News What role will GEM play as the risk landscape and associated demand evolve between now and 2030? By: Dec 13, 2021 Share Facebook LinkedIn A world that is resilient to earthquakes and other natural hazards will continue to be GEM’s vision over the next decade. The mission to 2030 also calls for GEM to become a global leader in the integrated, multi-hazard risk assessment and resilience planning domain. GEM’s strategy and roadmap to 2030 is underpinned by the global drivers for disaster risk reduction and sustainability - namely the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement on climate change, and the Sustainable Development Goals – and by its four core values: openness, collaboration, public good and credibility. GEM’s approach is further placed in the context of the evolution of the science and technology of risk modelling and user needs to address systemic and cascading risks for multi-hazards. GEM plans to maintain its global leadership in earthquake hazard and risk assessment, while at the same time leveraging its broader capabilities, such as in exposure modelling, into partnerships addressing the effects of climate change. GEM will also leverage its public-private partnership approach and collaboration network to support the development of risk solutions and improve resilience including through insurance/risk financing, as well as risk mitigation and reduction through urban planning and building regulation. Watch this space for more updates in early 2022. No images found. GALLERY 1/2 Gallery VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News GEM Stakeholder Engagement in South America By: Jul 2, 2018 Share Facebook LinkedIn GEM Secretary General John Schneider and Physical Risk Engineer Catalina Yepes visited stakeholders in South America from 16-25 October to discuss earthquake risk assessment activities in the region. Meetings were held in Quito, Ecuador; Bogota and Medellin, Colombia; and Santiago, Chile. The stakeholder visits were highlighted by meetings on various earthquake risk assessment topics as well as an earthquake risk workshop in Santiago, Chile. GEM met with regional and national public and private institutions with critical roles in public infrastructure development and disaster risk reduction. A key highlight was a meeting between SURAMERICANA and GEM together with Chile’s insurance regulator SVS (Superintendencia de Valores y Seguros de Chile) to discuss the collaboration between GEM and SURAMERICANA on the use of GEM’s OpenQuake and the development of improved risk models for application to insurance underwriting. The GEM-SURAMERICANA collaboration is important in demonstrating SURAMERICANA’s commitment to developing and using the highest quality data and expertise in its insurance practice in Chile. GEM and SURAMERICANA also discussed progress on its current project to extend the results of the South America Risk Assessment project (SARA). Ongoing work includes improvements to the GEM Taxonomy and inventory data capture tools (IDCT) and development of building vulnerability models from lessons learned from the recent earthquakes in Mexico. In addition to the meetings, CIGIDEN (Centro de Investigación para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres) (http://cigiden.cl/en/) and GEM ogranized a workshop on GEM’s OpenQuake engine for the Universidad Catolica de Chile and partners in Santiago, Chile. With the introduction of GEM’s OpenQuake engine and analysis tools for hazard and risk assessments, CIGIDEN plans to continue collaboration activities with GEM. Topics of interest include extending current capabilities into the vulnerability of infrastructure systems, earthquake-triggered tsunami, and social vulnerability & resilience. GEM also met ONEMI (Ministerio del Interior y Seguridad Publica, http://www.onemi.cl/), Chile’s civil protection agency, whose representatives expressed interest in using GEM tools for emergency response planning. In Quito, Ecuador, John and Catalina met officials from Ecuador-Quito Municipality and professors from Universidad Católica to discuss interests in collaborating on OQ training, and the development of an earthquake risk assessment study of Quito. They also participated in a workshop on natural hazard risks as part of the one-year anniversary of the World Habitat III conference held last year in Quito. As a result of this association, GEM is also collaborating with the 100 Resilient Cities Program in Quito. In Bogota, Colombia, John and Catalina discussed current and potential collaborations with the SGC (Colombian Geological Survey) and UNGRD (Colombian National Disaster Unit for Disaster Risk Management). GEM is currently working with the SGC on the development of a new national earthquake hazard model. GEM also plans to work with the SGC on the USAID funded CRAVE project (Collaborative Risk Assessment for Volcanoes and Earthquakes) to develop a probabilistic risk assessment approach for volcanic eruptions that can be incorporated into OQ. GEM, SGC and UNGRD also discussed mutual interests in extending current work to include capacity building workshops on risk assessment and the development of a risk assessment program to assess earthquake risk at the municipal level across Colombia. In Medellin, Colombia, the discussion focused on interest in a case study on multi-hazard urban risk (earthquake, landslides and floods) using GEM tools in collaboration with AMVA (Municipality of Medellin and the Metropolitan region for the Aburra Valley); SIATA (Early Warning System of Medellin and the Aburra Valley); and EAFIT University. GEM also discussed opportunities for risk assessment of critical lifelines from a major earthquake impact with EPM (Empresa de Servicios Püblicos de Colombia), and ISA (Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. E.S.P ISA). EPM is a public company owned by the Municipality of Medellin that provides electricity, gas, water, sanitation and telecommunications services; and ISA is a private company that provides services for electric power transmission, road concessions, telecommunication, and management of real-time systems for Colombia, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, Panama and Central America. EPM and ISA both expressed interest in working with GEM to develop better understanding of infrastructure system impacts from earthquakes and, in turn, the impacts of major system failures on the communities that depend on their services. In a meeting also in Medellin, GEM met with representatives of the Municipality of Cali (Departamento Administrativo de Planeación Municipal) and earthquake experts from Corporación Osso (http://www.osso.org.co/). OSSO is a non-profit and public benefit organization dedicated to developing methodologies and technologies for earth sciences and disaster prevention. Currently OSSO is using GEM’s tools in a pilot project for a detailed urban risk assessment of a district in Cali. They expressed interest in providing IT support for GEM IDCT tools development, and in working with GEM to develop a comprehensive risk assessment project for Cali. In summary, the SARA project resulted in improved hazard and risk assessment information and analysis capabilities in the Andean countries of South America. The project resulted in collaborations between experts in different countries, between national, sub-national and local governments, and between the public, private and academic sectors. There is now a clear interest across these sectors to improve the resolution and accuracy of risk assessments at national to local scales, and, in particular, to work with GEM and to use OpenQuake to better understand earthquake risk at urban scale. With the success of the stakeholders visits in Colombia, Ecuador and Chile, GEM is now preparing and planning the next steps towards strengthening its partnerships and collaborations on earthquake risk assessment with public, private and academic partners in the coming months. No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News GEM tools well-received in Risk Workshop By: Jul 2, 2018 Share Facebook LinkedIn With capacity building and technology transfer as part of the GEM Foundation's four key strategic priorities, it was heartening to see the enthusiastic and positive response to a range of improvements in both technology and training material at the annual Risk Training Workshop in Pavia in late October, 2015.In a full and intense programme, the GEM Risk Team, led by Vitor Silva, introduced guest speakers from our collaborative partner organisations to inspire participants with practical applications of the GEM tools. For instance, Julia Schaefer explained how our products have been applied by Hannover Re in insurance loss modelling; Barbara Borzi demonstrated how the EUCENTRE uses them for earthquake loss estimation and Surya Shrestha, from Nepal's National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET), presented their potential applications in post-earthquake recovery. With over 30 participants from around the world, attendees had the chance to not only test the new tools in action, but also to apply them with their own local data in the practical aspects of the training. In a novel approach to post-training support, the Risk Team has developed video materials as an adjunct to the existing technical manuals, to reinforce and refresh the learning once the participants return home. Additionally, discussion with participants has paved the way for further collaborative efforts, with Indonesia, Iran, South Africa and Australia expressing interest in starting or expanding partnerships which will lead to better understanding of earthquake risk and its integration into disaster risk reduction (DRR) planning. No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News Advancing Seismic Safety: Updates on GEM’s Global Seismic Regulations Database Initiative By: Dec 17, 2024 Dec 4, 2024 Share Facebook LinkedIn The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation has been working on the Global Seismic Regulations Database and Mapping initiative since March 2024, a collaborative effort to document and analyze seismic design regulations worldwide. With initial studies focused on South America, this activity is already providing valuable insights into how building codes influence earthquake resilience. GEM is inviting public sector organizations, academic institutions, and technical experts to contribute data and join the effort to improve seismic safety globally. Progress to Date GEM’s initial focus has been on understanding the history and impact of seismic design regulations in seven South American countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. These efforts have revealed critical information about the evolution of building codes in these nations, the changes they introduced to structural design, and their representation in the current building stock, as reflected in the distribution of buildings across seismic code levels, ranging from lower to higher standards. The findings reveal that approximately only 20% of the total building stock - and 55% of reinforced concrete buildings - in these countries were constructed under some level of seismic design regulation. Key Highlights: Chile : A regional leader in seismic code development, Chile was the first country to incorporate seismic design considerations in the 30s and has maintained robust modern regulations since the 70s, establishing itself as one of the most prepared nations in the region. Venezuela and Ecuador : The development of seismic codes