News Strengthening Global Earthquake Resilience: GEM’s Role at 3CroCEE 2025 By: Apr 5, 2025 Mar 31, 2025 Share Facebook LinkedIn The Third Croatian Conference on Earthquake Engineering (3CroCEE) recently concluded in Split, Croatia, reaffirming the importance of international collaboration in advancing seismic risk reduction. This year’s event brought together a community of researchers, engineers, and policymakers from the Balkans and beyond - both as keynote speakers and participants - to address challenges in seismic hazard assessment and promote strategies for protecting vulnerable and culturally significant areas such as Split. As a platform dedicated to seismic risk awareness, 3CroCEE played a vital role in encouraging dialogue on integrating research findings into practical measures. The conference highlighted the need for risk-informed planning and innovative engineering solutions, particularly in regions prone to seismic activity. GEM’s participation at 3CroCEE reflected its commitment to advancing earthquake resilience through collaboration and knowledge sharing. Helen Crowley, GEM Secretary General, delivered a keynote lecture titled “Why Seismic Hazard Modelling Has Become a Risky Business.” In her presentation, Crowley explored the evolving challenges in updates to seismic hazard models and their implications for risk reduction efforts. The conference also featured a dynamic session led by Vitor Silva, GEM Head of Risk Engineering, who co-chaired the “Risk Uncertainty Brawl” with Paolo Bazzurro and Dimitrios Vamvatsikos. This interactive session included a debate between the three experts regarding the main driver of uncertainty in risk. The session’s engaging format encouraged participants to critically examine the assumptions behind risk models, provoking a deeper understanding of their application in real-world scenarios. In the end, future directions and new developments in seismic risk modelling were also presented. Helen Crowley’s keynote and Vitor Silva’s session demonstrated GEM’s proactive approach to addressing the evolving nature of seismic risk assessment. Their participation not only contributed to the technical discourse but also reinforced the value of global cooperation in enhancing earthquake resilience. GEM’s involvement at 3CroCEE underscores the foundation’s ongoing dedication to improving earthquake risk understanding and promoting resilient practices worldwide. No images found. GALLERY 1/7 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS

Publications Critical Issues in Earthquake Scenario Loss Modeling Share Facebook LinkedIn Download 2016 | Peer-reviewed The assessment of human or economic losses due to single events (scenario) may effectively support decision makers in the development of important risk mitigation actions. The study presented herein sheds light on several problems and limitations in the current practice of scenario loss modeling, such as: the number of simulations required to achieve convergence; epistemic and aleatory uncertainty in the ground motion prediction and vulnerability models; and consideration of the earthquake rupture geometry. These issues are investigated using the Metropolitan Area of Lisbon (Portugal), and it has been observed that distinct assumptions in the loss modeling can lead to considerably different results. The findings of this study are also pertinent for probabilistic seismic risk analyses in which a large number of stochastically generated events are employed to assess probabilistic losses.

News Risk understanding in South Eastern Europe By: Jul 2, 2018 Share Facebook LinkedIn Exciting opportunities for GEM’s possible support to understanding risk in South Eastern Europe (SEE) is one of the outcomes of the 31st DPPI (Disaster Preparedness and Prevention Initiative) SEE Regional Meeting held in Sarajevo on November 3-4, 2015. The Italian Department for Civil Protection (DPC) facilitated GEM’s participation at this important meeting. The DPPI was established in 2000 by the Stability Pact for South Eastern Europe in an effort to contribute to the development of a cohesive regional strategy for disaster preparedness and prevention for its member States. Following the directions of the Sendai Framework, as well as the requirements for EU membership, risk assessment has become increasingly important in the region and a priority for most of the DPPI countries in which there is still a need for better understanding of disaster risk. The presentation of GEM, its resources and work in regions around the world was seen as a potentially valuable contribution to satisfying the SEE region’s needs for better risk understanding. Three specific GEM-supported activities were discussed:- Enhancing local capacities through regional training workshops on risk assessment- Implementation of a pilot project on incorporation of new hazard and risk information in Seismic Codes for compliance with EU regulations, and- Implementation of a pilot project on a multi-hazard approach to provide integrated Flood-Earthquake risk assessments. International organizations such as the UNDP Regional Office, UN-OCHA, the German Initiative for Exchange of Experts in Civil Protection and the UNDP Office for Bosnia and - Herzegovina responded positively to the possibility of collaboration with GEM in the region, with the DPPI Secretariat expressing their willingness to coordinate such activities. SEE member countries Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, also inquired about collaboration and sponsorship. Meanwhile, concrete steps are already being taken. In close coordination with the International Center on Environmental Monitoring (CIMA) Foundation, in Italy, and the Italian Department for Civil Protection, GEM is preparing a proposal for a pilot project on integrated flood and earthquake risk assessment in the South Eastern Europe region. After consultation with key partners, the proposal will be submitted to the EU, for a funding call which is anticipated in early in 2016. No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS

