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- Project locations world map | GEM Foundation
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- PERU PUBLIC SCHOOLS | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects PERU PUBLIC SCHOOLS Development of an Insurance Program for Peru’s Public Schools Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Anchor 6 Background The project aims to protect more than 50,000 public schools in Peru against the impact of natural hazards, and to improve continuity for children’s education by accelerating reconstruction and strengthening the country’s resilience through an innovative insurance programme. The GEM Hazard and Risk Teams are contributing to the design of the insurance programme with expertise in the earthquake hazard and risk modelling of school buildings in Peru. For more information, visit https://www.bmz.de/en/issues/climate-change-and-development/climate-risk-insurance/59532-59532. Duration: 2020 - 2024 Objectives The main objective of this project is to design an insurance programme for Peru’s public schools. The project will provide the Government of Peru with options to cover all or a subset of its more than 50,000 public schools against the impact of natural hazards thus accelerating reconstruction, while also strengthening the country’s resilience. Collaborators GEM Foundation, AXA XL, Munich Re, Peruvian Association of Insurance Companies (APESEG), JBA Risk Management, InsurTech Picsure. Funding partner: Germany’s InsuResilience Solutions Fund (ISF) Location Peru Anchor 1 Anchor 5 Anchor 4 Anchor3 Publications
- METEOR | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects METEOR Modelling Exposure Through Earth Observation Routines (METEOR) Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Outcomes Training Outreach Photos Publications Anchor 6 Background At present, there is a poor understanding of population exposure in some Official Development Assistance (ODA) countries, which causes major challenges when making Disaster Risk Management decisions. Modelling Exposure Through Earth Observation Routines (METEOR) takes a step-change in the application of Earth Observation exposure data by developing and delivering more accurate levels of population exposure to natural hazards. Providing new consistent data to governments, town planners and insurance providers will promote welfare and economic development in these countries and better enable them to respond to the hazards when they do occur. Objectives METEOR aims to formulate an innovative methodology of creating exposure data through the use of EO-based imagery to identify development patterns throughout a country. Stratified sampling technique harnessing traditional land use interpretation methods modified to characterise building patterns can be combined with EO and in-field building characteristics to capture the distribution of building types. These protocols and standards will be developed for broad application to ODA countries and will be tested and validated for both Nepal and Tanzania to assure they are fit-for-purpose. Objectives of the project look to: deliver exposure data for 47 of the least developed ODA countries, including Nepal and Tanzania; create hazard footprints for the specific countries; create open protocol; to develop critical exposure information from EO data; and capacity-building of local decision makers to apply data and assess hazard exposure. Collaborators METEOR Project Consortium The British Geological Survey (BGS) ImageCat National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) The Disaster Management Department-Tanzania The Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team (HOT) Oxford Policy Management Limited (OPM) Fathom Location Nepal, Tanzania For more details on the METEOR Project, click read more below to visit the website. Anchor 1 Anchor 5 Anchor 4 Anirudh and Nicole will be producing vulnerability data for different building types to different hazards for Nepal and Tanzania. Anirudh Rao and Nicole Paul participated in the quarterly UK Space Agency #METEOR Project meeting and workshops in Kathmandu, Nepal. About 20 project participants from GEM, Tanzania Prime Minister’s Office-Disaster Management Department (DMD), NSET, BGS, HOT OSM, ImageCat and OPM... Modelling Exposure Through Earth Observation Routines: EO-based Exposure, Nepal and Tanzania granted by the UK Space Agency Anchor3 Publications To download the METEOR Project official deliverables documents, click the Read More button below.
- MALAWI MULTI-HAZARD | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects MALAWI MULTI-HAZARD Comprehensive Multi hazard Risk Assessment in Malawi Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Outcomes Training Outreach Photos Publications Anchor 6 Background Malawi is a country strongly affected by the impact of extreme events, exacerbated by rapid population growth and urbanisation. A multi-risk assessment is currently lacking at the national level, while it is available only at the local level in some districts. Therefore, the project consortium intends to produce, for the first time, hazard and risk maps on a national level with a level of detail useful also at provincial level, using a probabilistic risk assessment approach, both for single hazards and for multi-hazard conditions (i.e. extreme winds and precipitation, earthquakes, landslides, river floods). The GEM Risk Team is reponsible for the seismic risk assessment, comprising the modelling of the hazard, exposure and vulnerability components and the calculations of seismic risk in the OpenQuake engine. Duration: 2023-2024 Objectives In line with the guidelines of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the multi-hazard probabilistic assessment carried out within the project provides risk estimates for both the most probable and frequent events, as well as for rare ones; at the same time, it allows for the analysis of events that have never been observed but may occur in the future, which is of particular importance considering the uncertainty caused by climate change. The assessment will therefore consider risks under current climate conditions as well as future conditions (2050-2100) under different climate change scenarios. For the realisation of the multi-risk assessment, the project partners will work closely with local stakeholders at all stages of the development, from data collection to the creation of the Risk Atlas and the Risk Information Web Platform, two tools that will collect information from the assessment and will make it easier to communicate and understand, thus following a capacity development approach that combines knowledge development with knowledge transfer. In addition, the partners will develop, again in collaboration with local stakeholders, a sustainability plan containing recommendations for maintaining and updating risk information, supporting the management, updating and accessibility of Malawi’s risk information by national and local authorities. Collaborators GEM Foundation, Centro Internazionale in Monitoraggio Ambientale (CIMA), Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), British Geological Survey (BGS) Funding partner: World Bank Group Location Malawi Aiming to empower Malawi with a comprehensive understanding of disaster risks, the project will deliver the following key outputs: Comprehensive Hazard Identification and Assessment: A national-level assessment of various hazards in Malawi, including floods, droughts, landslides, earthquakes, and strong winds. Exposure Mapping: Creation of maps outlining the extent to which people, infrastructure, buildings, and agriculture are exposed to each hazard. Vulnerability Assessment: Evaluation of the physical (infrastructure, buildings) and social (poverty, access to resources) vulnerabilities of Malawian communities to these hazards. National Hazard and Risk Profiles: Development of comprehensive national profiles that detail the hazards, their potential impacts, and the level of risk faced by different regions and communities. Knowledge and Technology Transfer: Training and capacity building for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) practitioners and academic institutions in Malawi on using the multi-hazard risk assessment data and tools. Anchor 1 Anchor 5 b. Exposure and Vulnerability Data The exposure and vulnerability work was delivered to the client and presented in a dedicated training session in November 2023. a. Hands-on training on the Risk Atlas Database Training of the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) ICT team to install and utilise the Risk Atlas Database held in Salima, Malawi, from June 3-7, 2024. Platform deployment, knowledge transfer, maintenance and ownership This project builds a long-term plan for Malawian experts to manage the multi-hazard risk atlas database. Through trainings and knowledge transfer, local technicians will become self-sufficient in maintaining the system and training future users. This ensures the platform's sustainability and empowers Malawian authorities to fully utilize the risk information for informed decision-making. Anchor 4 GEM Contributes to Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment Progress in Malawi The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation actively participated in a Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment workshop held in Salima, Malawi, from June 3-7, 2024. This collaborative effort involved the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DODMA) as the host, alongside the International Centre for Environmental Monitoring (CIMA Research Foundation), Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), and the British Geological Survey (BGS). Read more Anchor3 BUSINESS NEWS Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment workshop held in Salima, Malawi, from June 3-7, 2024 1/6 Publications
