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In a recent work, we evidenced some empirical discrepancies between the macroseismic intensity estimates in Italy in the last decade with respect to those made previously. A possible reason might be the progressive adoption by Italian researchers of the European Macroseismic Scale (EMS) in place of the Mercalli Cancani Sieberg (MCS) scale mostly used up to 2009. In theory, in modern settlements where reinforced concrete (RC) buildings are increasingly replacing those in masonry, EMS should overestimate MCS because the former accounts for the lower vulnerability of RC whereas the latter does not because RC buildings were not considered at all by the MCS scale since they were almost absent at the time (1912–1932) when it was compiled by Sieberg. However, such theoretical inference is contradicted by the empirical evidence that, on average, MCS intensities really estimated in Italy over the past decade slightly overestimate EMS and not vice versa as it should be. A possible explanation is that the EMS scale had not been well calibrated to reproduce the MCS, as its authors intended to do. Another possible reason for the discrepancies between the last decade and the previous ones might be that the MCS scale applied today is not the same as that defined by Sieberg at the beginning of the twentieth century. In order to better understand the possible causes of such discrepancies, we present here a formal comparison between the definitions of the different degrees of such macroseismic scales. After such analysis, we might argue that another possible reason for the observed discrepancy may come from the inaccurate assessment of building vulnerability when assessing the EMS intensity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Assessing or predicting seismic damage in buildings is an essential and challenging component of seismic risk studies. Machine learning methods offer new perspectives for damage characterization, taking advantage of available data on the characteristics of built environments. In this study, we aim (1) to characterize seismic damage using a classification model trained and tested on damage survey data from earthquakes in Nepal, Haiti, Serbia and Italy and (2) to test how well a model trained on a given region (host) can predict damage in another region (target). The strategy adopted considers only simple data characterizing the building (number of stories and building age), seismic ground motion (macroseismic intensity) and a traffic-light-based damage classification model (green, yellow, red categories). The study confirms that the extreme gradient boosting classification model (XGBC) with oversampling predicts damage with 60% accuracy. However, the quality of the survey is a key issue for model performance. Furthermore, the host-to-target test suggests that the model's applicability may be limited to regions with similar contextual environments (e.g., socio-economic conditions). Our results show that a model from one region can only be applied to another region under certain conditions. We expect our model to serve as a starting point for further analysis in host-to-target region adjustment and confirm the need for additional post-earthquake surveys in other regions with different tectonic, urban fabric and socio-economic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying a building's vulnerability to flooding is crucial for implementing effective structural mitigation strategies. Detailed conventional onsite building damage assessment methods can be time-consuming and unsuitable for rapid assessments, with geospatial data providing a more up-to-date alternative. This study aimed to assess the physical flood vulnerability of buildings in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia, using a combination of geospatial data and several machine learning classifiers. A detailed land use and cover classification was performed using high-spatial-resolution satellite imagery and airborne LiDAR to identify affected buildings in the area. Building parameters (height and area) and relevant image features were obtained from the building footprint in the geospatial data and used to classify the vulnerability index with the machine learning classifiers. The estimated vulnerability results were validated using in situ building damage data from previous flood events. The results showed that the combination of geospatial data and the machine learning framework achieved 95% accuracy using the random forest classifier and digitised building footprint. Furthermore, building size was found to be the most important factor in determining vulnerability. This geospatial-based approach to building vulnerability assessment demonstrated a good correlation with in situ flood vulnerability data, indicating its feasibility for rapid and large-scale building flood vulnerability assessments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The seismicity of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula is moderate but large events with long return periods occur (≈ 200 years). This exceeds the life of various generations, making the population unacquainted with the seismic hazard. On the one hand, this results in a low demanding seismic code which increases the seismic vulnerability and, therefore, the seismic risk. On the other hand, the local emergency services must be properly prepared to face a destructive seismic event, with emergency plans and mitigation strategies. This assumption enhances the need of assessing the seismic risk of Seville in a civil protection context. For all the aforementioned and for the lack of instrumental data of relevant earthquakes, the assessment of the seismic hazard in this area is challenging. To do this, seismogenic zones of the new seismic hazard map of Spain have