Leveraging Multidisciplinary Data & Research to Develop Spatio-Temporal Risk Assessment and Decision Support Tools for Evaluating Offshore Hazards

Efforts to prepare for and reduce the risk of hazards, from both natural and anthropogenic sources, that threaten our oceans and coasts requires an understanding of the dynamics and interactions between the physical, ecological, and socio-economic systems. Understanding these coupled dynamics are essential to ensuring energy security as offshore oil & gas exploration and production continues to push into harsher, more extreme environments where risks and uncertainty both increase. To address the range of hazards posed to and by offshore energy exploration and production, a suite of spatio-temporal approaches and tools are in development to evaluate risk and reduce uncertainty for the entire offshore system, from the subsurface, through the water column, to coastal ecosystems and communities. We will present several of these approaches, including Cumulative Spatial Impact Layers (CSILs), Spatially Weighted Impact Model (SWIM), and the Variable Grid Method (VGM) that are components of a larger offshore integrated risk assessment model. These tools and approaches combine data from several scales and disciplines evaluate risks to the complex matrix of potential environmental, social, and economic impacts stemming from modeled offshore hazard scenarios, such as blowouts or hurricanes, to highlight knowledge or technology gaps and reduce uncertainty to improve oil spill prevention and response preparedness efforts. In addition, the use of online analytics, tools, and novel visualization methods contribute to the rapid analysis and effective communication of analytical results to aid a range of decision-making needs.