Custom Boundaries

The Custom Boundaries Accumulation analysis type is particularly useful when you import your own vector or raster data as a Boundary data type. Accumulating by custom boundaries (map layers or user-drawn shapes) is similar to accumulating by events except that perils are not connected to custom boundaries; you assign perils when configuring the analysis. Touchstone automatically saves all user-drawn shapes as boundaries; therefore, if you created any layers by drawing on the map and then saving them, they will appear on the Accumulate tab in Custom Boundaries.

The Boundary data type is the most flexible data type. You can use it in many real-world situations such as in the import of administrative boundaries, hazard zones, disaster events, etc. Just as with events, you can accumulate against boundaries (assigning damage ratios). This data type is also useful if you want to analyze an imported shapefile for different perils.

You may want to run your inland flood and storm surge portfolios against the same GIS layer.

You may want to use a custom boundary when you are not sure what peril you want to use in your exposure data before importing it. This data type enables you to bring your own GIS data (vector and raster) into Touchstone.

You may want to use this option to accumulate exposures based on their proximity to high-risk areas such as fault lines, coastlines, or the storm track or epicenter of specific events. For information about importing map layers, see Map Layer Import. For information about drawing tools, see Drawing Tools.

When you configure an accumulation with an imported map layer or drawn shape, you must select a peril and specify damage ratios based on the imported map layer. You can also intersect with hazard layers or with a single set of loss analysis results (that were run at the location or location summary level). You can use the Search feature to look for particular layers when there are many imported layers.

If no one in your business unit has imported map layers as a Boundary data type, the Accumulate tab in Step 2 - Configure will not include any items. In that case, import a map layer, making sure to select the Boundary data type.

When a layer is imported as a Boundary data type, you cannot use it for non-accumulation analyses, such as for a Hazards and Intersections analysis.

Procedure

To accumulate exposures using imported map layers:

  1. Select (Custom Boundaries Accumulation) as the analysis type.
  2. In the Step 2 - Configure pane, select the Accumulate tab.
  3. Select one or more map layers or drawn shapes.

    Click to preview an item on the map.You can preview one item at a time.

  4. Click (ellipsis) to view information about an item, and then specify the damage ratio.
  5. [Optional] Select the Intersect tab and then, on the Hazard tab, select one or more hazard layers.
    1. Click to preview a hazard layer on your map.

      You do not have to select a hazad layer before previewing it. Just move the pointer to the item to highlight it and then click . You can preview one hazard layer at a time.

    2. Click (ellipsis) to view information about the selected hazard layers.

      You do not have to select an item to view information about it. Just move the pointer to the item to highlight it and then click .

  6. [Optional] Select the Detailed Loss tab and then select a single set of loss results.