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The workshop, held at GEM’s Headquarters in Pavia, Italy from March 15-17, 2017 gathered more than 20 experts and scientists from different parts of the world – Europe, Nepal, China, Thailand and Japan – representing public and private sectors.

Speaking on behalf of the Chinese Earthquake Administration participants, Mengtan Gao, Deputy Director of the Institute of Geophysics, underscores the importance of the workshop saying, “This workshop is important for China Earthquake Administration because we learned new techniques and methodologies in seismic hazard assessment, particularly those being used here in Europe”.

He adds further, “Our young seismologists can take these learnings back to China and apply them to the next generation of seismic hazard maps that China plans to develop next year”. Mengtan Gao (R) has served the China Earthquake Administration for 36 years. He hopes to build the capacity of his young colleagues in seismic assessment through GEM’s OpenQuake engine.

While other participants are just beginning to understand and appreciate OpenQuake Engine, the General Insurance Rating Organization of Japan (GIROJ) has started translating the users’ manual into Japanese. Mr. Suguru of GIROJ says, “GEM’s OpenQuake engine is the global standard tool for seismic hazard and risk analyses. We are translating the manual so more of our partners and colleagues can use the engine.”

Mr. Suguru has a background in applied mathematics and is leading the translation of GEM’s OpenQuake engine manual into Japanese in GIROJ. Capacity development is one of the major activities of GEM to help build national and local technical capacities in hazard and risk assessment around the world.

Being at the cusp of completing Work Programme 2, GEM is gearing up to implement a training program on how to use various tools freely available at OpenQuake platform for its various partners and stakeholders at national and regional levels. Participants from NSET Nepal discuss with John Schneider, GEM Secretary General, plans to re-echo what they have learned from the workshop at national level.

Sujan Raj and Kapil believe that translating the OpenQuake manual would help their colleagues in adapting the tool for analyzing seismic hazard and risk data of Nepal.Maria del Puy of ZAMG, “We are a small organization and just starting up. We participated in this workshop because of OpenQuake engine’s open and transparent development approach. This is what attracted us to use and try it. So far this workshop has given us a good idea of what the engine can do.”