Vulnerability Assessment Scoring Tool (VAST)

Developer/Partners: DOT (2015)

Relevant Hazard/Threat(s): Climate hazards

Intent: Spreadsheet tool that guides the user through conducting a quantitative, indicator-based vulnerability screen. Intended for agencies assessing how components of their transportation system may be vulnerable to climate stressors.

VAST enables users to document the vulnerability of transportation assets in a study area. The assessment includes (1) determining the scope of the vulnerability assessment, (2) selecting appropriate indicators, (3) collecting data about those indicators, and (4) devising an approach to convert raw data about indicators into scores. The result is a set of vulnerability scores that can be used to rank assets by vulnerability or inform other analyses of the results. This can be done for any combination of stressors and asset types within this Microsoft Excel®-based tool (with macros).

Inputs: User-input data on specific assets, exposure, climate data, etc.
Outputs: A score for exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity.