About
Fathom is a world-leading geospatial data and analytics platform specializing in flood risk intelligence and climate risk modeling. Its product stack includes Global Flood Maps (covering the US, UK, Japan, and worldwide), the Global Flood Cat catastrophe model—the first to cover all major flood perils globally—and FathomDEM+, an AI-powered digital elevation model recognized as the most accurate globally consistent terrain dataset available. Fathom Risk Scores deliver flood risk metrics for any location on earth under current and future climate scenarios, supporting regulatory frameworks and stress-testing up to 2100. The platform serves a broad range of industries: insurers use it for rapid exposure pricing and portfolio analysis; engineers leverage it for resilience and adaptation planning; financial institutions apply it for physical climate risk reporting and compliance (such as the Bank of England SS5/25 standard); corporations assess global supply chain flood exposure; and international development organizations integrate the data into project risk assessments. Fathom's methodology is fully transparent, and its research is published in peer-reviewed journals, giving clients confidence in the scientific rigor underpinning each product. With Swiss Re's backing and coverage spanning every major flood peril worldwide, Fathom sets the benchmark for flood hazard mapping and climate risk data in the global market.
Key Features
- Global & Regional Flood Maps: High-resolution flood hazard maps covering global, US, UK, and Japan extents, providing the most complete and technologically advanced flood mapping available.
- Global Flood Cat Catastrophe Model: The first truly global catastrophe model covering all major flood perils, enabling insurers and reinsurers to quantify and price flood exposure at portfolio scale.
- FathomDEM+ Terrain Data: World-leading digital elevation model built with a hybrid vision transformer AI, delivering globally consistent and highly accurate terrain data for flood modeling.
- Climate Scenario Risk Scores: Flood risk metrics for any global location under current and future climate scenarios, with projections extending to 2100 for regulatory and strategic planning.
- Event Response & Real-Time Intelligence: Rapid event response data for major flood and cyclone events, supporting post-disaster exposure analysis and loss estimation across affected regions.
Use Cases
- Insurance underwriters use Fathom's global flood maps and catastrophe model to rapidly assess and price flood exposure across large property portfolios worldwide.
- Engineering firms leverage Fathom terrain and flood hazard data to evaluate site-level flood risk and design climate adaptation and resilience strategies for infrastructure projects.
- Financial institutions apply Fathom's climate scenario risk scores to meet physical climate risk disclosure requirements such as the Bank of England's SS5/25 supervisory statement.
- Corporations integrate Fathom data into enterprise risk management platforms to identify and monitor flood exposure across global supply chains and real estate assets.
- International development organizations use Fathom flood intelligence to inform project site selection, humanitarian response planning, and climate resilience investments in fast-growth and emerging markets.
Pros
- Scientifically Rigorous & Transparent Methodology: Fathom publishes its research in peer-reviewed journals and maintains full methodological transparency, giving enterprise clients confidence in the data underpinning risk decisions.
- Unmatched Global Coverage: Covers every major flood peril worldwide with dedicated country-level maps for key markets, ensuring clients can analyze exposure regardless of geography.
- Future Climate Scenario Support: Models flood risk under multiple climate scenarios through 2100, supporting regulatory compliance (e.g., Bank of England SS5/25) and long-term asset valuation.
- Backed by Swiss Re: Swiss Re's acquisition adds global scale, financial credibility, and distribution reach, reinforcing Fathom's position as the industry benchmark for flood intelligence.
Cons
- Enterprise-Only Pricing Model: No self-serve or public pricing is available; access requires a demo request, making it inaccessible for small organizations or individual researchers with limited budgets.
- Narrow Domain Focus: Fathom specializes exclusively in flood and water risk, so organizations needing broader multi-hazard climate risk coverage (wildfire, drought, heat) must supplement with additional data providers.
- Requires Technical Integration: Leveraging the full product stack—APIs, catastrophe models, terrain data—requires GIS or data engineering expertise, which may present a barrier for non-technical teams.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which industries does Fathom serve?
Fathom serves insurance, reinsurance, engineering, financial markets, corporate risk management, and international development organizations that need high-quality flood risk intelligence for underwriting, compliance, asset management, or project planning.
What is the Global Flood Cat model?
Global Flood Cat is Fathom's catastrophe model—the first of its kind to cover all major flood perils globally. It enables insurers and reinsurers to quantify probable maximum losses and price flood exposure across entire portfolios simultaneously.
How does Fathom use AI and machine learning?
Fathom uses a hybrid vision transformer model to generate FathomDEM+, its world-leading digital elevation model. AI and ML techniques are also applied across its flood inundation modeling pipeline to improve accuracy at global scale.
Can Fathom data support future climate risk projections?
Yes. Fathom's Risk Scores and flood maps support multiple climate scenarios and return periods, with projections extending to 2100. This makes the data suitable for regulatory stress-testing and long-term investment risk assessment.
How is Fathom data accessed?
Fathom data is available via API integrations and direct data licensing agreements. Clients can request a demo to discuss the appropriate product and access method for their use case. The platform also supports integration with existing risk management and GIS workflows.