been used as sources. The peak ground acceleration (PGA) for each scenario has been calculated by means of ground motion prediction equations (GMPE). To estimate the site effects, in a 1D model environment, a shear wave velocity (Vs) map of the top 5 m has been depicted based on the standard penetration test (SPT). Seville's building stock has been classified in agreement with the previous works in Lorca and Barcelona to determine its vulnerability. The main goal of this work was to investigate the influence of the soil amplification on the seismic behaviour of different building typologies. Therefore, the final target was to plot the damage scenarios expected in Seville under a maximum credible earthquake by means of a deterministic seismic hazard assessment (DSHA). As outputs, the scenario modelled showed that around 27 000 buildings would experience a moderate damage and that 26 000 would suffer pre-collapse or even collapse. Thus, approximately 10% of the population would lose their dwellings. Regarding the human loses, around 22 000 people would suffer serious injuries and approximately 5 000 people would die. Owing to these conclusions, this research evidences the crucial need by civil protection services to implement a local emergency plan as a tool to mitigate the probable consequences that arise from this threat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a fine-scale shallow geological setting and its possible influence on the seismic building behaviour of L'Aquila downtown which suffered many casualties and building damage caused by the 6 April 2009, Mw 6.1 earthquake. This study draws mainly on the integration of 666 borehole logs and 274 microtremor recordings interpolated with GIS-based techniques. The shallow geology of L'Aquila downtown is characterised by Middle Pleistocene calcareous L'Aquila breccias. Their top surface consists of a weathered epikarst zone that is mantled by Red Soil (reddish colluviated Alfisols) formed during the late Pleistocene. The areal distribution and thickness of Red Soil are causative of the medium microtremor frequency (3–13 Hz). The map of cross-correlation between the medium frequencies, estimated through the empirical Eurocode 8 equation, shows buildings with possible seismic coupling due to the shallow geology setting and the fundamental building period. This technique is further supported by the areal distribution of seismic building damages caused by the 2009 and 1703 L'Aquila earthquakes. This approach, carried out with a large geological and geophysical dataset, is useful in defining seismic site effects and may be effective in mitigating the seismic risk of cities with notable historical heritage in Central Italy, such as the L'Aquila downtown area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tsunami risk assessment is an important component of the planning for risk reduction. We considered tsunami risk as a convolution of tsunami hazard, vulnerability of the assets at risk (e.g. buildings) and the economic value exposed. For testing the model, a coastal segment at the west of Heraklion, capital city of Crete Isl., Greece, was selected. Heraklion was hit in the past by strong tectonic and volcanic tsunamis, generated along the Hellenic Arc in the Mediterranean region. The Minoan tsunami produced by pyroclastic flows during the LBA (17th century BC) great eruption of Thera (Santorini) was selected as an extreme tsunami scenario for the hazard (inundation) zone determination through numerical simulation based on Boussinesq equations for fully non-linear waves. It was found that the wave penetrates inland up to ~ 1.2 km, while the maximum water depth is ~ 14 m. The building stock was obtained from the 2011 national census data and validated with the use of orthophotomaps, field inspection and Google Maps. Building vulnerability was determined with the use of the empirical GIS tool DAMASCHE which is based on 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami building damage data and produces damage level by combining water depth and building construction types. The damage level was translated to absolute monetary loss on the basis of cost flat rates determined officially for building replacement, i.e., either reparation or reconstruction, after the destructive earthquakes in Greece during 2014. The method is applicable in other parts of the Mediterranean and beyond provided that appropriate data are available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

3D city models associate a database of a city to a rigorous geospatial representation that is close to the visible reality by combining appearance, geometry, and semantics. As such, these models may include tools that convey attribute analysis, not only at the statistical level but also in terms of visual appearance of the objects, thus allowing the generation of new knowledge about a phenomenon or its effects. Lisbon is a city with a moderate level of seismic risk, and has been hit in the past by strong earthquakes. Several seismic vulnerability studies of buildings have been carried out in Lisbon. These studies generate different scenarios that consider the magnitude and source location of potential earthquakes. The results of these studies were presented as maps obtained from crossing information contained in 2D layers and presented in a GIS environment. In the present study a seismic vulnerability assessment of Lisbon's buildings held in 2D is extended to the third dimension, which refines the resolution and the set of parameters and explores the gains of spatial analysis in 3D representations. The numerous parameters that contribute to assess seismic vulnerability of buildings may be analyzed individually or simultaneously as well as in multiple seismic scenarios. Although covering all residential buildings in Lisbon, the application