Systemic seismic vulnerability and risk analysis for buildings, lifeline networks and infrastructures safety gain

This report summarizes the main achievements and results of the work carried out within the European collaborative research project SYNER-G. SYNER-G developed an innovative methodological framework for the systemic assessment of physical as well as socio-economic seismic vulnerability at urban and regional level. The built environment is modeled according to a detailed taxonomy into its component systems, grouped in the following categories: buildings, transportation and utility networks, and critical facilities. Each category may have several types of components. The framework encompasses in an integrated fashion all aspects in the chain, from regional hazard to fragility assessment of components to the socioeconomic impacts of an earthquake, accounting for relevant uncertainties within an efficient quantitative simulation scheme, and modeling interactions between the multiple component systems in the taxonomy. The prototype software (OOFIMS) is implemented in the SYNER-G platform, which provides several pre and post-processing tools. The methodology and software tools are applied and validated in selected sites and systems in urban and regional scale: the city of Thessaloniki (Greece), the city of Vienna (Austria), the harbour of Thessaloniki, the gas system of L'Aquila (Italy), the electric power network in Sicily, a roadway network in South Italy and a hospital facility again in Italy. Adequate guidelines and appropriate dissemination schemes for all products of the project at European and international level have been proposed, including among others seven comprehensive Reference Reports, synthetic documents and deliverables, high quality brochure and leaflet, three technical workshops, a special session in the 15WCEE, peer review publications in journal and conferences, and preparation of two books in Springer Editions.