User Interface of the CatSim Model and Practical Guidelines

Hochrainer-Stigler, S. (2014). User Interface of the CatSim Model and Practical Guidelines. IIASA Laxenburg, Austria

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Abstract

This user manual should help performing a CatSim analysis for a specific country. The policy applications of the CatSim tool can provide insights on the development and use of indicators of vulnerability, resilience, coping capacity and other concepts important for policy interventions with regard to disasters and other global-change phenomena. The CatSim tool relies on quantitative indicators. Risk is estimated making use of historical statistics and exposure; financial resilience is estimated with an index of observations on the financial preparedness of the government; financial vulnerability is a composite of the two and is measured in terms of the financing gap. Clearly financial vulnerability of the public sector presents only one aspect, albeit an import one, of vulnerability to natural hazards. Other indicators are necessary in order to complement this concept. Furthermore, participation and transparency in the design, estimation and use of vulnerability indicators is essential for their legitimacy. As there is a substantial degree of uncertainty in estimates of disasters risks and financial vulnerability, it is important that users have full participation in their design, estimation and use. CatSim has been created as a participatory, interactive tool for building capacity of policy makers by sensitizing them to the tradeoffs inherent in planning for disasters.

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