Global Adaptation Layer

Global Adaptation Layer is a global, multi-hazard dataset from AlphaGeo that identifies and quantifies the infrastructure, land cover and built-environment features that protect a location from climate hazards. Most hazard data measures what could go wrong, such as flood depth or wind speed, but not the defences already in place, so two equally exposed locations can look equally risky even when only one sits behind drainage, flood barriers or natural buffers.

The layer is built from global satellite, terrain and geospatial datasets that AlphaGeo curates and harmonises. Raw features (points, lines and polygons such as drainage systems, flood barriers, water works, urban greenery and fire stations) are grouped into hazard-specific thematic feature groups, rescaled from 0 to 100 and combined into one adaptation score per hazard. Scores cover inland and coastal flooding, heat stress, hurricane wind, drought, wildfire, hail, landslide and earthquake, plus a societal resilience layer, and break down into their underlying drivers at location, city and national level.

Coverage is global at up to 30 m resolution, with quarterly updates. Buyers license the full layer or individual hazard-specific databases, delivered through AlphaGeo's REST API or Snowflake. The scores are also a core input to AlphaGeo's Climate Risk and Resilience Index, where they turn hazard-only risk into resilience-adjusted (defended) risk. AlphaGeo positions the layer for climate risk modellers, consultants, governments, adaptation investors and insurers. Zurich Insurance Group used it to see which regions in its real estate portfolio were better protected.