in Venezuela has followed a trajectory similar to that of Chile, making it one of the first countries in the region to introduce seismic regulations, with Ecuador following closely behind. The transitions between low, moderate, and high code levels in both countries have been closely aligned with global advancements in seismic standards. However, compared to Chile, both countries are estimated to have lower levels of code enforcement. Notably, Ecuador has a significantly higher percentage of its building stock constructed under some level of seismic design regulation compared to Venezuela. Nevertheless, Venezuela has a larger total number of buildings than Ecuador. Bolivia : Bolivia was the last country in South America to introduce a mandatory seismic design code. As a result, it has the highest percentage of buildings among the analysed countries that do not comply with any seismic regulation. Colombia: Colombia's first mandatory seismic code was introduced after the 1980s, reflecting the design standard advancements of that era. Consequently, a significant portion of Colombia's building stock constructed after the 1980s is classified under moderate and high seismic design levels. However, due to the relatively recent introduction of its first code, a considerable percentage of the inventory consists of buildings that do not comply with the country's seismic regulations. Peru and Argentina: Both countries implemented their first seismic design regulations in 1970, and they exhibit similar levels of code enforcement. However, in Peru, a higher percentage of the total building stock has been constructed under some level of seismic design regulation compared to Argentina. By linking building stock to seismic code levels - ranging from no design to high code considerations - GEM has created models that represent the percentage of buildings constructed under different standards’ levels. Structures classified as “no code” are particularly vulnerable, often lacking essential provisions to resist seismic forces. In contrast, those built under “high code” standards are designed to perform adequately during ground shaking. These models not only provide a more comprehensive input for seismic risk assessments but also serve as valuable tools for understanding the critical role of robust construction practices in saving lives, reducing economic losses, and enhancing community resilience against earthquake risks. What’s Next The next phase of the initiative will expand to additional regions and countries and refine existing models with more detailed data. GEM also plans to continuously update the database, also in collaboration with GEM associate partner UNESCO, to reflect new regulations, ensuring it remains a dynamic and reliable resource for engineers, urban planners, and policymakers. These efforts aim to promote safer construction practices and support the development of risk-reduction strategies worldwide. A Call to Collaborate This initiative highlights the importance of understanding and implementing seismic regulations as a key part of protecting communities from earthquake risks. GEM invites public sector partners, academics, and private organisations to contribute to this growing resource or explore opportunities to collaborate as sponsors or technical partners. Together, we can expand the reach of this vital work and help ensure that vulnerable communities are better prepared. For more information or to discuss partnership opportunities, visit GEM's seismic regulations page: https://www.globalquakemodel.org/national-seismic-regulations . No images found. GALLERY 1/3 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News GEM in 2015 By: Jul 2, 2018 Share Facebook LinkedIn GEM looks back to an eventful year 2015, starting with the successful launch of the OpenQuake platform in January. The tools, data and products on the platform have found rapidly increasing acceptance in earthquake risk assessment and its application for disaster risk reduction worldwide. Further highlights were our active participation in the 3rd UN WCDRR in Sendai in March, the finalization of the first GEM managed regional project SARA for South America, and the start of a similar project in Sub-Saharan Africa. Soon after the Sendai Conference a terrible earthquake struck Nepal in April. In the spirit of GEM’s core value of “working together” GEM provides assistance to its local partner NSET, the Nepal Society for Earthquake Technology, to contribute to the creation of a disaster resilient Nepal. The program of this long-term collaboration has been presented to the Government of Nepal by NSET and GEM in early December. We want to express our sincere thanks to the GEM staff, to our sponsors and collaboration partners, and to the whole GEM family for their continued support which has made all these achievements possible and lays the basis for fulfilling GEM’s vision - a world where disaster resilience is common practice.With best wishes for a successful and prosperous year 2016 to all of you, Mauro Dolce Anselm SmolkaChairman, Governing Board Secretary General No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News Strong GEM presence in Geneva helps bridge the gap between Science, Technology and DRR By: Jul 2, 2018 Share Facebook LinkedIn During UNISDR's Science and Technology Conference (#science4sendai), GEM's team is looking forward to reaching out to agencies interested in collaborating to make the world a safer place. Through the active work of its partners, sponsors, associates and Secretariat, the GEM Foundation is daily supporting the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). However, during the final week of January 2016, a multi-national, experienced and dedicated team of GEM representatives is visiting Geneva