News Why support GEM – perspectives from GEM current and prospective sponsors and partners By: Jul 2, 2018 Share Facebook LinkedIn Sponsors and collaborators from governments, insurance/reinsurance sectors, catastrophe modelers and insurance brokers gathered on November 29 for this year’s Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Partners Workshop to share the impact of GEM and its products and services to their programs and business practices. OpenQuake – a public standard for seismic hazard and risk assessment Daniela Di Bucci, presenting on behalf of the Scientific Advisory Unit of the Department of Civil Protection (INGV) – a public sponsor since 2009, said that the use of GEM OpenQuake software for Civil Protection purposes in Italy is a well-established practice in the seismic risk assessment field. In similar fashion, Canada represented by Phil Hill of Natural Resources Canada, uses GEM OpenQuake models to assess seismic risk and to inform disaster risk reduction (DRR) planning in British Columbia as well as for updating their National Seismic Hazard model of 2015. GNS Science New Zealand representative Kelvin Berryman, who has participated in GEM key events since 2006 – the year the GEM idea was born – acknowledged that GEM has much more to offer now than before, citing GEM’s successful development of a 21st century seismic risk assessment software – OpenQuake, and addressing the challenges of global database standards for risk assessment. GFZ/Germany representative Graeme Weatherill quoted the application of OQ in Central Asia (EMCA) and for the Dead Sea region. He further added that OQ forms an integral part of GFZ/UNESCO training courses on seismic hazard and risk. BGS/UK’s John Rees stated widespread use of OQ and GEM products across UK institutions. In Nepal, NSET representative Surya Shrestha shared that they have successfully used GEM's RPS-resilience performance scorecard method to educate local communities in disaster risk reduction planning at municipal level. NSET also used OpenQuake for national hazard and risk modeling. Closing the protection gap: GEM and private sector partnerships Leading insurers and reinsurers of the world, Hannover Re and Zurich, echoed the same perspective. More than the software benefits, Hannover Re representative Jörg Steffensen points out that Hannover Re’s partnership with GEM, which now spans almost a decade, has expanded in-house expertise on earthquake risk and strengthened their overall internal and external risk management processes, contributing to better client services. Zurich’s Claudio Boettcher underscored that working with GEM is not only good for humanity but for business as well. Zurich is one of the first key private sponsors that boldly invested significant funds for GEM’s work programs on seismic hazard and risk assessment in order to develop more understanding of earthquake impacts and to promote better management of the risk. FM Global’s Hosam Ali introduced their work on using OQ for China and improving the software in general. OYO Corporation’s Nobuhiko Toyama described their use of OQ for client services, including OQ training and translating the manual into Japanese to reach more stakeholders. E DF’s Gloria Senfaute commented that OQ qualifies as the best choice when moving to probabilistic models for NPP regulation. Openness and transparency Insurance brokers Aon-Benfield, Guy Carpenter and Willis Towers Watson (GEM work program 1 sponsor) all agreed that GEM’s approach to risk assessment and model development is trail blazing and a game-changer because of OQ’s transparency and replicability. Adam Podlaha, Head of Aon-Benfield’s Impact Forecasting, adds that the GEM brand carries a lot of weight because of its scientific credibility. Internationally acknowledged Capping the 1-day event, the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) urged GEM to bring collective experience to address the challenges that UNISDR have to navigate over the next 20 years in understanding inter-dependencies in the risk landscape. Marc Gordon, representing UNISDR at the event, appealed to GEM to become a central part of determining how to move forward in bringing expertise, data and knowledge together to guide international risk management policy. The GEM Partners Workshop is held twice a year with the objective of bringing partners together to gather feedback on GEM products, services and activities. No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS

News OpenQuake stakeholder survey: second round By: Sep 21, 2020 Share Facebook LinkedIn We are happy to announce the second round of GEM’s OpenQuake stakeholder survey. We have revised and adjusted the questions based on the initial results and responses. We are hoping that the improved survey questionnaire will make the process better for the second batch of respondents. The survey invitation will be released on and will run for three weeks. Watch this space for future updates. No images found. GALLERY 1/0 Gallery VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS

