SAN DIEGO — A digital toolkit purpose-built to equip decision makers with key climate insights was recognized with a Sustainable Product Award from the Sustainability, Environmental Achievement and Leadership (SEAL) 2023 Business Sustainability Awards.
WSP USA, a leading engineering, environment and professional services consultancy, built the ClimateVue suite of tools to help clients improve their resilience practices by monitoring future rainfall trends, help communities visualize potential impacts and create mitigation plans while providing local leaders with real-time management tools.
“WSP was honored to receive the SEAL Sustainable Product Award for our ClimateVue platform,” said Shawn Allan, vice president of digital and technology at WSP. “The tools within the ClimateVue suite help our clients understand their exposure to extreme weather and climate risk, take actions to become resilient, and transition to clean energies. Our goal is to make it faster and easier for them to get to actionable decisions.”
The full suite of ClimateVue tools includes:
- Adaptive Pathways (AP) is an optimization tool that empowers decision makers with a state-of-the-art long-term adaptive planning solution that quantifies uncertainty as alternative scenarios in time and produces optimum pathways, which are flexible or “adaptive” to the future change. Through a user-friendly dashboard, decision-making is aided with viewable “pathways” of investment that can provide optimum results.
- Aperture is a tool used for public outreach. Designed to support more efficient and transparent consultation and decision-making processes, it can help surface valuable insights into public priorities, educate communities on opportunities to promote sustainability and adaptation, and advance goals for equity and inclusion.
- ClimateEVA (Extreme Value Analysis) is a tool that enables users to understand the ways that extreme precipitation is likely to impact their region or specific assets. It provides dynamic precipitation-frequency analysis based on projections from 50- and 100-year climate models with an easy-to-use web interface.
- DecisionVue-Options (DV-OP) uses machine learning to assist with time-critical risk assessment and decision making for programs such as new or existing infrastructure or utilities expansion or development. Most recently, DV-OP was implemented to define preferred routes for the electrical transmission infrastructure for a new offshore windfarm in the UK. DV-OP was used to complete a site and route identification study that included options for connecting the project to the national grid.
- DecisionVue-Harsh Environment (DV-HE) is a short-term risk assessment tool that provides an understanding of risks associated with extreme weather events that could take place in the immediate future. Early warnings paired with reliable data are essential to save lives and protect vital infrastructure.
- DecisionVue-Climate Impact (DV-CI) is used to identify high, medium or low risks within an asset portfolio, helping government officials and other property managers to prioritize investments and best deploy resources for climate adaptation and risk mitigation. This ultimately saves time, money and resources.
- FloodVueTM provides flood visualization, using augmented reality to help people see potential flood impacts and the effectiveness of adaptation measures.
- ResilienceLensTM measures the “resilience value” of potential projects. With tightening budgets, communities need to make difficult decisions around where to invest. This interactive screening tool projects bankability and the potential return on investment. It also helps planners identify specific project requirements that will help ensure reliable performance and deliver community co-benefits such as improved health or reduced costs over the project’s lifecycle. In this way, it helps unlock the resilience dividend.
- RiverSignal provides customized flood alerts from the National Water Model and puts data into the hands of informed users, like emergency managers, who can set flood alerts based on critical water-level exceedance thresholds.
- ZeroEmissionSim (ZES) is an alternative propulsion vehicle technology simulator. It is designed to accelerate the transition of vehicle fleets to zero emissions by helping organizations assess and plan their transition to sustainable technology.
While each tool is powerful on its own, together the ClimateVue suite helps answer critical questions, such as how to measure and manage current vulnerabilities and how to design for both resilience and return on investment.
WSP’s groundbreaking innovations in artificial intelligence, augmented reality and computer modeling are helping to address the world’s biggest problems. Each of the tools in the suite are specially designed and built to tackle real-world challenges that affects clients and their communities. The modular approach also enables each tool to meet a highly specific requirement, while the full package can function collaboratively for even greater impact.
Developed by WSP’s preeminent subject matter experts, these innovative tools address challenges across the full lifecycle, including foresight and analysis, scenario planning, strategy development, stakeholder engagement, ongoing monitoring and evaluation of total ROI — from financial to community co-benefits.
“WSP acknowledges the passion and innovation of our staff, who were drivers in bringing these great ideas to life through the application of technology,” Allan said.
SEAL is an environmental advocacy organization that honors leadership through its business sustainability awards and environmental journalism awards, while funding research and pursuing its own impact campaigns.
About WSP USA
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world’s leading engineering, environment and professional services firms. Recognized on Fast Company’s Brands that Matter List for 2022 as a top Community-Minded Business, WSP USA brings together engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals who are dedicated to collaborate in the best interests of serving local communities. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,500 employees in 300 offices across the U.S., WSP partners with its clients to help communities prosper. wsp.com
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