- SERA Project | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects SERA Project Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe (SERA) Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Anchor 6 Background The Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Research Infrastructure Alliance for Europe (SERA) aims to reduce the risk posed by natural and anthropogenic earthquakes based on innovative research and development projects. SERA will significantly improve the access to data, services and research infrastructures for scientists and other professionals. GEM's contributions focus on taxonomy and exposure of residential, commercial and industrial buildings in Europe; physical vulnerability assessment for buildings; integrated earthquake risk analysis using the risk assessment framework and OpenQuake software established by the Global Earthquake Model. SERA is a Horizon 2020-supported programme responding to the priorities identified in the topic INFRAIA-01-2016-2017 ‘Integrating Activities for Advanced Communities’. SERA involves 31 partners and 8 linked third parties in Europe. It started in May 2017 and will last for three years. Objectives The EUCENTRE-SERA project is collaborating closely with the GEM Foundation (Global Earthquake Model) to: develop a European Risk Modelling framework that brings together the strengths of previous projects such as SHARE, NERA and fills in the research gaps; integrate knowledge and data from other SERA working packages; and build on the risk assessment framework and software developed by GEM. SERA is engaging 31 partners from 16 European countries. They all have leading expertise in the operation of experimental facilities, monitoring infrastructures, and data repositories in the fields of seismology, anthropogenic hazards or earthquake engineering. (complete list ) Location Europe Anchor 1 Anchor 5 Anchor 4 EM-SERA OpenQuake Training in Istanbul, Turkey SERA European Building Exposure Workshop: From European Hazard to Risk Anchor3 Publications
- ARMENIA POST DRR | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects ARMENIA POST DRR Improving Post-Disaster Damage Data Collection to Inform Decision Making Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Anchor 6 Background This project, responding to a request from the World Bank for improved post-disaster damage collection, focuses on the collection of data on physical damage to assets such as buildings (residential, commercial, industrial, public), infrastructure, and crops. The aim is to evaluate the current state-of-the-art in post-disaster damage collection – in protocols, tools and systems – in order to identify a suitable protocol and toolset that could be adopted by the Government of Armenia that would be generalisable and available, allowing adoption by other national government agencies or interested parties. The GEM Foundation leads the consortium working on this project, with the GEM Risk Team undertaking the following main tasks: Review of existing protocols, tools and systems Design of a conceptual protocol and toolset Application to the context of Armenia Recommendations Duration: 2018 Objectives Collection of damage data following major disaster events is a fundamental exercise for a multitude of purposes, such as emergency management, resource allocation, fund mobilization and reconstruction planning. The processes involved, and scales of damage assessments vary by country, peril and context. Numerous sector-specific data collection activities provide an estimation of damage, loss and post-disaster needs in order to provide relief and facilitate the commencement of reconstruction and recovery efforts. The project includes identifying and reviewing tools for collecting data in the field as well as damage data aggregation and reporting tools. Of particular interest is the use case in Armenia, demonstrating the needs of a Ministry of Finance requiring national-level reporting of damage on a sub-national level in a transparent system that allows the user to store, retrieve and interrogate damage data down to the asset-level. Collaborators GEM Foundation, JBA Consulting, CIMA Foundation and Geocom Ltd Funding partner: World Bank Group Location Armenia Anchor 1 Anchor 5 Anchor 4 Anchor3 Publications
- MONGOLIA DRR | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects MONGOLIA DRR Strengthening capacity on disaster risk assessment, reduction and transfer instruments in Mongolia Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Anchor 6 Background This project aims to support Mongolia in developing a set of key disaster risk information and knowledge products for mainstreaming Disaster Risk Management (DRM) into development, including Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (DRFI). A hazard and risk assessment is conducted at the national and provincial levels and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is promoted for resilience within development and DRFI, and to strengthen the capacity and ability of NEMA, ministries, local government officials and communities to better understand and plan for disaster risks. The project is made up of the following four main components: Conducting multi-hazard disaster risk assessments at the national and local levels; Facilitation of Disaster Reduction planning and mainstreaming through the preparation and delivery of a DRR training program; Development of a strategy for disaster risk financing and revision of the national draft disaster risk insurance law; and Building institutional, technical, and management capacity for DRR and DRF The GEM Risk Team's main contribution to the project is the development of a significantly improved exposure model for Mongolia, based on the latest population and housing census of Mongolia, and a probabilistic seismic risk analyses, making use of GEM's global seismic hazard mosaic. Duration: 2022-2023 Objective The project is implemented in close collaboration with Mongolia’s National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) and the Department of Disaster Risk Management (DRMD), who are the executing agency and the implementing agency respectively. The Ministry of Finance is also engaged in strengthening DRF and insurance options. This project advances Mongolia’s progress in addressing the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) priorities by improving the institutional capacities of key ministries and local governments; enhancing understanding of risk; strengthening disaster risk governance; and investing in DRR for resilience through promoting mechanisms for disaster risk transfer, risk-sharing, and insurance. Collaborators GEM Foundation, ICEM Asia Consulting, PwC India, Environ LLC, Willis Towers Watson (WTW), JBA Group, Overseas Development Institute Funding partner: Funded by the Japan Fund of Poverty and Reduction and administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Location Mongolia Anchor 1 Anchor 5 Anchor 4 Anchor3 Publications
