NEWS for May 2008

One of the stated goals of the USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project is to develop new research products and interactive tools that result in effective use of probability, vulnerability, and risk maps and assessments. Toward that goal USGS Multi-Hazards Demonstration Project is supporting and participating in this week’s pilot test of new software being developed by the Applied Technology Council to reduce the effort collecting and compiling hazard related building data now collected using the paper-based FEMA-154 methodology. Referred to as Rapid Observation of Vulnerability and Estimation of Risk (ROVER) the software offers automatic calculation of risk score; automatic compilation of results into a secure electronic database at the user’s own facility; automatic lookup of USGS site soil and site hazard information taken on a site-specific basis; and data can be shared with other pre- and post-earthquake tools such as FEMA’s HAZUS-MH software and the USGS’s ShakeCast system.
The data can expedite post-earthquake safety evaluations using ATC-20 methodology. The USGS and University of Colorado are planning to make software available to and provide oversight for emergency responders and managers in southern California who plan to implement USGS ShakeCast as part of the Great Southern California ShakeOut.