The general risk of sinkhole development can be evaluated by analyzing the historical frequency of new sinkhole development in the surrounding area.  Historical data about new sinkholes are used to determine sinkhole development frequency: the number of new sinkholes per square mile per year and new sinkhole size distribution.  Sinkhole frequency can be displayed on a contour map by using the weighted moving average technique.  The cell size and grid point spacing are chosen by an experienced geologist to effectively represent the data and display the results.

Applications 

Knowledge of sinkhole frequency allows one to estimate the average number of sinkholes expected to occur each year in an area of any given size or conversely, the average number of years that are expected to pass between sinkhole development events at a given site.  Quantified estimates of sinkhole development frequency and size distribution allow engineers to estimate the potential loss that could result for sinkhole development and justify an appropriate amount to spend on sinkhole mitigation.

Database

SEI maintains customized copies of the Sinkhole Inventory prepared by the Florida Sinkhole Research Institute  (FSRI) [1984-1992], University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.  FSRI is no longer operational, but SEI continues to actively update the database.  Ours is the most complete and up-to-date new sinkhole database available.  The Florida Sinkhole Database is available as a spreadsheet (Lotus 12-2-3 or Excel).  Risk analysis can be performed in GIS programs by location such as county of by physiographic province.