When an earthquake occurs, the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) ShakeMap portrays the extent of potentially damaging shaking. In turn, the ShakeCast system, a freely-available, post-earthquake situational awareness application, automatically retrieves earthquake shaking data from USGS ShakeMap, analyzes shaking intensity data against users’ facilities (e.g., bridges, buildings, roads), sends notifications of potential impacts, and generates maps and other web-based products for emergency managers and responders. ShakeCast is particularly suitable for earthquake planning and response purposes by Departments of Transportation (DOTs), in part since it can utilize State’s existing NBI databases to implement shaking-based inspection priority and impact assessments. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has been working with the USGS over the last ten years to develop a robust and operational ShakeCast platform. A long-term goal is to "connect the DOTs" to bring this technology to all states with seismic hazards, as the major earthquakes anticipated to occur in the future will cross state borders. The recently released ShakeCast V3 system includes a full statistical fragility analysis framework for general structural assessment of bridges as part of the near real-time system; significant improvements in the graphical user interface, including a console view for operations centers; and custom, user-defined hazard and loss modules. The new version also includes advancements in estimating the likelihood of shaking-induced secondary hazards to bridges and along roadways due to landslides and liquefaction.

This collaborative effort will bring participating DOTs into full ShakeCast operation for post-earthquake assessment of state and local bridge inventories. The project will provide a mechanism to actively engage representatives from state DOTs with the common interests in implementing and expanding the application of ShakeCast technologies to improve emergency response capabilities.

The scope of the project is comprised of two primary focus areas: (1) Provide support for participating DOTs to deploy operational ShakeCast systems. Several technology alternatives exist for deploying ShakeCast, depending upon the IT environment and policy requirements of individual DOTs. These options include cloud-based deployments (e.g. Amazon cloud), deployment within an agency’s IT infrastructure, or through a centralized service arranged through the USGS. These alternatives would be explored through the project, and an operational deployment solution identified for each participating state DOT. Training on ShakeCast administration and structural fragility applications, technical assistance over the course of the project, and related services would be provided through the USGS, key project partners (e.g. Caltrans), and other resources as needed. (2) Develop, modify, and customize ShakeCast features to the meet the needs of the state DOTs. Over the course of the project, new and/or modified feature requirements will be identified. The project participants will develop and prioritize these needs, and guide their development implementation by the USGS ShakeCast team. The extent of the work will be limited by the funding available to the project. For instance, earthquake-induced landsliding and liquefaction are significant threats to roadways and bridges is many states and with customization can be automatically included in ShakeCast analyses and alerting. An in-person meeting of the project representatives will occur at the start of the project. Thereafter, annual meetings will be convened to update the participating agency representatives on the status of the project and to provide a forum for information sharing, training, and feedback.

Schedule: The duration of the project is 3 years, to begin with the execution of a contract with the U.S. Geological Survey. Funding: Participating state DOTs will be expected to commit, at minimum, a level of funding that would cover their state’s estimated share of project expenses. This would include IT-related deployment support costs, onsite support costs, application hosting services, travel for project representative to meetings, and a proportional share of new feature development costs. These costs are estimated to be on the order of $15,000 per year, or $45,000 per state DOT for the 3-year project. A minimum of 10 state DOTs would provide a sufficient base funding level of $450,000 to support the proposed scope of work. Additional funding beyond the minimum from the state DOTs would enable additional development of new ShakeCast features.