Insurers will soon gain access to a national database mapping a wide range of natural disaster risks.

Within a few weeks the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) will have loaded its entire database of flood, bushfire and cyclone risk onto the Google Maps-based ICA Data Globe, on which insurers can identify risk at individual properties.

The database collates material supplied by local and state governments, the Bureau of Meteorology, Geoscience Australia and bushfire authorities.

GM Policy, Risk and Disaster Planning Karl Sullivan says it is another tool to help insurers price to risk and increase competition by differentiating products and developing new ones.

The council will also use the maps to show local and state governments gaps in available information. This has already led the Queensland Government to ask ICA to nominate priorities for the state’s mapping program this year.

“It helps us have a smarter conversation with governments when we present the maps on an iPad screen,” Mr Sullivan told insuranceNEWS.com.au.

“It is an advocacy tool to show where gaps in data can be filled and [it] assists governments in deciding where to allocate resources for mitigation.”

Victoria and WA have completed flood mapping, SA is almost finished and the NT is addressing data gaps. Queensland is about to start a new round of mapping that will take most of this year.

ICA will focus on getting more information from NSW this year, where maps are being supplied by the 152 individual councils rather than the state.

Lack of consistent, readily available flood mapping was highlighted in inquiries following the 2011 floods.

Mr Sullivan says greater awareness has led to councils supplying better information.