DNV GL has developed a digital mapping tool to aid communities vulnerable to natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes.

The emergency management system is a cloud-based platform called CEP MAP (Capacity, Emergency, and Post-Emergency Management And Preparedness). It has three mapping applications – capacity, emergency, and post emergency – that operate by centralising information from multiple sources and making it readily accessible for anyone with a hand-held, internet-connected device. The data-driven solution provides an overview of disaster risks, for example the extent of fires or flooding in an area, alongside small details for decision-makers to make effective plans and preparations, and to effectively respond and recover from emergency situations.

It is a data-led solution for managing disaster risk with intelligent, interactive, integrated, and real-time digital maps. During its development, with the Norwegian Red Cross and the Philippine Red Cross, CEP MAP was tested on the ground in Caloocan, the third largest town in the Philippines, which is exposed to storm surges and vulnerable to post-cyclonic floods.

Climate change is expected to increase the severity and frequency of extreme weather, making disaster risk management more important than ever before. In 2017, the costs of climate-related disasters related to infrastructure in coastal, urban, or rural communities was US $306 billion in the US alone. The CEP-MAP solution allows risk managers and emergency management personnel to take fast, accurate action in critical situations.