JBA US Flood Maps

1. What is it?

The JBA Flood Mapping dataset provides comprehensive flood risk data, specifically designed to support underwriting decisions related to flood risk in North America. Using predictive modelling to assess the probability and impact of flood events, the allows insurers to understand and quantify risk levels for properties across various regions.

This dataset includes fields for both defended and undefended conditions. Key metrics cover flood depths and scores by flood type (river, coastal, surface water) across return periods like 1 in 20, 1 in 75, and up to 1 in 1500 years. Additional attributes provide risks related to levees and other defences in the area. This data assists insurers in precise property-level flood risk assessment.

JBA Flood Mapping is a valuable tool for the insurance sector, real estate, and property risk management.

2. How can I use it?

This dataset can be utilised by insurance underwriters and pricing experts to assess flood risks at the property level. By integrating JBA Flood Mapping data, insurers can identify high-risk areas, evaluate premium pricing, and tailor policies based on the specific flood exposure of individual properties. This is particularly beneficial for precise risk management and for providing detailed insights into different flood types (e.g., fluvial, pluvial, coastal flooding) impacting underwriting decisions.

3. How is the data created?

The data within JBA Flood Mapping is created using hydrodynamic modelling, incorporating a range of factors such as return periods (https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/return-period) rainfall patterns, river flow, elevation, and historical flood records. JBA's proprietary models simulate potential flood scenarios, integrating local geography and climate data to produce accurate flood hazard assessments. This model undergoes periodic validation with observed data and is adjusted for annual updates to ensure reliability and relevance.

4. Are there any limitations?

While JBA Flood Mapping provides highly detailed flood data, there are some limitations:

• Annual Updates: The data is refreshed once a year, and only in targeted regions, so real-time flood risks or rapid environmental changes may not be immediately reflected.
• Data Granularity: Flood models are estimates and may not capture very localized or rare events with absolute precision.
• Predictive Modelling: The data is based on predictive models, and while highly accurate, it may not account for extremely localized or rare flood events. Some text here about hurricane....

5. What data points are available?

Here is a detailed list of fields in the JBA North American Flood Mapping (JBAFUS) dataset with descriptions:

• coastal_floodscore_ud: Coastal flood risk score under undefended conditions.
• floodscore_def: Overall flood risk score with existing defences considered.
• floodscore_ud: Overall flood risk score assuming no flood defences.
• river_floodscore_def: River flood risk score with defences.
• river_floodscore_ud: River flood risk score without defences.
• sop_ri: Standard of protection for river defences.
• level_ri: Level or quality of river defences.
• rmax20: Predicted river flood depth for a 1-in-20-year event.
• rmax50: Predicted river flood depth for a 1-in-50-year event.
• rmax100: Predicted river flood depth for a 1-in-100-year event.
• rmax200: Predicted river flood depth for a 1-in-200-year event.
• rmax500: Predicted river flood depth for a 1-in-500-year event.
• rmax1500: Predicted river flood depth for a 1-in-1500-year event.
• stmax20: Predicted coastal flood depth for a 1-in-20-year event.
• stmax50: Predicted coastal flood depth for a 1-in-50-year event.
• stmax100: Predicted coastal flood depth for a 1-in-100-year event.
• stmax200: Predicted coastal flood depth for a 1-in-200-year event.
• stmax500: Predicted coastal flood depth for a 1-in-500-year event.
• stmax1500: Predicted coastal flood depth for a 1-in-1500-year event.
• surfacewater_floodscore_ud: Surface water flood risk score under undefended conditions.
• swmax20: Predicted surface water flood depth for a 1-in-20-year event.
• swmax50: Predicted surface water flood depth for a 1-in-50-year event.
• swmax100: Predicted surface water flood depth for a 1-in-100-year event.
• swmax200: Predicted surface water flood depth for a 1-in-200-year event.
• swmax500: Predicted surface water flood depth for a 1-in-500-year event.
• swmax1500: Predicted surface water flood depth for a 1-in-1500-year event.

These fields help provide comprehensive flood risk assessments across river, coastal, and surface water sources, with or without flood defences, for various return periods. For more details, visit the API documentation.

6. Where can I find out more?

For further information on the JBA North American Flood Mapping dataset, consider these resources:

• Addresscloud API Documentation: Visit the Addresscloud API documentation for technical integration and implementation details.
• JBA Risk Management Resources: Learn more about JBA’s flood modeling methodology on their official website.
• FEMA Flood Map Service Center: Access FEMA flood maps for official U.S. government flood risk data and mapping.