Climate Central releases CoastalDEM v3.0 for coastal flood risk assessment
What happened
Climate Central released CoastalDEM® v3.0 on March 4, 2026, a digital elevation model of the world’s coasts. This version corrects the positive bias found in standard satellite-derived terrain data that previously understated coastal risk. The product uses a fusion of global DEM data and an advanced neural network to achieve high precision in coastal elevation.
From climatecentral.org
Why it matters
The updated model allows users to run risk analysis for coastal areas globally. By covering both the hazard and the vulnerability of exposed structures, the product supports flood loss estimates. This enhancement improves the accuracy of coastal risk modeling available to users.
From climatecentral.org
Who's involved
- Climate CentralProvides the CoastalDEM product line for coastal flood risk assessment.
- Benjamin StraussHolds leadership roles as CEO and chief scientist at Climate Central.
- Kristina DahlServes as lead scientist and VP of Science in Climate Central's science division.
- Daniel GilfordWorks as a climate scientist for Climate Central.
- NOAAProvides data that Climate Central relies on for its research and operations.
Who could feel it
Possible knock-on effectsThese are possibilities Brind reasoned out, not predictions, and not advice. Most are not stated in any report.
- Climate CentralSpeculative
Climate Central might see increased sales of its risk assessment products due to the enhanced accuracy of CoastalDEM v3.0.