of the 3D city model is demonstrated with more detail in three pilot areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A tornado with severe intensity hit the municipalities of Pianiga, Dolo and Mira close to Venice, northeast Italy, causing damages on a wide number of residential and industrial buildings and destroying some historical villas. In this study, the authors show the results of the damage assessment survey performed in the first days after the occurrence of the extreme event. Limited literature deals with damage assessment of European building types due to wind actions, and the available one does not consider building vulnerability as key factor in the structural response of existing structures subject to tornado hazard. In this paper, structural damages surveyed in reinforced concrete frame structures and masonry buildings, representative of common Italian building types, are critically discussed. Additionally, this work provides a database of past tornado events in northeast Italy, evidencing how the analyzed area has been found to be quite prone to tornado hazard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Southeast of Yogyakarta City has had the heaviest damages to buildings in the 2006 of Yogyakarta Earthquake disaster. A moderate to strong earthquake of 6.3 Mw shook the 20 km southeast part of the Yogyakarta City early in the morning at 5:54 local time. On top of extensive damage in Yogyakarta and Central Java, more than 5700 people perished; 37,927 people were injured in the collapse of more than 240,396 residential buildings. Furthermore, the earthquake also affected the infrastructure and local economic activities. The total damages and losses because of the earthquake was 29.1 trillion rupiahs or equal to approximately 3.1 million US dollar. Two main factors that caused the severe damages were a dense population and the lack of seismic design of residential buildings. After reconstruction and rehabilitation, the area where the study was conducted grew into a densely populated area. This urbanistic change is feared to be potentially the lead to a great disaster if an earthquake occurs again. Thus, a comprehensive study about building vulnerability is absolutely needed in study area. Therefore, the main objective of this study has been the provision of a probabilistic model of seismic building vulnerability based on the damage data of the last big earthquake. By considering the relationship between building characteristics, site conditions, and the damage level based on probabilistic analysis, this study can offer a better understanding of earthquake damage estimation for residential building in Java. Results: The main findings of this study were as follows: The most vulnerable building type is the reinforced masonry structure with clay tile roof, it is located between 8.1-10 km of the epicentre and it is built on young Merapi volcanic deposits. On the contrary, the safest building type is the houses which has characteristics of reinforced masonry structure, asbestos or zinc roof type, and being located in Semilir Formation. The results showed that the building damage probability provided a high accuracy of prediction about 75.81%. Conclusions: The results explain the prediction of building vulnerability based on the building damaged of the Yogyakarta earthquake 2006. This study is suitable for preliminary study at the region scale. Thus, the site investigation still needs to be conducted for the future research to determine the safety and vulnerability of residential building. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic loss estimation analysis for large cities is a very demanding yet necessary task; the modelling of such complex systems requires first of all insightful input data at good resolution, referring to local effects, buildings and socio-economic aspects. Also, the implementation of less empirical estimation methods is needed. Until recently, these requirements could not be fulfilled for Bucharest, the capital city in the European Union which is most at risk due to earthquakes. Based on 2011 and 2002 census data, standardized according to the framework of the Near-real time System for Estimating the Seismic Damage in Romania (SeisDaRo) through a unique approach, and on relevant hazard scenarios, we estimate for the first time the building damage at census tract scale. The methodology applied relies on 48 vulnerability curves for buildings, on the Improved Displacement Coefficient Analytical Method included in the SELENA software for computing damage probabilities and on deterministic seismic hazard scenarios, including the maximum possible earthquake. By using overlay analysis with satellite imagery and a new methodology integrated in GIS we show how results can be enhanced, reflecting more localized characteristics. Best practices for seismic risk mapping are also expressed. The results are promising and contribute to mitigation efforts in Bucharest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vulnerability assessment, as a component of the consequence analysis, represents a fundamental stage in the risk assessment process because it relates the hazard intensity to the characteristics of the built environment that make it susceptible to damage and loss. The objective of this work is to develop a quantitative methodology for vulnerability and loss assessment of buildings exposed to debris flows and apply it to a study area in NE Italy at local and regional scale. Using existing conceptual models of vulnerability and loss, this paper seeks to identify solutions for maximizing the information gained from limited observational damage data and a heterogeneous building data set. Two vulnerability models are proposed: Model 1 is based on the generation of empirical vulnerability curves using observed