LONDON, May 18, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Impact Forecasting,
Aon Benfield's catastrophe model
development team, has incorporated its latest earthquake data into
the new tool, ThinkHazard!. Produced by the Global Facility for
Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), housed under the World
Bank, this tool supports disaster risk reduction and preparedness.
Aon Benfield is the global reinsurance intermediary and capital
advisor of Aon plc (NYSE:AON).
The online tool enables development specialists to determine the
potential likelihood of eight natural hazards and what actions they
should take to make their project resilient, from enhanced
evacuation planning to promoting improved building codes.
Impact Forecasting has collated earthquake hazard data for 31
countries, including coverage of the six countries identified as
priorities by GFDRR, which triggered the collaboration. These
comprise: Bosnia-Herzegovina,
Kenya, Morocco, Serbia, Turkey and Uganda.
The Impact Forecasting data shows the probability of earthquake
shaking across each country. This data is visualized within
ThinkHazard!, as aggregated to administrative units, labelled as
high, medium and low hazard, and linked to recommendations of how
to reduce risk. The data is derived from Impact Forecasting's
catastrophe models which have been developed by its in-house
seismologists, in collaboration with earthquake experts and
engineers at academic institutions and agencies including GFZ
German Research Centre for Geoscience.
Adam Podlaha, Global Head of
Impact Forecasting, commented: "The insurance industry has
traditionally focused on how we effectively react and pay claims
following a disaster – using insights from catastrophe models to
help prepare. Now, we have the opportunity with the World Bank to
help risk reduction specialists to plan ahead. This underpins Aon's
commitment for sharing data and analytics to empower communities in
both preparing for catastrophes and helping to rebuild lives and
livelihoods in the aftermath. It is a privilege to be part of this
project."
"ThinkHazard! is a tool that will get natural disaster
information into the hands of people who really need to know. It is
our duty to equip project leaders and developers with information
on what hazards exist, but also with knowledge on how to make their
projects resilient to all major natural hazards today and into the
future", said Dr. Alanna Simpson, Senior Disaster Risk
Management Specialist and Leader of GFDRR's Innovation
Lab. She continued: "This tool, developed alongside our
partners over the last two years, provides a one-stop-shop to
inform users on the hazards within their geographic area and how to
make their project resilient throughout project design and
implementation."
The Impact Forecasting hazard data, plus associated risk score
data, is available to insurance and corporate companies to
understand and better quantify earthquake catastrophe risk and the
impact on their property portfolios. In addition to earthquake,
Impact Forecasting also produces risk scores for flood, windstorm
and terrorism.
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE:AON) is a leading global provider
of risk management, insurance brokerage
and reinsurance brokerage, and human
resources solutions
and outsourcing services. Through its more than
72,000 colleagues worldwide, Aon unites to empower
results for clients in over 120 countries
via innovative risk and people solutions. For
further information on our capabilities and to learn how we empower
results for clients, please
visit: http://aon.mediaroom.com.
Follow Aon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aon_plc
Sign up for News
Alerts: http://aon.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=58
Media Contact: Alexandra Lewis (+44 207 086 0541), David
Bogg or Andrew Wragg
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100719/AQ37264LOGO
To view the original version on PR Newswire,
visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aons-earthquake-data-enhances-world-banks-new-risk-reduction-tool-300270835.html
SOURCE Aon plc