The Oil and Gas Contamination Risk Index quantifies the potential risk of environmental contamination from oil and gas activities on specific land parcels. By compiling and analyzing various factors, this index provides a standardized metric of risk. It helps stakeholders such as environmental planners, regulators, and community groups make informed decisions about land management and safety measures, ensuring efficient resource allocation and adherence to environmental regulations.

This index systematically incorporates various factors such as geological characteristics, historical land use, proximity to oil and gas infrastructure, environmental sensitivity, and historical incident data. Each factor is assessed, weighted, and integrated into a composite score that reflects the overall contamination risk associated with oil and gas operations in that area.

A significant amount of contaminated sites exist across the U.S., and most of them are not known by nearby property owners.  LandGate’s Industrial Contamination Risk Index determines the relative risk posed by these contamination sites for each individual parcel. Many types of contaminated sites are taken into consideration to determine an individual parcel’s score. The proximity of the parcel and the nature of the contamination site are all taken into account which assist with real estate due diligence in a way that previously required customized environmental consulting.

.  Proprietary site data and pollutant classifications are utilized in LandGate’s in-depth contamination risk algorithms which inform users of the relative danger for individual parcels of both remediated and non-remediated sites.

LandGate measures the risk of a parcel’s susceptibility to an electricity blackout. This represents the parcel’s risk of losing power as a result of bad weather or catastrophes, insufficient transmission capacity and/or power generation, and constraints with electricity supply vs. demand within the local grid of the selected parcel. Assessing the risk of electricity blackouts is crucial due to their wide-ranging impacts on daily life and operations, whether it’s a residential, commercial, or industrial setting. 

LandGate analyzes various data points to provide this risk index, including Thermal Limit (within the local transmission grid), Gen to Load (within local grid – ratio between net electricity generation and demand/load for that electricity), Queue Capacity ( capacity of projects / plants in the interconnection queue at nearest substation), and Weather / Catastrophe Risk.

The Cost of Electricity index measures the risk of obtaining a high cost of electricity for consumers using LMP data from wholesale energy markets. This consists of four main risk drivers as well as a number of chosen pricing metrics.  A high index score suggests that consumers may find high wholesale costs of electricity, high LMP prices and large retail-hub and retail-LMP premiums near their chosen parcels, making it unfavorable to purchase electricity, compared to other locations nationwide. 

First, LandGate computes the retail pricing volatility, which is a measure of the standard deviation of the local retail price. Second, LandGate measures the volatility of the LMP price as the standard deviation of the LMP price. LandGate also calculates the premiums, from the retail price compared to both the LMP price and local hub price. In order to properly determine whether a specific location is at risk for a high cost of electricity, LandGate compares these premiums to local pricing trends. If these premiums are considered too high, then this is unfavorable to consumers wanting to purchase electricity. 

The Electrical Connection index measures the risk of the inaccessibility to an electrical connection from any chosen parcel. A high electrical connection index score suggests that the chosen parcel has low potential for an electrical connection. 

LandGate considers various parameters including (1) the proximity to nearby dwellings or renewable energy projects on the parcel, (2) the distance to the nearest substation, (3) the presence of nearby renewable energy installations, and the proximity to existing electrical infrastructure such as (4) transmission and (5) distribution lines. By analyzing these factors, LandGate’s Electrical Connection index provides valuable insight into the accessibility and suitability of a location for connecting to the electrical grid.

If any electrical infrastructure is located on the chosen parcel, then the parcel is considered to have a low index score. If no such electrical infrastructure is found on the parcel, then LandGate computes the distance to the nearest available source of electrical infrastructure to score how easily an electrical connection can be obtained. 

 LandGate’s Drought Risk Index provides a relative value of how prone each individual parcel is to drought across the United States to aid in due diligence efforts for real estate and project development activities. Limitations on outdoor activities, landscaping and gardening, and even overall water consumption often surprise residents who have moved from a less drought prone area, to areas that are plagued by drought. Parcels with a high risk index have a higher likelihood of being impacted negatively by a drought than a parcel with a low index score. 

This index score comprises features such as temperatures, precipitation levels, elevation and annual wind speeds, in order to gauge the risk of drought on a specific parcel of land. LandGate computes the score each of these risk factors have on the parcel and generates a holistic “Drought Risk” Index score to give users the risk of drought on their chosen parcel. 

The Tornado Risk Index offers a comprehensive evaluation of tornadic wind probabilities, covering various intensity levels and geographical distributions. It provides users with essential information regarding the likelihood of tornadic wind events occurring within specified areas, facilitating informed decision-making processes related to risk mitigation and insurance underwriting. 

This index draws upon multiple data sources to derive tornadic wind probabilities. These sources include the NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) reports database spanning from 1950 to 2016, as well as the NCEP North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data covering the years 1979 to 2016.. 

The Natural Earthquake Index offers a numerical description of earthquake risk based on spectral acceleration and MMI values. These values are derived from ground motion prediction equations and seismic hazard mapping data provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The index provides a holistic view of earthquake risk, incorporating factors such as ground shaking intensity, soil susceptibility, and spectral acceleration at different return periods.

This index utilizes spectral acceleration data derived from the USGS National Seismic Hazard Mapping data. The index considers the effects of local soils on ground shaking, reflecting the actual seismic hazard experienced at different locations. 

The Straight Line Wind Risk Score integrates various data sources to quantify the annual frequency and risk associated with damaging wind events. It encompasses straight-line winds, tornadic winds, and hurricane winds, providing insights into the likelihood and severity of wind-related losses. 

The index utilizes advanced methodologies and proprietary weather event sources to deliver accurate and detailed information for risk assessment and management purposes. It derives wind probabilities from multiple data sources, including CoreLogic Wind Verification Technology (WVT) data from 2009 to 2016, NOAA Storm Prediction Center (SPC) reports database from 1950 to 2016, and NCEP North American Regional Reanalysis (NARR) data from 1979 to 2016.