About NHERI SimCenter and DesignSafe

The goal of the SimCenter is to provide the natural hazards engineering research and education community with access to next-generation computational modeling and simulation software tools, user support, and educational materials needed to advance the nation's capability to simulate the impact of natural hazards on structures, lifelines, and communities. In addition, the new center will enable leaders to make more informed decisions about the need for and effectiveness of potential mitigation strategies.

The SimCenter will provide modeling and simulation tools using a new open-source framework that:

1. addresses various natural hazards, such as windstorms, storm surge, tsunamis, and earthquakes;
2. tackles complex, scientific questions of concern to disciplines involved in natural hazards research, including earth sciences, geotechnical and structural engineering, architecture, urban planning, risk management, social sciences, public policy, and finance;
3. utilizes machine learning to facilitate and improve modeling and simulation using data obtained from experimental tests, field investigations, and previous simulations;
4. quantifies uncertainties associated with the simulation results obtained;
5. utilizes the high-performance parallel computing, dXata assimilation, and related capabilities to easily combine software applications into workflows of unprecedented sophistication and complexity;
6. extends and refines software tools for carrying out performance-based engineering evaluations and supporting decisions that enhance the resilience of communities susceptible to multiple natural hazards; and
7. utilizes existing applications that already provide many of the pieces of desired computational workflows.

More information available on the SimCenter homepage at https://simcenter.designsafe-ci.org/.