Federal Emergency Management Agency

Federal Emergency Management Agency Hazus Program

Challenge

Hazus is a nationally applicable standardized methodology that estimates potential losses from earthquakes, hurricane winds, and floods. Hazus produces loss estimates based on state-of-the-art scientific and engineering knowledge and software architecture (models) essential for decision-making at all levels of government and are a basis for developing mitigation plans and policies, emergency preparedness, and response and recovery planning at the federal, state, and local levels.

The Hazus program manager (PM) required an improved capability to capture the “critical and relevant” program knowledge that was available within the team but had not yet been captured and curated. In addition, the PM wanted to improve knowledge sharing and collaboration among the different components of the national Hazus program.

Solution

Working KnowledgeCSP developed and delivered a sustainable KM framework including a robust and sustainable community of practice network.  Working with a broad group of other FEMA contractors and government organizations, we linked federal, state, and local users, subject matter experts, and Hazus practitioners to:

  1. Categorize, centrally store, and make electronically accessible relevant Hazus knowledge created and collected over its performance history, much of it in paper format.
  2. Develop new process maps and update existing process maps (manage the “Hazus” model development baseline) reflecting the Hazus modeling process and the training associated with its use
  3. Leverage (capture, transfer, curate, and make readily available for reuse) experience and insight from those who not only build Hazus models, but also who use those models anywhere in the US so that:
    • Model development can be improved
    • Decision-making and mitigation planning from model application and use at all levels of government can be improved
    • Recovery from natural disasters using Hazus models beyond the standard application of planning and estimating can be improved.

Result

Hazus is using this improved capability to further refine its risk assessment and forecasting ability, collaborate more effectively across the Hazus components and stakeholders within the United States, as well as finding new uses for the Hazus knowledge store.  Working KnowledgeCSP delivered this project on time, meeting all technical requirements, and under budget.