Relational database for building strong motion recordings used for seismic impact assessments

Abstract

Historical data play a primary role in reconstructing building seismic responses and assessing damage in near-real time. While these types of data sets exist, they are often fragmented, difficult to access, and require significant manual manipulation on the part of the user to obtain useful information. This article introduces a relational database that comprises historical data from 216 buildings subjected to $\mathbf{M}>4$ earthquakes, spanning a 36-year period in California. It includes comprehensive information about the events and accelerometer-equipped buildings, parameters that are often used in post-earthquake impact assessments, and time-series structural response data recorded during real earthquakes. The database is designed to facilitate incremental updating as new events occur, and the associated data becomes available. It is also paired with a Python-based tool that reduces the barrier to user access with a few simple inputs. The long-term goal is to expand the database to include additional seismic events and spur the development of similar single- or multi-hazard repositories.