intensities; Model 2 takes into account multiple resistance characteristics of buildings and uses modeled debris flow intensities. The process intensity descriptor in both cases is debris flow height. The vulnerability values obtained with the local (Model 1) and regional (Model 2) models are further multiplied with the building value to calculate the minimum and maximum loss for each building in the study area. Loss is also expressed as cumulative probability calculated with Model 1 using a Monte Carlo sampling technique. The methodology is applied in the Fella River valley (northeastern Italian Alps), a region prone to multiple mountain hazards. Uncertainties are expressed as minimum and maximum values of vulnerability, market values and loss. The results are compared with relevant published vulnerability curves and historical damage reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work reviewed, assessed, enhanced and field-tested one of the most widely used index-based methods for assessing the vulnerability of buildings to tsunamis: the Papathoma Tsunami Vulnerability Assessment ( PTVA) model. The review and assessment were undertaken through a participatory survey process engaging authors of scientific literature during 2005-2015 in the field of building vulnerability to tsunamis. Expert respondents updated the weights of the PTVA building vulnerability attributes based on their expertise and insights from the 2011 Tohoku Tsunami. The respondents were also free to suggest additional PTVA building attributes and to provide open comments on the model. We then analysed the outcomes of the questionnaire and we used them to generate a new improved version of the model, the PTVA-4, which we field-tested in the area of Botany Bay (Sydney), New South Wales. Using a cohort of over 2000 buildings and a tsunami scenario numerically simulated using state-of-the-art hydrodynamic modelling techniques, we applied the PTVA-4 model and compared the outcomes against its predecessor (i.e. the PTVA-3). Results showed the PTVA-4 model is significantly more accurate and more sensitive to variations in the tsunami demand parameter, the attributes of the exposed buildings and their surroundings. The PTVA-4 model is the first tool of its kind to integrate the judgment of specialised scientists worldwide. It constitutes a viable option to assess the vulnerability of buildings in areas where no tsunami vulnerability curves have been developed yet, or to consider the contribution to vulnerability given by a significantly wider range of building engineering and physical attributes. An ArcGIS toolbox that automatically calculates the relative vulnerability of buildings using the new PTVA-4 model is attached to this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the performance of residential buildings in the town of Hveragerði in South Iceland during the 29 May 2008 Mw 6.3 Ölfus Earthquake. The earthquake occurred very close to the town, approximately 3-4 km from it. Ground shaking caused by the earthquake was recorded by a dense strong-motion array in the town. The array provided high-quality three-component ground acceleration data which is used to quantify a hazard scenario. In addition, surveys conducted in the town in the aftermath of the earthquake have provided information on macroseismic intensity at various locations in the town. Detailed information regarding the building stock in the town is collected, and their seismic vulnerability models are created by using building damage data obtained from the June 2000 South Iceland earthquakes. Damage to buildings are then simulated by using the scenario hazard and vulnerability models. Damage estimates were also obtained by conducting a survey. Simulated damage based on the scenario macroseismic intensity is found to be similar to damage estimated from survey data. The buildings performed very well during the earthquake-damage suffered was only 5 % of the insured value on the average. Correlation between actual damage and recorded ground-motion parameters is found to be statistically insignificant. No significant correlation of damage was observed, even with macroseismic intensity. Whereas significant correlation was observed between peak ground velocity and macroseismic intensity, neither of them appear to be good indicators of damage to buildings in the study area. This lack of correlation is partly due to good seismic capacity of buildings and partly due to the ordinal nature of macroseismic intensity scale. Consistent with experience from many past earthquakes, the survey results indicate that seismic risk in South Iceland is not so much due to collapse of buildings but rather due to damage to non-structural components and building contents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of buildings in seismic prone areas depends upon the structural behavior of buildings subjected to ground motion. Buildings of plan and vertical irregularities with respect to either geometry or stiffness have exhibited poor performance during past earthquakes . Identification of seismic building vulnerability is required for metropolitan cities which have moderate to high level of seismic proneness and have a high building density. Inspection of a large number of buildings individually requires enormous time and manpower. Using aerial photograph approach in GIS platform is an ideal choice to overcome these constraints. Chennai city is the thirty-fourth largest city in the world and prone to moderate earthquake hazards. This paper presents a methodology to analyze and predict the seismic vulnerability of buildings with five storeys and above in Chennai. Aerial photographic data of all buildings, land features and roads, within the city and its direct surroundings, were digitized and incorporated on a GIS platform, resulting in a digital vector