0 loss modelling platform. Built using open source technologies, the software’s ‘engine’ design is based on a plugin architecture that enables modellers to apply spatial and non-spatial data in an impact model workflow. These data sets include spatial layers representing natural hazard exposure, and assets at risk (e.g. buildings, people), and vulnerability functions. RiskScape 2.0’s plugin architecture supports an extensible model suite, enabling more complex modelling techniques (e.g. probabilistic models or cascading risk modelling) to be developed and supported by the system. In its current form, the engine is operable using a command line interface (CLI) on Linux and Windows systems operating with a range of common or proprietary (e.g. HDF5) spatial and text file formats. It also supports types lists and functions in python scripts or simple plain text formats, both deterministic and stochastic modelling capability and is multi-lingual for application anywhere in the world.
The RiskScape 2.0 platform, including the open source software engine, a user interface and web-based hosted environment, is expected to be launched later in 2020. This side event will provide a demonstration of RiskScape 2.0, detail the future product roadmap and proposed launch of the open source platform.
Organizer: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Science Ltd
Partner organizations: , National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd, , Catalyst.Net Ltd