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MortgagePoint » Your Trusted Source for Mortgage Banking and Servicing News 14 August 2023 J O U R N A L flood risk information for the United States. Responding to the inconsistent and incomplete coverage of existing datasets, the U.S. Flood Map leverages the latest ob- servation, terrain, and climate information to present a consistent view of flood risk for all major flood perils, climate scenari- os, and time horizons, at 10m resolution. Fathom's U.S. Flood Map empowers investment firms, data providers, and asset managers with invaluable resources to enhance risk assessment, regulatory reporting, and decision-making process- es. With this comprehensive product, stakeholders can answer crucial questions about the flood risk to their portfolio, for the present day and in the future against numerous climate scenarios. The United States has experienced a significant increase in the severity, frequen- cy, and unpredictability of extreme weather events, due to factors such as climate change, natural variability, population growth, and urban development. The im- pact of these catastrophes is immense and, if not mitigated sufficiently, will continue to impact critical infrastructure and put communities at risk. Emerging technology now means that we have more information than ever before to effectively manage exposure to flood risk in the United States and prevent unorganized development in high-risk areas. Notable features of the U.S. Flood Map include: Comprehensive coverage: Fathom's U.S. Flood Map is the first to cover every river, stream, and coastline in the country, providing an unprecedented level of detail and accuracy. Unrivaled terrain data: The most accurate U.S. terrain data in existence, thanks to an increase of LiDAR data collected since 2020 (now covering 336,681 square miles of the U.S.). Lower-quality elements of the publicly available data are supplemented by Fathom's bias-free global ground terrain map, FABDEM. Unparalleled representation: With FEMA's coverage limited to major (approximately 60% of ) river channels and prioritizing densely populated urban areas, Fathom's U.S. Flood Map offers a consistent and unified view of flood risk across the entire country and 100% of river channels. Climate conditioned: By integrating Fathom's Climate Dynamics framework into the U.S. Flood Map, Fathom is the only firm able to demonstrate the impact of climate change on flood risk under all emissions scenarios, temperature changes, and time horizons up to the year 2100. Updated methodology: A revised methodology provides the most complete flood defense dataset. Dam simulation: Using a machine learning model trained on all available ob- servations, Fathom has, for the first time, estimated the influence of all 84,000 dams on extreme flows nationwide. In addition, by applying detailed land use and build- ing data to varying surface parameters, the new U.S. Flood Map explicitly simulates how land use impacts the flow of water across the entire country; an unrivaled feature. Risk Scores: Distilling complex depth-frequency data into an easily digest- ible and consistent metric of how flood risk varies from one location to another. The next evolution of modeling: Pre- vious versions of Fathom's independently and collaboratively created U.S. Flood Maps, such as Fathom-US 2.0 are no lon- ger being updated, and therefore, rely on outdated information. The new U.S. Flood Map harnesses the latest intelligence, with all model components that use observa- tional data updated to 2022, for an up-to- date view of risk. Dr Christopher Sampson, Chief Tech- nical Officer at Fathom, said, "By leverag- ing advanced technology and state-of-the- art data, our U.S. Flood Map empowers stakeholders to make informed decisions to manage and mitigate financial losses and protect human lives. We remain com- mitted to pushing the boundaries of flood risk intelligence and continue to publish our data and methodologies in peer-re- viewed journals, exposing our methods to scrutiny and supporting scientific ad- vancement on the topic, to ensure a safer and more resilient future for communities across the United States." Traditional approaches to mapping flood risk are highly detailed but not scalable due to resource, time, and finan- cial demands. Fathom's methodologies, independently validated by organizations like USACE and built upon an array of scientifically robust and peer-reviewed research by Fathom's scientists, enable efficient and robust flood hazard assess- ment without compromising accuracy. A range of mechanisms can be used to access the data, including through a self-service API, on premises, and via the Fathom Portal, a user-friendly platform for companies or teams without in-house geospatial capabilities.