Ambiental has provided high resolution mapping, return period and advanced depth research to help Chubb Insurance Company of Europe SE assess the severity of flood risk faced by properties.

The new system enables Chubb to review flood risk at the square metre level for individual properties and larger complexes or campus sites. Flood depth is modelled for multiple return periods and visualised using Chubb’s in-house geospatial mapping and risk location aggregation tool. Ambiental’s data supply contract covers every address in England, Wales and the major population centres in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Powered by cloud computing, the unique system utilises high resolution topographic maps supplied by location-based information provider Intermap, in conjunction with Ambiental’s Flowroute™ flood modelling software, to assess potential flood depths and extents with better accuracy than was previously possible.

Chief Executive Officer of Ambiental Dr Justin Butler commented: “Flood risk analysis is fundamentally difficult because many critical sets of data contain uncertainties and inaccuracies; such as topography and average rainfall. Cloud computing addresses this by processing considerable amounts of information at the same time.”

Dr Butler added “The next step is to integrate our pluvial flood data into this UK-wide system to account for the increases in heavy rainfall and surface water flooding as a result of urbanisation and climate change.”