Seismic Regulations for Chile This page describes the seismic regulations that have been introduced in Chile since 1935, along with the seismic zonation maps associated with each code, and our estimated fraction of the building stock designed according to the different code levels. If you find incorrect or missing information on this page, please provide your feedback using the form linked at the bottom. Current Seismic Design Regulation The current seismic design regulation in Chile is NCh 433-1996 Mod.2012. The most recent official update to this standard was in 2012, which includes modifications to Supreme Decree No. 61 . According to this decree, the regulation was adjusted and supplemented based on the information from the damages caused by the February 2010 earthquake. This regulation will remain in effect until the INN (Instituto Nacional de Normalización) develops a new technical standard, which needs to be declared the Official Standard of the Republic of Chile by a Supreme Decree from the Minvu (Ministerio de Vivienda y Urbanismo). The Chilean standard is available in Spanish and is subject to a fee. Evolution of design regulations and seismic zonations Category Code Year of introduction Enforcement Seismic zonation Low code OGUC-1935 1935 C - Low code OGC-1949 1949 C - Moderate code NCh 433-1972 1972 B - High Code NCh 433-1993 1993 A Download High Code NCh 433-1996 1996 A Download High Code NCh 433-1996 Mod.2009 2009 A Download High Code NCh 433-1996 Mod.2012 2012 A Download Description of each regulation, including a link to access the document if available: OGUC-1935: Ley y Ordenanza General Sobre Construcciones y Urbanización de 1935 OGC-1949: Ordenanza General de Construcciones de 1949 NCh 433-1972: Norma Chilena Oficial, Cálculo Antisísmico de Edificios de 1972 NCh 433-1993: Norma Chilena Oficial, Diseño Sísmico de Edificios de 1993 NCh 433-1996: Norma Chilena Oficial, Diseño Sísmico de Edificios de 1996 (Modified in 2009 and 2012 ) Estimated fractions by code level for the country Estimated fractions by code level per region Send us your feedback or observations

Publications Executive summary Urban seismic risk assessment for the cities of Quito, Cali and Santiago de los Caballeros Share Facebook LinkedIn Download 2022 | Report This seismic risk component at urban level covers the development of uniform, open and transparent datasets for the urban building inventory (exposure model), the physical response of the infrastructure under seismic loads (vulnerability model), and the assessment of the impact from earthquakes, along with risk metrics required for the development of risk reduction plans.

Publications Exploring earthquake databases for the creation of magnitude-homogeneous catalogues: tools for application on a regional and global scale Share Facebook LinkedIn Download 2016 | Peer-reviewed The creation of a magnitude-homogenized catalogue is often one of the most fundamental steps in seismic hazard analysis. The process of homogenizing multiple catalogues of earthquakes into a single unified catalogue typically requires careful appraisal of available bulletins, identification of common events within multiple bulletins and the development and application of empirical models to convert from each catalogue's native scale into the required target. The database of the International Seismological Center (ISC) provides the most exhaustive compilation of records from local bulletins, in addition to its reviewed global bulletin. New open-source tools are developed that can utilize this, or any other compiled database, to explore the relations between earthquake solutions provided by different recording networks, and to build and apply empirical models in order to harmonize magnitude scales for the purpose of creating magnitude-homogeneous earthquake catalogues. These tools are described and their application illustrated in two different contexts. The first is a simple application in the Sub-Saharan Africa region where the spatial coverage and magnitude scales for different local recording networks are compared, and their relation to global magnitude scales explored. In the second application the tools are used on a global scale for the purpose of creating an extended magnitude-homogeneous global earthquake catalogue. Several existing high-quality earthquake databases, such as the ISC-GEM and the ISC Reviewed Bulletins, are harmonized into moment magnitude to form a catalogue of more than 562 840 events. This extended catalogue, while not an appropriate substitute for a locally calibrated analysis, can help in studying global patterns in seismicity and hazard, and is therefore released with the accompanying software.

Publications A Database and Empirical Model for Earthquake Post Loss Amplification Share Facebook LinkedIn Download 2024 | Peer-reviewed The impact of destructive earthquakes might exceed the local capacity to cope with disasters and lead to an increase in the reconstruction costs. This phenomenon is commonly termed as post-loss amplification, and its main causes include the increase in the cost of construction materials and labor due to the sudden demand, the need to reconstruct following higher standards, or other unexpected costs. We reviewed 70 past earthquakes to identify events where post-loss amplification was observed, and collected a set of seismogenic, socio-economic, geographical, and impact variables for those events. Using this database, we developed two models to predict post-loss amplification, using a composite indicator that reflects the level of destruction in the region, or a parameter that characterizes the frequency of the event. This study indicates increased costs (>10%) for events where the economic losses exceed 1% of the regional gross domestic product, or for events with an estimated return period of at least 10 years. These models can be applied directly in the amplification of economic losses in earthquake scenarios or in probabilistic seismic risk assessment.

Publications OpenQuake engine installation guide Share Facebook LinkedIn Download 2018 | User manual The OpenQuake Engine software provides calculation and assessment of seismic hazard, risk and decision-making tools via the data, methods and standards that are being developed by GEM (Global Earthquake Model) and its collaborators. The seismic hazard calculations of the OpenQuake Engine are powered by the OpenQuake Hazard Library and OpenQuake Risk Library Both libraries were built by the OpenQuake team to serve as a fast, stable, and lightweight alternative to existing risk and hazard libraries. To get involved in OpenQuake, join us on IRC (irc.freenode.net) in the #openquake channel by using an IRC client or via web at http://webchat.freenode.net. You can also submit questions, comments, or support requests to our OpenQuake users mailing list: http://groups.google.com/group/openquake-users. You can find more information about the project at http://www.globalquakemodel.org/tools-products