to assist in bridging the gap between Science, Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). The following links offer more information about our preparation for Geneva, the posters which have been accepted for display, as well as a brief overview of how our Open Source solutions can support DRR efforts worldwide:- Preparing for Geneva - http://bit.ly/1Umio0y - Flyer: HOW CAN THE GEM FOUNDATION’S DATASETS, MODELS AND TOOLS ASSIST YOU IN EACH PHASE OF DRR DECISION MAKING? - http://bit.ly/1Tk0TQ4 - Poster: Improving knowledge of earthquake risk worldwide - http://bit.ly/1QvFWB0 - Poster: Improving global capacity in earthquake risk assessment - http://bit.ly/1PwcWu3 - Poster: Assessing national seismic risk with the OpenQuake suite of tools - http://bit.ly/1lKGh5W - Poster: Making advances in science and technology available for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) planning in middle and low-income countries - http://bit.ly/1RIQOgdIf you are in Geneva for the conference, please reach out to any of the team members listed below, or save their email addresses for post-event follow-up. The GEM Team in Geneva at #science4sendai : John Schneider - GEM's incoming Secretary General, John has represented GeoScience Australia on our Board since 2009. Mauro Dolce - Chair of GEM's Governing Board, Mauro is the Director General of the Italian Department of Civil Protection. Louis Gritzo - GEM's Board Member, Lou is the Vice President, Research for FM Global, one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers. John Rees - Risk Research Champion for the UK Research Council, John is a keen advocate for GEM's Open Source solutions. [removed]Surya Narayan Shrestha - Surya-ji represents one of GEM's implementing partners, the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET). [removed]Vitor Silva - GEM's Seismic Risk Coordinator, Vitor is responsible for the development of the OpenQuake-engine (risk) and other supporting tools. Chris Wardle - GEM's Fund-raiser, Chris has a brief to diversify and grow GEM's resource base. No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News OQ Engine used in a nuclear SHA project By: Jul 2, 2018 Share Facebook LinkedIn It is well acknowledged that some facilities, such as the nuclear ones, require particular caution when it comes to the calculation of levels of ground motion to be used for design and risk assessment. In other words, the calculation process for an area selected to host nuclear facilities should comply with some specific requirements in terms of Quality Assurance, along the same line of what is achieved in the model building process through the application of the procedure proposed by the SSHAC (Senior Seismic Hazard Analysis Committee that developed SSHAC guidelines which can be used in the development of PSHA input models or in PSHA studies). Taking as a case study the Thyspunt site in South Africa, where Eskom is planning to build some nuclear power plants, a group of scientists including two members of the GEM hazard team proposed a procedure based on the use of the OpenQuake Engine guaranteeing that minimum quality levels in the calculation of hazard are met. They carried out a study to verify the original logic tree calculations and to compare them against the ones obtained with a different software and an independent implementation. After a wide range of tests, the OQ Engine was able to effectively mimic calculations performed by the previous software proving the reproducibility of original calculations and the consistency between its results and the ones computed with the initial software. The result, besides being an international validation of the OpenQuake-engine, represents an interesting contribution in the field of nuclear applications. It demonstrates quality and effectiveness of the testing process adopted by the development team in the implementation of hazard models as well as in the implementation of the software itself. No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News Vitor Silva et al. receive the 2020 Outstanding Paper Award for Development of a Global Seismic Risk Model from Earthquake Engineering Research Institute By: Dec 13, 2021 Share Facebook LinkedIn The paper which describes the Global Earthquake Hazard and Risk maps released by GEM in December 2018, was a result of a long and extensive collaboration with local, national, regional and international institutions worldwide. Download link: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F8755293019899953 Authors: Vitor Silva, Desmond Amo-Oduro, Alejandro Calderon Carpio, Catarina Costa, Jamal Dabbeek, Venetia Despotaki, Luis Martins, Marco Pagani, Anirudh Rao, Michele Simionato, Daniele Viganò, Catalina Yepes Estrada, Ana Beatriz Acevedo, Helen Crowley, Nick Horspool, Kishor Jaiswal, Murray Journeay, Massimiliano Pittore. EERI official announcement: https://www.eeri.org/about-eeri/news/11477-vitor-silva-et-al-receive-2020-outstanding-paper-award-for-development-of-a-global-seismic-risk-model David Wald, Editor-in-Chief, Earthquake Spectra: “This is a wonderful recognition for GEM as a milestone - the global risk model was just a vision—an aspiration—when GEM started. Now it's a reality, that is well summarized by this paper. GEM has really accomplished great things, and this recognition is so well deserved. I think this is going to be a highly cited paper. So for the journal, this is a great paper to have and we're proud to publish it. I congratulate all of you.” EERI citation for the award: The Development of a Global Seismic Risk Model was a mammoth undertaking that involved hundreds of people and for the first time presented a detailed view of seismic risk at the global scale. For some developing countries, this was the first time that a seismic