[an NSF Graduated Center] [formerly MAE Mid-America Earthquake Center] Mission The mission of the MAE Center is to develop through research, and to disseminate through education and outreach, new integrated approaches necessary to minimize the consequences of future natural and human-made hazards. Integrated interdisciplinary research synthesizing damage across regions, estimating vulnerability across regional and national networks, and identifying different hazards forms the core research activities needed to develop a Multi-hazard Approach to Engineering and to support stakeholder and societal interests in risk assessment and mitigation. --- Natural hazards — traditionally defined as potential damaging or destructive natural events that might occur in the future — can have a devastating impact on society. Throughout the world each year, natural disasters kill approximately 80,000 people, render millions homeless, and result in economic losses of $50 billion-$60 billion. All countries face decisions on the level of acceptable risk its citizens should face in the built or modified natural environment. Robust building codes, land-use development restrictions, and environmental preservation policies can all lead to reduced risk exposure to natural hazards, but they exact a cost in terms of economic development and immediate amenities. The MAE Center started as one of three national earthquake engineering research centers established by the National Science Foundation and its partner institutions. Its current mission is to develop through research, and to disseminate through education and outreach, new integrated approaches necessary to minimize the consequences of future natural and human-made hazards. Integrated interdisciplinary research synthesizing damage across regions, estimating vulnerability across regional and national networks, and identifying different hazards forms the core research activities needed to develop a Multi-hazard Approach to Engineering and to support stakeholder and societal interests in risk assessment and mitigation. The outcomes of the MAE Center research is of value to many stakeholders allowing for better informed decision- and policy-making. Stakeholders include state transportation departments, state emergency management agencies, utilities operators, insurance and reinsurance companies, managing agents, investment banks, lenders, industry organizations, and governments. In addition, many projects integrate research and education for both undergraduate and graduate students, advance curricula and outreach to pre-college students, and enhance public awareness.
Research Areas
Five core-research thrusts help develop the knowledge and technology needed for a consequence-based risk management (CRM). The areas are:
1. Multi-hazard Analysis
The MAE Center is at the forefront of risk research, developing the most comprehensive and realistic model for risk analysis considering multiple hazards from earthquakes to hurricanes, tornado and fire, and drawing from unique expertise in multiple disciplines.
Risk analysis for natural and human-made hazards is particularly challenging due to the rare occurrence of extreme events and because of the complex process of interaction of, in particular, natural events with the natural and the built environment to produce a societal impact.
The information generated by the MAE Center allows for better informed decision- and policy-making.
2. Consequence-based Risk Management
The MAE Center has put forward the innovative Consequence-based Risk Management (CRM) framework that explicitly emphasis the societal impacts of hazards for the development of effective decision support systems. “The intent […] is to provide practicing engineers with a new framework for minimizing losses due to property damage, human life and business interruption that implicitly considers system-related losses when prescribing mitigation actions.” Abrams et al. (2004).
CRM identifies the modeling uncertainty and quantifies the risks to societal systems, with the aim of improving policy and decision-making by providing a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of the likely societal impact of hazards.
3. Engineering Engines
The MAE Center has been developing for 15 years engineering solutions to the most pressing global challenges associate with natural and human-made hazards. The MAE Center is a leader in engineering loss assessment modeling, advanced network analysis and characterization of the dominant hazard in the USA and around the world.
Structural and Geotechnical Assessment
Capability of undertaking different levels of safety assessment exists in the Center. Code-based and analytical, as well as advanced experimental, assessment can be undertaken at the state-of-the-art facilities at Illinois and the other core institutions. Assessment of ground competence and foundation types suitable for different site conditions, as well as site response analyses are strong activities in the Center.
Transportation and Utility Networks Assessment
Advanced models for transportation systems have been developed to prioritize retrofitting and plan response action in the event of an earthquake. The Center also undertakes pipeline systems assessment as well as other utility networks.
Loss Assessment
The MAE Center specializes in the development of loss assessments due to catastrophic events. The Center offers expertise in the use of the HAZUS multi-hazard loss assessment program or in its own MAEViz loss assessment, mitigation, and visualization program. For those clients requesting HAZUS analysis the Center can offer enhancements to the standard defaults such as detailed inventory data or improved fragility curves that relate specified intensity measures to physical damage.
4. Social and Economic Sciences
The MAE Center has been focusing on the social and economic impact of natural and human-made hazards leading to more fact-based and effective decision support systems. Properly capturing the societal impact of hazards improves the usefulness of the engineering models to evaluate risk-reduction interventions, and to improve the communicability of the engineering analyses to decision makers in different organizations.
5. Information Technology
The research within the Information Technology activities of the MAE Center is ensuring that the capabilities of the MAE Center's risk-management software and tools (read more) meet the needs of target users through an iterative development model that includes systematic assessment of user requirements, tool development, and deployment consistent with requirements, to ensure both technological and sociological success.
