The SCEC Broadband Platform: Open-Source Software for Strong Ground Motion Simulation and Validation

Fabio Silva, Philip J. Maechling, & Christine A. Goulet

Published September 11, 2022, SCEC Contribution #12527, 2022 SCEC Annual Meeting Poster #243 (PDF)

The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) Broadband Platform (BBP) is a collection of open-source scientific software modules that can simulate broadband (0-20+ Hz) ground motions for earthquakes at regional scales, compare simulation results between methods, and validate simulation results against observations. BBP software modules include kinematic rupture generators, low- and high-frequency seismogram synthesis methods that model the propagation of seismic waves through 1D layered velocity structures, site-effects modules, ground motion intensity measure calculations, and ground motion goodness-of-fit tools. Advanced scientific codes on these topics have been integrated into a software system that provides user-defined, repeatable calculation of ground-motion seismograms, using alternative simulation methods, and software utilities to generate tables, plots, and maps.

The BBP has been developed over the last eleven years as a collaborative project involving researchers, graduate students and practitioners from seismology and earthquake engineering, and the SCEC research computing group. The Broadband Platform version 22.4 is distributed as an open-source software that can be compiled and run on recent Linux systems with GNU compilers. The distribution includes seven simulation methods, ten simulation regions covering California, Japan, Central Italy, Central and Eastern North America, and the ability to compare simulation results against empirical ground motion models. Recent BBP developments include significant improvements to several simulation methods, the ability to simulate multi-segment ruptures, and the addition of a validation module based on Fourier Amplitude Spectra (FAS), in addition to the previously implemented Pseudo-Spectral Acceleration Spectra metrics needed for engineering applications. This will allow better seismological interpretations of the simulation results. We will cover various BBP capabilities and validation tools included in the Broadband Platform and will present initial FAS-based results from various validation events in several California regions.

Key Words
Ground Motions, Simulations, High-Performance Computing

Citation
Silva, F., Maechling, P. J., & Goulet, C. A. (2022, 09). The SCEC Broadband Platform: Open-Source Software for Strong Ground Motion Simulation and Validation. Poster Presentation at 2022 SCEC Annual Meeting.

Related Projects & Working Groups
Ground Motions