map. A number of structural parameters determined on the basis of engineering knowledge and observations through rapid visual screening (RVS) have been used to identify the plan and vertical irregularities of the buildings. A new vulnerability scoring system to identify the level of damageability has been introduced based on RVS technique and compared with traditional grading system. Subsequent to RVS, a database of buildings having different range of vulnerability scores has been prepared. The percentage of desirable and undesirable features of buildings with respect to their contribution to damage was assessed based on past experiences and vulnerability scores of buildings. The survey shows that 30 % of the buildings are in the A category of being vulnerable to collapse. There are no buildings that can be classified as defect-free. It is also to note that 55-70 % of buildings lie in the category of D (low damage vulnerability). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantification of building vulnerability to earthquake and tsunami hazards is a key component for the implementation of structural mitigation strategies fostering the essential shift from post-disaster crisis reaction to preventive measures. Facing accelerating urban sprawl and rapid structural change in modern urban agglomerations in areas of high seismic and tsunami risk, the synergetic use of remote sensing and civil engineering methods offers a great potential to assess building structures up-to-date and area-wide. This paper provides a new methodology contextualizing key components in quantifying building vulnerability with regard to sequenced effects of seismic and tsunami impact. The study was carried out in Cilacap, a coastal City in Central Java, Indonesia. Central is the identification of significant correlations between building characteristics, easily detectable by remote sensing techniques, and detailed in situ measurements stating precise building vulnerability information. As a result, potential vertical evacuation shelters in the study area are detected and a realistic vulnerability assessment of the exposed building stock is given. These findings obtained allow for prioritization of intervention measures such as awareness and preparedness strategies and can be implemented in local disaster management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The occurrence of subsidence phenomena in urban regions may induce small to severe damage to buildings. Many methods are provided in the literature to assess buildings damage. Most of these methods are empirical and use the horizontal ground strain as a subsidence intensity in the vicinity of a building. Application and comparison of these methods with a case study is the main objective of this paper. This comparison requires some harmonization of the existing methods and the development of a software, which combines the subsidence hazard prediction, the damage evaluation methods and a database of buildings with structural parameters as well as the geographical coordinates of the buildings An additional results is the development of a method for the prediction of the horizontal ground strain in the vicinity of each building. Results are given as a map of damaged buildings for the case study and the different existing methods with some statistical calculations such as the mean and the standard deviation of damage in the city. Comparison of these results allows identification of the 'safer' method that give the higher mean of damage. The comparison of the calculated results and observed damage in Lorrain region show that, the Dzegeniuk et al. methods is more realistic in comparison of the other empirical methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper earthquake damage scenarios for residential buildings (about 4200 units) in Potenza (Southern Italy) have been estimated adopting a novel probabilistic approach that involves complex source models, site effects, building vulnerability assessment and damage estimation through Damage Probability Matrices. Several causative faults of single seismic events, with magnitude up to 7, are known to be close to the town. A seismic hazard approach based on finite faults ground motion simulation techniques has been used to identify the sources producing the maximum expected ground motion at Potenza and to generate a set of ground motion time histories to be adopted for building damage scenarios. Additionally, site effects, evaluated in a previous work through amplification factors of Housner intensity, have been combined with the bedrock values provided by hazard assessment. Furthermore, a new relationship between Housner and EMS-98 macroseismic intensity has been developed. This relationship has been used to convert the probability mass functions of Housner intensity obtained from synthetic seismograms amplified by the site effects coefficients into probability mass function of EMS-98 intensity. Finally, the Damage Probability Matrices have been applied to estimate the damage levels of the residential buildings located in the urban area of Potenza. The proposed methodology returns the full probabilistic distribution of expected damage, thus avoiding average damage index or uncertainties expressed in term of dispersion indexes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