Facilities & Resources
Software and Tools The MAE Center has developed software over the years to help engineers, risk analysis and decision makers in various endeavours. This software can be downloaded from the website. MAEViz MAEViz is an advanced tool for seismic loss assessment and risk management. It follows the Consequence-based Risk Management methodology using a visually-based, menu-driven system to generate damage estimates from scientific and engineering principles and data, test multiple mitigation strategies, and support modeling efforts to estimate higher level impacts of earthquake hazards, such as impacts on transportation networks, social, or economic systems. ZEUS-NL ZEUS-NL is the analysis and simulation platform of the MAE Center. It is a state-of-the-art 3D static and dynamic analysis platform specifically developed for earthquake engineering applications. DEEPSOIL DEEPSOIL is a software tool for the analysis of 1-D seismic response of soil columns. It allows engineers and researchers to qualitatively assess the influence of soil layers of varying stiffness on the propagated ground motion during a seismic event. UI-SIMCOR UI-SIMCOR is a distributed-hybrid simulation software platform developed by the NEES@ Illinois MUST-SIM facility and the MAE Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It has been developed in NEES at UIUC facility to facilitate geographically distributed PSD hybrid simulation. Other Software NEES-SAM is interface between NEES-POP server and Zeus-NL (or OpenSees). The compiled version of NEES-SAM is included with the UI-SimCor distribution. The NEES-SAM is written in Microsoft Visual C++ .NET. To compile the source code, it is necessary to install Tee-Chart, which is a commercial third-party library for plotting real-time monitoring window. P-FAS is a software to perform parameterized fragility analysis where a set of generic fragility curves are constructed using parameterized structural response characteristics (stiffness, strength and ductility) and the Response Database (RD). The structural response parameters are defined for the single-degree of freedom (SDOF) system that is equivalent to the complex structure. The Response Database is obtained from pre-run dynamic analysis results for a range of structural response parameters. Simulation is therefore no longer needed for a newly defined structural system. Utility Software for Earthquake Engineering (USEE) provides a Windows-based user-friendly graphic interface for performing simple computer simulations of the response of structures subjected to earthquake ground shaking and for accessing data and products of the MAE Center.
Partner Organizations
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Abbreviation |
MAE Center
|
Country |
United States
|
Region |
Americas
|
Primary Language |
English
|
Evidence of Intl Collaboration? |
|
Industry engagement required? |
Associated Funding Agencies |
Contact Name |
Paolo Gardoni
|
Contact Title |
Center Director
|
Contact E-Mail |
gardoni@illinois.edu
|
Website |
|
General E-mail |
|
Phone |
(217) 333-5103
|
Address |
3118 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory
205 North Mathews Avenue
Urbana
IL
61801
|
[an NSF Graduated Center] [formerly MAE Mid-America Earthquake Center] Mission The mission of the MAE Center is to develop through research, and to disseminate through education and outreach, new integrated approaches necessary to minimize the consequences of future natural and human-made hazards. Integrated interdisciplinary research synthesizing damage across regions, estimating vulnerability across regional and national networks, and identifying different hazards forms the core research activities needed to develop a Multi-hazard Approach to Engineering and to support stakeholder and societal interests in risk assessment and mitigation. --- Natural hazards — traditionally defined as potential damaging or destructive natural events that might occur in the future — can have a devastating impact on society. Throughout the world each year, natural disasters kill approximately 80,000 people, render millions homeless, and result in economic losses of $50 billion-$60 billion. All countries face decisions on the level of acceptable risk its citizens should face in the built or modified natural environment. Robust building codes, land-use development restrictions, and environmental preservation policies can all lead to reduced risk exposure to natural hazards, but they exact a cost in terms of economic development and immediate amenities. The MAE Center started as one of three national earthquake engineering research centers established by the National Science Foundation and its partner institutions. Its current mission is to develop through research, and to disseminate through education and outreach, new integrated approaches necessary to minimize the consequences of future natural and human-made hazards. Integrated interdisciplinary research synthesizing damage across regions, estimating vulnerability across regional and national networks, and identifying different hazards forms the core research activities needed to develop a Multi-hazard Approach to Engineering and to support stakeholder and societal interests in risk assessment and mitigation. The outcomes of the MAE Center research is of value to many stakeholders allowing for better informed decision- and policy-making. Stakeholders include state transportation departments, state emergency management agencies, utilities operators, insurance and reinsurance companies, managing agents, investment banks, lenders, industry organizations, and governments. In addition, many projects integrate research and education for both undergraduate and graduate students, advance curricula and outreach to pre-college students, and enhance public awareness.
Abbreviation |
MAE Center
|
Country |
United States
|
Region |
Americas
|
Primary Language |
English
|
Evidence of Intl Collaboration? |
|
Industry engagement required? |
Associated Funding Agencies |
Contact Name |
Paolo Gardoni
|
Contact Title |
Center Director
|
Contact E-Mail |
gardoni@illinois.edu
|
Website |
|
General E-mail |
|
Phone |
(217) 333-5103
|
Address |
3118 Newmark Civil Engineering Laboratory
205 North Mathews Avenue
Urbana
IL
61801
|
Research Areas
Five core-research thrusts help develop the knowledge and technology needed for a consequence-based risk management (CRM). The areas are:
1. Multi-hazard Analysis
The MAE Center is at the forefront of risk research, developing the most comprehensive and realistic model for risk analysis considering multiple hazards from earthquakes to hurricanes, tornado and fire, and drawing from unique expertise in multiple disciplines.
