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The Innovation and Technology Leader in Catastrophe Risk Modeling

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An Impressive Team of Scientists, Engineers, Data Analysts, and Technologists

Catastrophe modeling is a highly specialized industry requiring experts from many fields, including meteorology, seismology, structural engineering, and software engineering. What sets the KCC team apart is a passion for excellence and delivering the most accurate and timely information possible. KCC experts build the most advanced models and software applications through a highly collaborative team environment in one of the most dynamic cities in the world.

Innovating the Quantification and Management of Risk

KCC models are proven to be the most accurate and up to date with respect to current scientific knowledge on extreme events such as hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and floods. The KCC team continually advanced the science through innovative applications like KCC LiveEvents™, Characteristic Events, and WindfieldBuilder®. KCC Models capture hundreds of property characteristics so that the impacts of mitigation activities can be readily assessed and incorporated.

Tackling the World's Most Challenging Problems

Climate change is the most important issue of our time, and the costs and societal impacts of natural disasters continue to rise. KCC models incorporate the effects of climate change to provide current and future projections of likely impacts on weather-related events for multiple time periods and scenarios. KCC models are forward thinking and therefore avoid the frequent "model misses" of other catastrophe models.

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History

KCC was founded by two pioneers and innovators in the catastrophe modeling industry—Karen Clark and Vivek Basrur.

Karen Clark created the first catastrophe model and founded the first catastrophe modeling company in 1987. Ms. Clark has been leading innovation in this industry since that time, and she has been well recognized for her leadership and contributions, including being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize certificate in 2007 for her contributions to work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

Vivek Basrur created the first data standards and web-based applications for the catastrophe modeling industry in the mid-1990s. Mr. Basrur has been instrumental in the evolution and advancement of catastrophe modeling software applications since that time.

Innovation Highlights

2024

KCC announces RIUnderwrite™ Version 2.0, which further streamlines analysis and pricing for distinct underwriting use cases.

KCC releases US Wildfire Model Version 2.0 with the addition of the smoke sub-peril, modeled via a physics-based dispersion model. Version 2.0 includes updated impacts of climate change and a proprietary fuels database developed with advanced machine learning algorithms.

The KCC US Flood Reference Model Version 2.0 is certified by the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology—the only certified flood model from a major modeling company.

2023

KCC announces the LiveEvent™ Runner, an enhancement to RiskInsight® that delivers daily claims and loss estimates directly to your inbox.

KCC adds shareable interactive maps to RiskInsight®, enabling all levels of an organization to see what is happening with their portfolios in real time.

KCC releases US Hurricane Model Version 4.0, the first model certified by the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology to explicitly account for climate change and excess litigation.

KCC announces RIUnderwrite™, an advanced underwriting application that drives the underwriting and decision-making processes for complex commercial policies.

KCC adds to catalog of high-resolution earthquake reference models with new Canada and Caribbean Earthquake Reference Models.

2022

KCC releases climate-conditioned catalogs for US Hurricane, Flood, and Wildfire Models. Nine catalogs for each peril represent projected impacts of the changes in climate for 2025, 2030, and 2050 under three different IPCC SSPs.

KCC releases US Winter Storm Model Version 2.0, to capture the full scope of wind, snow/ice, and freezing impacts from extratropical cyclones and arctic air outbreaks across the entire continental US.

KCC releases updated property exposure database (KPD 2022) incorporating the impacts of supply shortages and COVID-19.

2021

KCC named Catastrophe Modeling Firm of the Year by Inside P&C for “precision, accuracy, and successful innovation in the science of catastrophe risk modeling.”

KCC releases US Winter Storm Reference Model Version 1.0 in January and accurately estimates the losses from the major Arctic Air Outbreak in February at $17 billion. This event immediately demonstrated the accuracy of the KCC winter storm stochastic catalog as well as the real-time loss estimates.

KCC releases US Wildfire Reference Model Version 1.0 that captures the propagation of wildfires using high-resolution data sources and advanced simulation techniques. The fire risk for all locations across the US is accounted for both in high-frequency areas like California and low-frequency areas like the Northeast.

KCC US Hurricane Reference Model V3.0 is released, following certification by the Florida Commission on Loss Projection Methodology. Version 3.0 incorporates a number of scientific advancements, notably its distinction as a three-peril model that captures the impacts of strong winds, storm surge, and precipitation-driven inland flooding.

KCC releases US Inland Flood Reference Model V1.0, which estimates the impacts of inland flood events caused by heavy precipitation using high-resolution data sources and advanced modeling methodologies.

2020

KCC US Flood Model is the first to be approved by the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology. The model includes high resolution storm surge and inland flood intensity footprints and losses.

KCC expands suite of catastrophe models to include the earthquake peril for Central America and South America.

2019

KCC US Hurricane Reference Model V2.0 approved by the Florida Commission on Hurricane Loss Projection Methodology.

KCC expands suite of catastrophe models to include Japan typhoon and earthquake, Europe windstorm, Australia earthquake, and Caribbean hurricane.

KCC releases US Earthquake Model V2.1, which incorporates earthquakes occurring in Alaska and Hawaii.

2018

KCC launches Severe Convective Storm (SCS) Daily Update to provide insurers with daily hail and tornado/wind footprints for claims tracking and handling. This is an automated and one-of-a-kind service nowhere else available.

2017

KCC launches LiveEvents™ hurricane tracking and accurately estimates the losses and financial impacts from three major events: Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

KCC releases US Severe Convective Storm (SCS) Reference Model Version 1.0—a multi-peril model that simulates the impacts of hail, tornadoes, and straight-line winds. The KCC US SCS Reference Model is based on a physical modeling methodology and high-resolution atmospheric data that more accurately capture the dynamics of the peril compared to traditional catastrophe models.

2016

KCC launches CATLAB® Workshops to support insurers who are using innovative, "next gen" catastrophe modeling tools. CATLAB is an immersive educational experience through which catastrophe modeling professionals acquire more in-depth knowledge on the inner workings of the models than is possible in other environments.

2015

KCC releases US Earthquake Model Version 1.0, which incorporates the latest USGS research and scientific consensus on the earthquake hazard in the US.

KCC introduces high resolution US Storm Surge Model. Along with enabling insurers to estimate their losses from storm surge, the model produces the 100 and 250 year flood zones along the coast.

2014

KCC launches RiskInsight®, the first open loss modeling platform. RiskInsight includes global mapping capabilities, exposure analytics, data scoring, and an industry database of detailed property exposures that can be used to estimate industry losses and individual company market shares of loss.

2013

KCC launches WindfieldBuilder®, an advanced scientific tool for creating hurricane tracks and wind speeds. WindfieldBuilder enables the creation of realistic windfields for potential future storms as well as for actual storms in real time.

2012

KCC introduces Characteristic Events (CEs), to assist insurance companies in assessing and managing catastrophe risk. CEs are defined-probability events created for specific peril regions that provide a wealth of information to insurance companies. KCC developed CEs as an additional tool that offers a more consistent and effective framework, and a robust scientific approach, to catastrophe risk management.

Manage Your Global Catastrophe Risk With Confidence

KCC utilizes the best available data, science, and technology to create high resolution, accurate, and transparent global catastrophe models and software solutions that allow you to make decisions with confidence.