The Earthquake Damage Simulation System Based On Three-dimensional GIS Technology

The result of earthquake damage simulation can not only be applied in preparation for earthquake disaster prevention and reduction before the occurrence of an earthquake, but also can help plan search and rescue efforts quickly by analyzing damage status of the transportation system after a major destructive earthquake. Besides, the earthquake damage simulation system can be used to calibrate the damage and loss estimation by comparing the simulated damage with the actual damage status after an earthquake event.GIS technology has been applied in earthquake damage analysis around the world for more than 20 years now, and this thesis has summarized some of the research activities of GIS technology application in earthquake damage simulation. While a lot of progress has been made in the area, most of the studies are focused on application of 2-dimensional GIS technology. While 2-dimensional GIS is useful in understanding earthquake damage status, it is difficult to demonstrate the topographical effect, such as mountains, valleys and river systems.To address the issue of the effect of topography, this paper applies the 3-dimensional GIS technology and satellite remote sensing imaging technology in simulating earthquake damage with the consideration of spatial distribution information of the earthquake damage. This earthquake damage scenario simulation also considers the effect of building characteristics, such as building type, age, etc.The overall approach of this study can be briefly summarized as follows: firstly, the satellite remote sensing technology and the pre-stored building information are used to retrieve the information for a 2-dimensional GIS information system. Secondly, 3-dimensional GIS information technology is used to build spatial scenario of an area before the occurrence of an earthquake. Thirdly, earthquake damage estimation method is used to estimate the earthquake damage considering the effect of ground motion, building type, age and occupancy status and then the damage status is graphically analyzed with 3-dimensional GIS technology for better application in earthquake disaster reduction efforts before and after an earthquake..