National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program

Development of the 2009–2013 Strategic Plan Chapter 2 Comments

Comments on Chapter 2 of the 2008–2012 Draft Strategic Plan (15)

• Comment (page 9, line 7–9): What is the purpose of the text? Consider adding an introduction.
• Comment (page 10, line 1): We have not yet established whether the earthquake impacts are small or large with respect to society's expectations. It is not clear by how much we need to reduce the potential impacts.
• Comment (page 10, line 4): This does not seem to be the correct word for the title of Objective 5
  
  It seems that estimating is the more proper term than assessments.
  
  Suggestion: Replace "Assessments" with "Estimating likely"
• Comment (page 10, line 20): What are "earthquake safety fields"? Please define.
• Comment (page 11, line 29): Some new areas requiring attention .....
• Comment (page 13, line 20): Refer to GeoEarthscope SAR imagery in the section "Maximum Use of Research and Data collection facilities"
  
  In general I would like to see encouragement to use Space Data (in particular SAR imagery) for earthquake hazard reduction. SAR interferometry in combination with GPS can be used to precisely measure the loading of active faults.
  
  Suggestion: Refer to Earthscope data such as U.S. Array, Plate Boundary Observatory and GeoEarthscope SAR imagery
• Comment (page 13, line 31): The dictionary definition of "balkanized" implies hostile units. I did not think that a separate instrumentation group was hostile with other instrumentation groups.
  
  Suggestion: I recommend using "autonomous sets" rather than "balkanized set" because these groups were independently administered; but friendly.
• Comment (page 13, line 33): This sounds a bit over sold. The regional networks still are in need of considerable investment and upgrades before we can boast of regional data processing facilities for consistent and rapid notification.
  
  Don't want to claim we've accomplished more than we have—for one, this weakens our claim that additional funding is needed. And it leads to false impressions.
  
  Suggestion: ANSS now consists of coordinated national and regional data processing facilities for improved and expanded rapid notification of earthquake occurrence and impact...
• Comment (page 13, line 37): Perceptions of speed vary with time. Suggest deleting this phrase.
• Comment (page 13, line 40): NEES will not eliminate these effects. NEES is a network of high-performance equipment and infrastructure. NSF funds research using the NEES equipment to develop design and construction techniques to "...reduce these effects."
  
  NEES enables research but does not perform research to effect change.
• Comment (page 13, line 41): What "consortia members"? Please identify the consortia.
  
  Text is not clear.
• Comment (page 14, line 11): This is the first time that multi-hazard engineering is mentioned in the report. It is suggested that a priority be added at the beginning of the report to develop earthquake mitigation methods that can be leveraged towards multi-hazard resilience of infrastructure.
• Comment (page 15, line 8): Perhaps is could be mentioned as an example of International Cooperation that EERI and the Canadian Association for Earthquake Engineering are jointly organizing their national earthquake engineering conference in 2010 in Toronto. The official name of this conference is "9th US National and 10th Canadian Conference on Earthquake Engineering: Reaching Beyond Borders."
• Comment (page 15, line 23–28): This is pretty anemic
  
  There is a great deal more that could be said about service to the public well beyond these few meager lines.
  
  Suggestion: Would emphasize the many fine materials developed by the USGS, FEMA and other NEHRP funded programs, useful web sites, outreach efforts and programs of technology transfer. I think that these efforts merit at least some specific examples of publicly useful products and programs.
• Comment (page 15, line 28): Eliminate "the work of".
  
  Suggestion: ....elements of NEHRP.

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