1. About

This is an open-source research application, which is available at WE-UQ Github page, and is released under a BSD Clause 2 license. The WE-UQ app can be used to predict the response of a building subjected to wind loading. The application is focused on quantifying the uncertainties in the predicted response, given the properties of the buildings and the wind events are not known exactly, and that both the simulation software and the user make simplifying assumptions in the numerical modeling of the structure. In this application, the user is required to characterize the uncertainties in the input. The application will, after utilizing the user-selected sampling method, provide information that characterizes the uncertainties in the computed response measures. As the computations to make these determinations can be prohibitively expensive to perform on a user’s local computer, the user has the option to perform the computations remotely on the Frontera supercomputer. Frontera is located at the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) and made available to the user through NHERI DesignSafe, the cyberinfrastructure provider for the distributed NSF-funded Natural Hazards in Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI) facility.

Whether running locally or remotely, the computations are performed, as will be discussed in Technical Manual, in a workflow application. That is, the numerical simulations are actually performed by several different applications. The WE-UQ app backend software runs these different applications for the user, taking the outputs from some programs and providing them as inputs to others. The design of the WE-UQ app is such that researchers can modify the backend application to utilize their own application in the workflow computations. This will ensure researchers are not limited to using the default applications we provide and will be enthused to provide their applications for others to use.

This document covers Version 4.1 of the tool. Users are encouraged to comment on what additional features and capabilities they would like to see in this application. These requests and feedback can be submitted through the github discussion page and we greatly appreciate any input you have. If there are features you want, chances are many of your colleagues also would benefit from them. Users are encouraged to review Requirements to see what features are planned for this application.