Katharine Sanderson reports on a global project in pilot phase, the Global Earthquake Model (GEM) aiming to predict the risk of earthquakes to different communities. According to Sanderson, GEM calculates seismic risk based on the geological characteristics of an area, as well as the types of building and the building regulations in place.
The long-term aim of GEM is to allow local officials or members of the public to add data about their local area using a communication portal, and run a calculation to get an idea of the seismic risk the area is subject to.
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