Over half a million people died in the last decade due to earthquakes and tsunamis, most of these in the developing world, where the risk is increasing due to rapid population growth and urbanization. But in many earthquake-prone regions no hazard models exist, and even where models do exist, they are often inaccessible. Better risk awareness can reduce the toll that earthquakes take by leading to better construction, improved emergency response, and greater access to insurance.
By functioning as a true community effort, the GEM initiative will produce a state-of-the-art, dynamic and open-source model for the assessment of seismic risk worldwide; a model that is based on the probabilistic assessment of earthquake occurrence, the resulting ground motions, and the impact these have on structures and populations in terms of damage, social and economic loss. GEM software and tools will allow for hazard and risk assessment, will include tools for analysis of socio-economic impact and will be available through an open web-based community platform.
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For further information on GEM you may download below the recently produced GEM brochure [June 2010], providing you with an overview of GEM's goals and strategy, or the more detailed GEM booklet [October 2009], of 24 pages. A new version of the booklet will appear in the summer of 2010. Both items can also be obtained in printed version; please send us an email.
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