Water risk intelligence company Fathom has launched FathomDEM+, a global terrain dataset designed to provide a single, unified and independent baseline view of global terrain to enhance risk analysis.
The program is designed to support the next generation of Fathom global flood maps, starting with the Fathom Updated Global Flood Map.
It also serves as a stand-alone dataset for climate, risk and infrastructure analyses.
The dataset resolves inconsistencies in elevation data, allowing engineers and risk analysts to work from a single, consistent view of the terrain.
By combining enhanced machine learning technology with the world’s largest LiDAR and other high-resolution datasets, covering more than 10 million square kilometers, FathomDEM+ delivers near-LiDAR-quality elevation data on a global scale.
If LiDAR is available, it is incorporated directly; elsewhere, machine learning trained on lidar terrain data corrects for elevation bias and removes surface artifacts, improving consistency across regions.
The move is consistent with Fathom’s glass box approach, which is peer-reviewed and publicly documented.
Dr. Oliver Wing, chief scientist and product officer at Fathom, commented: “Errors in terrain data do not hide, they show up directly in flood modeling, navigation, infrastructure planning and critical decisions. FathomDEM+ solves this problem by anchoring the accuracy present in LiDAR and extending it elsewhere using machine learning, so the terrain behaves consistently when used in real-world analysis and planning.”
Earlier this month, Swiss Re integrated Fathom’s flood hazard and terrain data into its internal catastrophe model, enhancing the reinsurance giant’s understanding of global flood risk.
