NU Online News Service, Nov. 3, 2:40 p.m. EDT
Ten leading scientific institutions from the United Kingdom and New Zealand have joined the Willis Research Network funded by insurance broker Willis Group Holdings Ltd.
Willis said the Network's aim is to deepen the integration of public science with the risk, reinsurance and insurance sectors to confront the challenges of natural hazards and extreme events.
The focus of the Network, it was explained, is on evaluating the frequency, severity and impact of major catastrophes–from flooding to hurricanes and earthquakes–and to help society at local and global levels manage these risks and share the costs of these events via public and private sector approaches.
To achieve this mission, Willis said it has teamed up with 32 institutions across a full range of disciplines from atmospheric science and climate statistics, to geography, hydrology and seismology, to assess the impacts on the environment via engineering, exposure analysis and Geographic Information Systems.
The 10 institutions that have recently joined are:
o British Geological Survey (geological risks, groundwater flooding).
o Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (flooding, pollution).
o UK Met Office (climate and weather risk research, climate forecasting services).
o National Centre of Earth Observation (remotes sensing, satellite data and imagery).
o National Centre of Atmospheric Science (climate and weather risk research).
o National Oceanography Centre (tropical cyclones, tsunami, uncertainty).
o Ordnance Survey (geographic data, geospatial analysis and communication).
o Plymouth Marine Laboratory (marine pollution, aquaculture).
o Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory (storm surge, sea level rise),
o GNS Science, New Zealand (Asia-Pacific geo hazards)
Seven of these institutions are affiliated with the Natural Environmental Research Council (NERC), the United Kingdom's main agency for funding and managing research, training and knowledge exchange in the environmental sciences.
Additional information can be found at www.willisresearchnetwork.com
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