task 2 - database and geographical information system (GIS) platform development
Risk management of historical city centres is normally undertaken without a general planning tool. A first consequence of this is that technicians and decision makers (city councils or regional authorities) do not have a global view of the site area where they must operate and this can lead to inadequate decisions as far as what concerns rehabilitation and vulnerability reduction strategies. By these considerations arises the strong necessity of an integrated multi-purpose tool, connected with a GIS tool, as well as with a relational database in order to have a deeper and interdisciplinary knowledge of the project perimeters established and hence to be able to manage the historical building stock, conservation needs, building vulnerability, damage and cost estimation and risk assessment.
The chosen software used for the GIS application is ArcGis 9.2 [24] and is further on connected with a relational database. In the GIS environment, the geo-referenced ortophotomaps are provided by the Portuguese Geographical Institute (IGP) combine all the geometrical and graphical information also provided by the city councils involved of the built-up areas proposed to study and assess. Vulnerability and loss algorithms (mathematical and probability functions) will be programmed into the GIS tool. All routines will be programmed and compiled using Visual Basic compatibility protocols and Phyton (internal ArcGis language).
Therefore the GIS application is an essential tool in the task of valuing the management of the old building stock allowing data storage, but essentially the capacity of spatial analysis for visualisation of results for different earthquake scenarios. The development of the GIS tool has highlighted its potentially in the management of data, implementing a workable and progressive platform by integrating all the seismic risk evaluation, from the building characteristics to economical loss estimation. This allows enhancing the whole analysis process, enabling data editing of building information, inter-crossing of results of building features to occupation numbers with vulnerability results and loss estimation in an immediate manner to support responsible actions and decisions in the risk management field building by building, city block by city block, or for the whole historical city centre. So the tool does not only allow result spatial visualisation, but data handing for sensibility analysis, scenario modelling and simulation, as for example to foresee the implication of retrofitting strategies that can reduce vulnerability and consequent loss, particularly economical losses. All the collected data for the different urban case studies will aid in the identification of homogeneous group of buildings to support Task 4.
Expected results:
All the information gathered is processed into the database management system that will manage, inter-cross and analyse information gathered. The use of the information gathered and organised has a particular interest in what regards interesting database and graphical information for assessing the seismic vulnerability of old masonry buildings. Several midterm goals and developments are prospected to be fulfilled:
Risk management of historical city centres is normally undertaken without a general planning tool. A first consequence of this is that technicians and decision makers (city councils or regional authorities) do not have a global view of the site area where they must operate and this can lead to inadequate decisions as far as what concerns rehabilitation and vulnerability reduction strategies. By these considerations arises the strong necessity of an integrated multi-purpose tool, connected with a GIS tool, as well as with a relational database in order to have a deeper and interdisciplinary knowledge of the project perimeters established and hence to be able to manage the historical building stock, conservation needs, building vulnerability, damage and cost estimation and risk assessment.
The chosen software used for the GIS application is ArcGis 9.2 [24] and is further on connected with a relational database. In the GIS environment, the geo-referenced ortophotomaps are provided by the Portuguese Geographical Institute (IGP) combine all the geometrical and graphical information also provided by the city councils involved of the built-up areas proposed to study and assess. Vulnerability and loss algorithms (mathematical and probability functions) will be programmed into the GIS tool. All routines will be programmed and compiled using Visual Basic compatibility protocols and Phyton (internal ArcGis language).
Therefore the GIS application is an essential tool in the task of valuing the management of the old building stock allowing data storage, but essentially the capacity of spatial analysis for visualisation of results for different earthquake scenarios. The development of the GIS tool has highlighted its potentially in the management of data, implementing a workable and progressive platform by integrating all the seismic risk evaluation, from the building characteristics to economical loss estimation. This allows enhancing the whole analysis process, enabling data editing of building information, inter-crossing of results of building features to occupation numbers with vulnerability results and loss estimation in an immediate manner to support responsible actions and decisions in the risk management field building by building, city block by city block, or for the whole historical city centre. So the tool does not only allow result spatial visualisation, but data handing for sensibility analysis, scenario modelling and simulation, as for example to foresee the implication of retrofitting strategies that can reduce vulnerability and consequent loss, particularly economical losses. All the collected data for the different urban case studies will aid in the identification of homogeneous group of buildings to support Task 4.
Expected results:
All the information gathered is processed into the database management system that will manage, inter-cross and analyse information gathered. The use of the information gathered and organised has a particular interest in what regards interesting database and graphical information for assessing the seismic vulnerability of old masonry buildings. Several midterm goals and developments are prospected to be fulfilled:
- Development of a comprehensive database and guidance tool for the city council authorities responsible for the rehabilitation and renewal actions within the historical city centres to prioritise and strategise interventions on building aggregates;
- Various sub-routines modules will be developed for different actions: visualisation of results by zone, algorithms using building information for the vulnerability assessment, damage and loss estimation for different macroseismic intensities and information on building parameters and features used to define the vulnerability of buildings (Task 3);
- Universal GIS based tool developed for seismic vulnerability and risk assessment in other urban areas.