- SARA Project | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects SARA Project South American Risk Assessment (SARA) Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Outcomes Training Outreach Photos Publications Anchor 6 Overview South America incorporates some of the most seismically active regions on the planet, where the South American subduction zone generates the forces to create the Andes Mountains and drives the occurrence of destructive earthquakes across Chile, western Argentina, Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Venezuela. In turn, the high vulnerability of many structures and the high population density of the main cities are factors that contribute to the region’s high seismic risk. In the last two decades alone, over 3,000 fatalities have been reported, and the economic losses have exceeded 30 billion USD (EM-DAT, www.emdat.be ). While expert capabilities exist in these countries to assess earthquake risk, the information, infrastructure, tools, and collaboration networks necessary to develop comprehensive knowledge among scientists and engineers and to move this knowledge into the mainstream of disaster risk reduction activities has been lacking. Objectives The approach is to bring together international best practice tools and methodologies with local expertise and knowledge needed to establish local ownership and define risk assessment objectives and priorities. GEM Foundation combined these elements and focused on developing local capacities across sectors (academic, public and private), across technical disciplines (e.g., hazard, risk, IT), and through the implementation of disaster risk reduction policies and programs. The program of capacity development was initiated in 2013 with the South America Risk Assessment (SARA) Project to bring experts, institutions, and stakeholders from 7 countries to develop a regional assessment of earthquake hazard and risk. GEM provided its OpenQuake earthquake hazard and risk analysis software and other tools and databases freely and openly to all participants. More than 50 of the region’s experts across 17 institutions collaborated to produce critical data sets, develop common approaches, and develop open-source tools for both data collection and interpretation. Collaborators The SARA Project, completed in December 2015, provided the foundation for formal and informal collaborations at many levels and for many purposes. GEM subsequently developed formal partnerships across public and private sectors (e.g., SuraAmerica Insurance, the Geological Survey of Colombia, EcoPetrol), academic partnerships (e.g., EAFIT Univ, Univ del Norte, Univ Catolica Chile), non-profits (e.g., OSSO), and most recently, with municipal governments (Cali, Colombia and Quito, Ecuador), for urban risk assessments. (complete list ) Location Andean Region (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina) Introduction The project was carried out by experts and institutions from the region using to the extent possible open data sets, methodologies and tools such as GEM’s new open source software, the OpenQuake Engine and other OpenQuake tools. The project revolved around 5 modules: hazard, exposure and physical vulnerability, socio-economic vulnerability and resilience, loss estimates and city scenarios. The modules were carried out by a variety of experts/scientists from the region , in collaboration with the project coordinators and, where relevant, the GEM Secretariat. 5. City Scenarios Following the objectives of SARA, the development of city scenarios is crucial for planning risk management strategies in cities with larger concentration of population and exposed to significant hazard. In this sense, the GEM Secretariat has been seeking collaborations with research groups and governmental stakeholders that will be the end users of case studies in Lima (Peru), Quito (Ecuador), Medellín (Colombia), Iquique, Osorno and Rancagua (Chile). 1. Seismic hazard In early 2013 the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) published seven Requests for Proposal covering topics related to the compilation of basic datasets as well as the creation and calculation of an updated probabilistic seismic hazard input model for South America. Five consortia of South American researchers responded to this request and submitted proposals, which were reviewed in an initial stage by scientists working at the GEM Secretariat, and successively discussed in a meeting in Bogota held in December 2013 at the “Servicio Geologico Colombiano”. 3. Social Vulnerability and Resilience The social vulnerability component of SARA comprises the development of composite indicators of social vulnerability and resilience along with their robustness testing and validation. The objective is to provide tools and information useful for understanding the potential effects of earthquakes in communities of South America. 2. Exposure and Physical Vulnerability Development of exposure datasets and vulnerability functions for South America at regional, national and/or sub-national levels have been considered. Modelling of exposure and physical vulnerability in the most earthquake prone countries is the main goal in the first stage of the project. 4. National and subnational estimation of losses An open and transparent seismic risk assessment for the Andean countries has been performed. A probabilistic approach was followed for the calculation of risk metrics, that includes average annual economic and human loss maps, mean loss exceedance curves per country, and statistics that reveal which building classes are most vulnerable to earthquakes. Anchor 1 Anchor 5 Capacity development and institutional strengthening To promote sustainability, SARA’s work included the following: capacity development and institutional strengthening, and stakeholder engagement. The outcomes of activities in these areas are described below. Anchor 4 A blog by Carlos Costa featuring the SARA project workshop in Chile 2014. [News ] A wiki project website containing technical information about the SARA project. [Website ] Anchor3 BUSINESS NEWS Quito workshops 2015 1/3 BUSINESS NEWS Lima workshops 2015 1/2 Publications Probabilistic Seismic Risk Assessment Of The Residential Building Stock In South America [PDF ] SARA (South America Risk Assessment Project Workshop) on “Inventory of Quaternary deformation of South America” [PDF ] SARA Project Executive Summary [PDF ] A conference paper on Building A Ground-Motion Logic Tree For South America Within The Gem-Sara Project Framework [PDF ]
