Newsletter - December 2009 Issue

The first year of GEM comes to an end. We can proudly look back to the achievements of this year, thanks to the active participation and efforts of all of you. The pilot project GEM1 is well underway. It will provide the blueprint for GEM’s IT infrastructure, and will produce a trial global hazard model together with some exemplificative risk applications by spring 2010. With GEM1 we will have laid a solid basis for the remaining four years until the conclusion of the development of the open source Global Earthquake Risk Model.

So far seven countries have adhered as public sponsors to GEM, and promising negotiations have started with a number of other countries. 2010 will see a dedicated campaign to attract more private sponsors, too. Furthermore we have succeeded in winning six important international organizations and scientific associations as associate partners.

With regard to the scientific program the global hazard components will start working very soon, and requests for risk proposals will be posted in January 2010. A road map for the socio-economic impact module has been drafted, and will form the basis for designing RfPs in the first half of next year. Regional programmes have begun for Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean/Middle East region, as well as activities in Central Asia. We have just attended the first meeting of the Active Faults Database global component which has clearly demonstrated how important the formation of further regional programmes is for the final success of GEM. Several workshops have taken place to this effect in Africa, India, South East Asia and South America, but making these initiatives running needs further continuous attention.

Let us finish by thanking you again for all your support and contributions at various levels. With our best wishes for a continuation of Happy Holidays and a successful New Year 2010, we are

Sincerely yours

Anselm Smolka                              Rui Pinho
Chair, Governing Board                 Secretary General