.. _lblAbout:

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About
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|short tool name| is an open-source library (|tool github link|) released under a **3-Clause BSD** license (see :ref:`lblLicense`). The |app| can be used to quantify losses from an earthquake or hurricane scenario in the form of *decision variables* (DVs). This functionality is typically utilized for performance-based engineering and regional natural hazard risk assessment. This library can help you in several steps of performance assessment:

* **Describe the joint distribution of asset response.** The response of a structure or other type of asset to a natural hazard event is typically described by so-called engineering demand parameters (EDPs). |short tool name| provides various options to characterize the distribution of EDPs. It can calibrate a multivariate distribution that describes the joint distribution of EDPs if raw EDP data is available. Users can control the type of each marginal distribution, apply truncation limits to consider collapses, and censor part of the data to consider detection limits in their analysis. Alternatively, you can use raw EDP data as-is without resampling from a fitted distribution.

* **Define the performance model of an asset.** The fragility and consequence functions from the first two editions of FEMA P58 and the HAZUS earthquake and hurricane wind and storm surge models for buildings are provided with pelicun. This facilitates the creation of performance models without having to collect and provide component descriptions and corresponding fragility and consequence functions. An auto-population interface encourages researchers to develop and share rulesets that automate the performance-model definition based on the available building information. Example scripts for such auto-population are also provided with the tool.

* **Simulate asset damage.** Given the EDP samples, and the performance model, pelicun efficiently simulates the damages in each component of the asset and identifies the proportion of realizations that resulted in collapse.

* **Estimate the consequences of damage.** Using information about collapse and component damages, the following consequences can be estimated with pelicun: repair cost and time, unsafe placarding (red tag), injuries of various severity and fatalities.

The User Guide (:numref:`lbl-usage`) provides more details about the usage of pelicun, while the Background section in the Technical Manual (:numref:`lbl-background`) explains the theoretical background of the various options that are available in the tool.