Global Earthquake Consequences Database

An international consortium is carrying out the GEMECD, or GEM Earthquake Consequences Database project, with as central product a GIS relational database. This database will serve to inform users on consequences from past events, as a benchmarking tool for analytical loss models and to support the development of tools to create vulnerability data appropriate to specific countries, structures, or building classes.

Preparation of an interface enabling impact damage from future earthquakes to be captured and uploaded to the database is also part of the project.

The project has 3 years duration, involves 10 partners worldwide and has a budget of € 800k.

The legacy of the project will be a web accessible database for the ongoing service of GEM users. For current events, GEMECD will serve as a clearing house of information, posted by users based on the standards and protocols set in the GEMECD documentation. In the long term, GEMECD will be a repository of the most relevant and validated data on consequences of the significant events of the last 40 years around the world.

Consortium
GEMECD is coordinated by CAR Ltd and furthermore has CRED, ERN-AL, GNS, KOERI, Kyoto University, Munich Re, SPA Risk and USGS as its partners. The role of each partner is explained in a dedicated page.

Workplan
The project can be described as consisting of three components, namely I) Database Design, II) Consequences Data Assembly and III) Database Use. Each element of work is split into work tasks enumerated and described in the dedicated 'Workplan' page.

Features

• In GEMECD, there will be a separation of presentation layer and storage/analysis layer and interfacing between the two using Web Service Architecture, adopting OGC (Open Geospatial Consortium) and OpenGIS Simple Features for manipulation of geospatial data.
• Working closely with the ontology and taxonomy (O&T), vulnerability and inventory capture consortia, the building typologies and grading of damage levels will be harmonised.
• Damage assessments carried out by remote sensing techniques will be critiqued and incorporated.
• Ground motion parameters from the USGS ShakeMaps (in addition to intensity adding PGA, PGV, and spectral acceleration) will be included.
• Qualitative observations of secondary hazards, infrastructure damage and social disruption from published sources will be embedded.
• CRED and MunichRe will ensure that the definitions and quality of social and economic data are consistent with user needs.

Current Activities
The project started on November 15th 2010. See for an overview of current activities and activities envisaged for the next 6-12 months the Workplan page. Apart from these activities, meetings with individual partners are currently being held.

Milestones

In the next 6 months

• Kick off meeting in February 2011 where list of events to be included in GEMECD will be decided
• Data content and GEMECD framework will be discussed and defined
• List of events in the GEM database and criteria will be reported to GEM

By the end of the first year

• Incorporate O&T standardised definitions in GEMECD
• Justification for selection of events in GEMECD (Deliverable 1)
• First Year Periodic Report to GEM
  

Presentations

• Outreach Meeting 2011

Contact
The contacts for the GEMECD project are Emily So and Antonios Pomonis. They can be reached at emily.so[at]carltd.com and apomonis[at]carltd.com.