- TREAD | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects TREAD daTa and pRocesses in sEismic hAzarD Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Anchor 6 Background GEM is one of the partners of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) funded TREAD project, which involves a consortium of 14 academic institutions and 8 private partners of the highest scientific level from 7 European countries. TREAD will train a new generation of seismic hazard scientists to tackle the challenges of earthquake forecasting in complex tectonic contexts such as the Europe and Mediterranean regions. During the 4 year project GEM will host and supervise two PhD students, one working with the hazard team and the other with the risk team, on the following topics: 1. Modelling distributed seismicity under innovative approaches (under joint supervision with the University of Milano, Bicocca, 2. Assessment of the impact of advanced seismic hazard modelling approaches on earthquake risk (under joint supervision with the University of Chieti-Pescara) More information at https://tread-horizon.eu/ . Duration: 2023-2027 Objectives The aim of TREAD is to train a new generation of seismic hazard scientists to tackle the challenges of earthquake forecasting in complex tectonic contexts such as the Europe and Mediterranean regions. A change of paradigm in seismic hazard is necessary to be able to fully account for the specific properties of earthquake source and seismic modes in those areas. For example, to calculate the probability of having multiple earthquake ruptures, the interaction between active faults across various space-time scales needs to be accounted for, as well as the effects of stress transfer and fault-fluid interaction in earthquake triggering. TREAD objectives are: 1) Developing a novel integrative approach to seismic hazard analysis in Europe and the Mediterranean by bridging the gap from small-scale laboratory experiments to large-scale observations. 2) Establishing physics-based earthquake modelling by linking computational modelling of earthquakes from millions of years to fractions of a second. 3) Transferring earthquake geology and computational modelling to hazard and risk assessment adapted to the needs of government, industry and scientific stakeholders. Collaborators University of Chieti-Pescara, CNRS, University of Utrecht, GEM Foundation, University of Grenoble Alps, Ludwig Maximilians University, University of Barcelona, University of Padova, ETH Zurich, IRSN, OGS, INGV, Ruhr University Bochum, IPGP, Helmholz Centre, Willis, IFP, EDF, University of Milan Bicocca, Munich Re, TNO, Tre Altamira, University D'Aix Marseille Funding partner: Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA), European Commission Location Pavia, Italy Anchor 1 Anchor 5 Anchor 4 Anchor3 Publications
- PAPERS | Global Earthquake Model Foundation
Projects PAPERS Piattaforma Analisi Pericolosità E Rischio Sismico Versión en español English version Share Facebook LinkedIn Overview Anchor 6 Background The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) Foundation has launched the PAPERS project (Piattaforma Analisi Pericolosità E Rischio Sismico), an initiative aimed at developing a new WebGIS platform for scenario hazard and risk assessment in Italy. The project has been funded as one of the cascade grants launched by the High-Performance Computing, Big Data e Quantum Computing Research Centre, one of the five National Centres established by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), under Spoke 5 - Environment and Natural Disasters . The first training workshop of the project related to the use of the OpenQuake engine was successfully conducted online on April 1st, 2025, marking the first in a series of planned training events. This first workshop also served for exploring potential third-party contributions to models that could be integrated into the platform. Objectives PAPERS will enhance seismic risk assessment in Italy through advanced computational techniques and open-source models and tools. The project is organised into three modules, each focusing on a critical objective. The first module involves building the operational platform, leveraging the OpenQuake (OQ) Engine. The integration of High-Performance Computing (HPC) will facilitate complex analyses, while interoperability with external software will streamline data management. The second module focuses on updating Italy’s national exposure models. This involves compiling databases of buildings, critical infrastructure, and distributed networks at different geographic scales in the country. The project will integrate existing models with newly available datasets. This effort will provide a more comprehensive understanding of the seismic vulnerability of the Italian-built environment. As part of the third module, the platform will feature preloaded models of seismic hazard, exposure, and vulnerability, along with a range of earthquake scenarios, including historical earthquakes and events from a stochastic catalog based on the 2020 European Seismic Hazard Model (ESHM20). Alternative risk mitigation strategies will also be explored through dedicated multi-criteria decision-making approaches. Collaborators Project Coordination: Fondazione GEM (Global Earthquake Model Foundation) Main Collaborating Institution: Università degli Studi di Bari Aldo Moro Funding Agency: The project is funded under the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), Mission 4, "Education and Research" - Component 2, "From Research to Business" - Investment Line 1.4, supported by NextGenerationEU. Locations Pilot Site for Seismic Risk Analysis: An Italian city to be determined during the project, intended as a demonstration case for urban-scale seismic risk analysis. Testing Locations: The project will involve data collection and analysis on a national scale across Italy. Anchor 1 Anchor 5 Anchor 4 Anchor3 Publications



















