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Development of Consequence-Based Engineering Framework (FD)
As discussed above, three projects guide the MAE Center research program by developing and
articulating the application steps and operational rule of CBE; by steering the research effort towards
minimizing uncertainty and by providing insight into opportunities for and impediments to the adoption of
a new paradigm in the earthquake engineering community. The projects in this area provide leadership
and steering power to the remainder of MAE Center activities (not least the core research program) and
complete the process of elaboration and formalization of the CBE paradigm, with relevant application
rules and verification examples. The three projects are:
* FD-1 Consequence-Based Engineering Framework Development: This systems-level project
develops and details the CBE paradigm as a framework for earthquake risk mitigation, and indeed
other forms of risk, to vulnerable regions and systems. This project builds on and formalizes the
operational rules for application of CBE through interaction with the various projects included
under the core and stakeholder research programs and provides real-life examples of application,
from conception to acceptance, documented in publications transferable to stakeholder groups.
* FD-2 Systematic Treatment of Uncertainty: Develops procedures, models and control
measures for managing uncertainty throughout the steps comprising the CBE paradigm application
and represented in the core and stakeholder projects.
* FD-3 CBE Implementation Opportunities and Challenges: Investigates the opportunities
offered by, and the hurdles facing, the adoption of the paradigm by all different sectors of industry
and society at large. This study will enable the MAE Center and its partners to launch measures
through outreach to overcome the identified challenges and capitalize on the opportunities offered.
Core Thrust Area on Damage Synthesis (DS)
The ultimate objective of this core thrust area is development of innovative methods and refinement of
existing ones to assess and visualize seismic risk across regions. The thrust area is focused on project DS-
1 (Damage Visualization Module) which will integrate outputs from all DS projects, as well as fuse
outcomes from corresponding "driving" projects CM-1 and HD-1 of the other two thrust areas. Towards
this end, the following DS research projects are currently underway:
• DS-1 Damage Visualization Module: This is a gateway project that integrates results of the DS,
CM and HD thrust areas from the basic ingredients of hazard and vulnerability (before and after
intervention) to project risk; hence, losses across societal systems. The project combines
engineering seismologists, structural and geotechnical earthquake engineers and computer
scientists and may be viewed as the deliverable from the entire MAE Center research program.
» DS-2 Advanced Identification Technologies: Advanced techniques of data definition, selection
and collection are studied here; such as remote sensing and image processing methods, both to
collect inventory and to monitor losses after earthquakes.
• DS-3 Response Analysis Tools: In this project, advanced concepts and techniques of analysis
are developed and tested, with the aim of providing guidance for the derivation of fragility
(vulnerability) functions and to increase the accuracy of damage estimates.
• DS-4 Vulnerability Functions: Develops innovative approaches to investigate the vulnerability
of structural systems and to derive fragility curves, with the objective of providing the most
accurate and least uncertain set of fragility functions possible.