Risk analysis for natural and human-made hazards is particularly challenging due to the rare occurrence of extreme events and because of the complex process of interaction of, in particular, natural events with the natural and the built environment to produce a societal impact.
The information generated by the MAE Center allows for better informed decision- and policy-making.
2. Consequence-based Risk Management
The MAE Center has put forward the innovative Consequence-based Risk Management (CRM) framework that explicitly emphasis the societal impacts of hazards for the development of effective decision support systems. “The intent […] is to provide practicing engineers with a new framework for minimizing losses due to property damage, human life and business interruption that implicitly considers system-related losses when prescribing mitigation actions.” Abrams et al. (2004).
CRM identifies the modeling uncertainty and quantifies the risks to societal systems, with the aim of improving policy and decision-making by providing a more accurate and comprehensive assessment of the likely societal impact of hazards.
3. Engineering Engines
The MAE Center has been developing for 15 years engineering solutions to the most pressing global challenges associate with natural and human-made hazards. The MAE Center is a leader in engineering loss assessment modeling, advanced network analysis and characterization of the dominant hazard in the USA and around the world.
Structural and Geotechnical Assessment
Capability of undertaking different levels of safety assessment exists in the Center. Code-based and analytical, as well as advanced experimental, assessment can be undertaken at the state-of-the-art facilities at Illinois and the other core institutions. Assessment of ground competence and foundation types suitable for different site conditions, as well as site response analyses are strong activities in the Center.
Transportation and Utility Networks Assessment
Advanced models for transportation systems have been developed to prioritize retrofitting and plan response action in the event of an earthquake. The Center also undertakes pipeline systems assessment as well as other utility networks.
Loss Assessment
The MAE Center specializes in the development of loss assessments due to catastrophic events. The Center offers expertise in the use of the HAZUS multi-hazard loss assessment program or in its own MAEViz loss assessment, mitigation, and visualization program. For those clients requesting HAZUS analysis the Center can offer enhancements to the standard defaults such as detailed inventory data or improved fragility curves that relate specified intensity measures to physical damage.
4. Social and Economic Sciences
The MAE Center has been focusing on the social and economic impact of natural and human-made hazards leading to more fact-based and effective decision support systems. Properly capturing the societal impact of hazards improves the usefulness of the engineering models to evaluate risk-reduction interventions, and to improve the communicability of the engineering analyses to decision makers in different organizations.
5. Information Technology
The research within the Information Technology activities of the MAE Center is ensuring that the capabilities of the MAE Center's risk-management software and tools (read more) meet the needs of target users through an iterative development model that includes systematic assessment of user requirements, tool development, and deployment consistent with requirements, to ensure both technological and sociological success.
Facilities & Resources
Software and Tools The MAE Center has developed software over the years to help engineers, risk analysis and decision makers in various endeavours. This software can be downloaded from the website. MAEViz MAEViz is an advanced tool for seismic loss assessment and risk management. It follows the Consequence-based Risk Management methodology using a visually-based, menu-driven system to generate damage estimates from scientific and engineering principles and data, test multiple mitigation strategies, and support modeling efforts to estimate higher level impacts of earthquake hazards, such as impacts on transportation networks, social, or economic systems. ZEUS-NL ZEUS-NL is the analysis and simulation platform of the MAE Center. It is a state-of-the-art 3D static and dynamic analysis platform specifically developed for earthquake engineering applications. DEEPSOIL DEEPSOIL is a software tool for the analysis of 1-D seismic response of soil columns. It allows engineers and researchers to qualitatively assess the influence of soil layers of varying stiffness on the propagated ground motion during a seismic event. UI-SIMCOR UI-SIMCOR is a distributed-hybrid simulation software platform developed by the NEES@ Illinois MUST-SIM facility and the MAE Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It has been developed in NEES at UIUC facility to facilitate geographically distributed PSD hybrid simulation. Other Software NEES-SAM is interface between NEES-POP server and Zeus-NL (or OpenSees). The compiled version of NEES-SAM is included with the UI-SimCor distribution. The NEES-SAM is written in Microsoft Visual C++ .NET. To compile the source code, it is necessary to install Tee-Chart, which is a commercial third-party library for plotting real-time monitoring window. P-FAS is a software to perform parameterized fragility analysis where a set of generic fragility curves are constructed using parameterized structural response characteristics (stiffness, strength and ductility) and the Response Database (RD). The structural response parameters are defined for the single-degree of freedom (SDOF) system that is equivalent to the complex structure. The Response Database is obtained from pre-run dynamic analysis results for a range of structural response parameters. Simulation is therefore no longer needed for a newly defined structural system. Utility Software for Earthquake Engineering (USEE) provides a Windows-based user-friendly graphic interface for performing simple computer simulations of the response of structures subjected to earthquake ground shaking and for accessing data and products of the MAE Center.
Partner Organizations
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign