Report of the Observer Panel for the U.S.-Japan Earthquake Policy Symposium (1997) / Chapter Skim
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3 TOPICS FOR POLICY AND RESEARCH COLLABORATION
3 TOPICS FOR POLICY AND RESEARCH COLLABORATION
Pages 13-28
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From page 13... ...
3 Topics far Policy and Research CoU~orat10n Ibe prese~ions a~ discussions at me September 1996 Sy~os~m idendOed ~ wide rue of topics ~r united Sums-J~= collaboration to reduce eke losses. These were descried in me Joint State~m as allows:
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From page 14... ...
In general, the panel strongly endorses efforts to broaden participation in cooperative programs to include state and local governments and the private sector. in the panel's view, United States lapan collaboration could take place through a wide range of mechanisms including, but not limited to, High-Level and Working Group meetings, workshops, visits by researchers and policy officials, joint research projects, exchanges of data, dissemination of translated materials, and publication of the results from cooperative work.
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From page 15... ...
. Applications for real-time seismic systems include warnings to shut down lifelines and sensitive manufacturing processes before shaking begins and monitoring data during an earthquake to locate the extent of strongest ground shaking for public and private emergency response personnel.
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For example, if end users place a high value on receiving earthquake information before the start of ground shaking, systems that operate at the highest levels of performance will be required. Additional policy issues include establishing goals for the reliability of warnings, defining policies for the use of real-time data (e.g., liability, mandatory ~,
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From page 17... ...
These research results describe the physical processes that control the origin of earthquakes anti the relationship between the source and subsequent ground shaking. As described in presentations and discussions at the Symposium, these results are important baseline information for realtime seismic monitoring and warning systems, probabilistic seismic hazard analysis, loss estimation methods, and performance-based approaches to building design.
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From page 18... ...
On a policy level, it would be useful to convene workshops on earthquake prediction, involving policymakers and scientists from government, universities, and industry. Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis In recent years, geologists, seismologists, and engineers have developed methods to quantify the probability of seismic hazards at different locations.
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From page 19... ...
Symposium presentations described recent efforts in the United States and Japan to carry out probabilistic seismic hazard analysis on a national scale using a broad range of data sources. in the United States this analysis is incorporating new data on active faults slip and the geographic distribution of historical earthquakes.
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From page 20... ...
A seismic hazard model is used as input and the resulting damage is estimated from the assumed ground shaking and the vulnerability of buildings and lifelines. Because of the complexity of urban environments and their response to earthquakes, loss estimation models require large amounts of site-specific input data to produce accurate results.
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From page 21... ...
How can loss estimation models be updated using ground shaking and information on near-real-time structural response? How can probabilistic estimates of earthquake recurrence be used in loss estimation to develop improved measures of the risks associated with seismic hazards?
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From page 22... ...
. The primary challenge for successful disaster assessments is to develop policies and organizational structures that can respond quickly and decisively and provide continuous updates of the situation in the confused and chaotic state following an earthquake when lifelines and communication systems may not be functioning.
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From page 23... ...
The use of real-time monitoring systems to delineate damaged regions, also should be explored. Finally, it would be valuable to develop real-time loss estimation capabilities, using measured ground shaking and building response, to focus disaster assessments on the most severely affected regions.
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From page 24... ...
Looking to the future, the pane! believes there are further opportunities for valuable scientific, technical, and policy collaboration in the areas of performance-based design methodologies (the design of structures to meet specific performance objectives under specified ground shaking)
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From page 25... ...
Assuming one has reliable information about the probability of earthquakes of different magnitudes and the response of structures to different intensities of ground shaking, in principle it is possible to design for a range of performance objectives for a given seismic event. The Symposium presentations indicated a significant interest in developing such performance-based approaches to building design in both the United States and Japan, although it is important to note that there are differences in the definitions of performance being discussed in the two countries.
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From page 26... ...
Because large-scale testing facilities require a large financial commitment to a centralized research facility, they raise several important policy issues. As discussed at the Symposium, these include the possibility of collaboration between the United States and Japan on the construction and maintenance of a testing facility and the development of alternative (and possibly cheaper)
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From page 27... ...
Discussions at the symposium indicated that the challenge of rebuilding Kobe and addressing the housing needs of thousands of displaced residents (especially the aged) has proved to be more problematic than the original emergency response activities.
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From page 28... ...
28 U.5.-Japan Earthquake Policy Symposium panel observes that there are many topics for fruitful policy collaboration between the United States and Japan. As discussed above, many of the policy concerns for reducing earthquake losses have strong connections to technical questions.
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