ANCOLD LifeSim & TotalRisk Training Seminars

In August, 128 people attended training in the theory and application of LifeSim and/or TotalRisk. The training was hosted by ANCOLD across two weeks in Brisbane (August 7-11) and Melbourne (August 14-18) at Engineers Australia’s offices.

LifeSim is a model for simulating the potential life loss and economic damages from catastrophic flooding (https://www.rmc.usace.army.mil/Software/LifeSim/). TotalRisk is designed for developing risk assessments specific to dams and levees (https://www.rmc.usace.army.mil/Software/RMC-TotalRisk/).

The training was provided by Jason Needham and Woody Fields, who both work in the Risk Management Centre at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. They have led the conceptualisation and development of LifeSim and TotalRisk, and the use of these software in the risk-based management of USACE’s portfolio of dams and levees.

Those attending the training included dam owners, regulators and consultants in locations across Australia, and from New Zealand and Japan. The feedback was very positive and included quotes that the training was “very well structured”, “highly informative”, “engaging” and that “Jason and Woody in particular should be commended for the benefit this will provide to the Australian (and international) dams industry.”

Thanks to Benson Liu and Hench Wang of HARC for assisting Jason and Woody during the training workshops, to Colleen Baker (GHD; ANCOLD Director) for helping to organise the event, and to Michelle Miller (Lieshman Associates) for coordinating logistics.

Some photos are provided below, including one of Jason wearing his special speaker’s gift from ANCOLD.