fter the recent Central Italy Earthquake of the 6th April 2009 (Mw = 6.3), the Italian and German engineer and geophysicist Task Force carried out a wide characterization of sites, buildings and damages. In Navelli, a town about 35 km far from epicentre, heavy damage occurred on a reinforced concrete (RC) building that represent an anomalous case of damage, when compared with those occurred in the neighbouring area. In this paper, characterization of the site and damage of the Navelli RC Building is reported and discussed. We performed ambient noise and strong motion measurements, installing one three-directional accelerometer on each floor of the structure and two in free-field, and we have carried out repeated measurements using a couple of three-directional tromometers. In the mean time, a geological survey was carried out and the site response was investigated, with the aid of down-hole measurements. It was thus possible to investigate the structural response and damage taking into account site condition. One of the main results of this work is that repeating analyses using ambient noise measurements show that the main structural frequencies reached after the first damaging shock are constant over time, and then the structural behaviour appears stationary at long term. On the other hand, the strong motion recordings show that the building exhibits a transient non-stationary behaviour as the fundamental frequency changes during each aftershock, then returning to the starting value after each event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article contributes to the development and application of two latest-generation methods of seismic risk analysis in urban areas. The first method, namely vulnerability index method (VIM), considers five non-null damage states, defines the action in terms of macroseismic intensity and the seismic quality of the building by means of a vulnerability index. The estimated damage degree is measured by semi-empirical functions. The second method, namely capacity spectrum based method (CSBM), considers four no damage states, defines the seismic action in terms of response spectra and the building vulnerability by means of its capacity spectrum. In order to apply both methods to Barcelona (Spain) and compare the results, a deterministic and a probabilistic hazard scenario with soil effects are used. The deterministic one corresponds to a historic earthquake, while the probabilistic seismic ground motion has a probability of exceedence of 10% in 50 years. Detailed information on the building design has been obtained along years by collecting, arranging, improving, and completing the database of the dwellings of the city. A Geographic Information System (GIS) has been customized allowing storing, analysing, and displaying this large amount of spatial and tabular data of dwellings. The obtained results are highly consistent with the historical and modern evolution of the populated area and show the validity and strength of both methods. Although Barcelona has a low to moderate seismic hazard, its expected seismic risk is significant because of the high vulnerability of its buildings. Cities such as Barcelona, located in a low to moderate seismic hazard region, are usually not aware of the seismic risk. The detailed risk maps obtained offer a great opportunity to guide the decision making in the field of seismic risk prevention and mitigation in Barcelona, and for emergency planning in the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a model able to analyse the seismic behaviour of road network in urban areas, considering interaction between buildings and roads is presented. Damage to buildings and short-term countermeasures, such as propping, can affect roads and even block them, reducing capacity of the road network. Two successive phases are considered. In the first, immediately after the seismic event, emergency services have to reach the relevant buildings. Here, the network topology is of interest. In the second, in the long term, network capacity is not yet completely restored and network demand has to account for displaced people due to unusable buildings. In this case, road serviceability is of interest. In order to consider uncertainties on building behaviour, a probabilistic approach is developed and the network is analysed by means of Monte Carlo simulation. The methodology is applied to the municipality of Potenza (southern Italy) evaluating in the short term, the probability of strategic buildings are not connected and, in the long term, road serviceability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study on uncertainties in building inventory and vulnerability assessment for the city of Basel, Switzerland a moderate hazard but high-risk area is presented. Emphasis is put on the special conditions and demands on the data assessment procedure in such an environment. The building information was assessed from the sidewalk using a method similar to that proposed in FEMA-154. With only three persons working for two weeks, about 10% of the city’s building stock was assessed. The quality of the dataset was tested by using pre-existing reference data. These tests revealed patterns of misinterpreted structural information; important features like the floor type in URM buildings were difficult to identify. Six methods are proposed to derive building vulnerability from the collected structural information using the definitions of EMS98. The variation between the individual results was investigated in detail. A sample earthquake scenario with intensity IX in the city of Basel is used to demonstrate the influence of uncertainty in the inventory on the scenario results. The range of variation in the results is huge. Overall damage in the six scenarios differed by up to 27%. The amount of collapsed buildings in the historical part of the city comprised between 28% in the worst case and 3% in the best. There is a distinct influence of the inspector’s opinion visible in the scenario results, which introduces a remarkable uncertainty. This emphasizes the importance of reliable inventory assessments and makes uncertainty analysis in earthquake scenarios indispensable – especially in areas of moderate seismicity where observational data from earthquake damage is missing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]