risk map was produced, and the associated country profiles are being used by the local authorities. The development and delivery of a modern global seismic risk model required unprecedented technical, algorithmic, coding, databasing, and collaborative research and development - all well documented by Silva et al. Noting its importance, all three reviewers recommended this seminal paper for an award. Vitor Silva, lead author and GEM Risk Team Coordinator: “On behalf of all the co-authors, I would like to thank all our partners and collaborators for your invaluable contributions. Without your support, this would not have been possible. The collaboration across public, private and academic sectors worldwide has been truly exceptional. We share this award and honor with you.” John Schneider, GEM Secretary General: “It has been more than a decade now since GEM started this initiative. Hundreds of collaborators from diverse organizations around the world worked together for many years to produce the global maps. This award from EERI is another testament to the impact of GEM’s work in the global earthquake hazard and risk assessment space.” This paper was released as a part of the 2020 Earthquake Spectra Special Issue titled GEM's 2018 global hazard and risk models. “Although the paper was released only last year, it has already garnered 44 citations and 1,800 views on the Earthquake Spectra SAGE portal.” - David Wald on the paper’s online performance to date. For more information about the Outstanding Paper Award, visit the EERI awards page . No images found. GALLERY 1/1 Gallery VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News Building Resilience for the Next Big One: The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation at the AXA XL Science Team Event By: Jul 8, 2024 Jun 13, 2024 Share Facebook LinkedIn In June, the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation participated in the AXA XL Science Team event, "Between Shaking and Climate: How We Build Resilience for the Next Large Event." Held on June 13th, 2024, in London and virtually, the event explored strategies for enhancing preparedness and building resilience against future natural disasters in a changing climate. GEM Secretary General, Helen Crowley, presented a comprehensive overview of the foundation's work in earthquake risk assessment. Helen's presentation covered GEM's mission and the valuable resources being currently offered, including datasets, models, and software specifically designed for earthquake risk assessment such as the OpenQuake Engine. Looking ahead, Helen highlighted GEM's ongoing projects and future areas of focus. These include developing improved global earthquake catalogues and ground motion data, utilising machine learning to identify areas susceptible to earthquake-induced landslides and liquefaction, and refining models to forecast the potential impact of earthquakes on populations and infrastructure. Additionally, GEM is studying the environmental consequences of earthquakes and collaborating with other natural hazard modelling initiatives such as the Global Tsunami Model (GTM) and global sea level rise modelling efforts. The presentation is available for viewing on LinkedIn (21:28 - 41:24) . It provides a concise summary of the Secretariat's current work at GEM and is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning more about GEM's ongoing efforts to mitigate earthquake risks and build resilience for future events. No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX

News GEM-World Bank/GFDRR-DFID challenge fund projects kick off By: Jul 2, 2018 Share Facebook LinkedIn The GFDRR-DFID Challenge Fund projects on the development of exposure, vulnerability and hazard footprints databases kicked off with a 2-day inception workshop held at GEM Headquarters from 10-11 April 2017. Several organizations attended the workshop led by World Bank’s GFDRR, British Geological Survey (BGS), GEM Foundation and the University College London (UCL). BGS leads the development of a data schema and data for a multi-hazard database (Challenge 1) while GEM and University College London lead the development of a global exposure database (Challenge 2) and open vulnerability platform for evaluating risk (Challenge 3) respectively. GEM also contributes to Challenge Fund 1 and 3. The goal of the workshop is to integrate the three Challenge Funds so that the final product contributes to the broader objectives of the building evidence for action on disaster risk management and the Sendai Framework. Alanna Simpson, Senior Disaster Risk Management Specialist and leader of the GFDRR Labs team notes that “GEM has done very well in the development of earthquake exposure data” but added that “the idea of the three Challenge Funds is for people to collect information - hazard, exposure and vulnerability - on the built environment at the same time for multiple perils.” She further adds that “the projects would not only develop an exposure database schema that will allow people to collect data only once for many purposes, but would also look into how this framework would be flexible enough to take the top down and bottom up information, including official and non-official data so that they can be used to build the whole picture.” The GFDRR-DFID Challenge Fund seeks to bridge the gap between technology and on-the-ground user needs in the field of disaster risk identification. The Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR) is a global partnership that helps developing countries better understand and reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change.For more information, visit https://www.gfdrr.org and https://www.gfdrr.org/the-challenge-fund . No images found. GALLERY 1/0 VIDEO RELATED CONTENTS FACT BOX