A Digital Template for the Generic Multi-Risk (GenMR) Framework: A Virtual Natural Environment

Area of Science:

• Earth and Environmental Sciences
• Computational Science
• Risk Analysis

Background:

• Extreme disasters result from cascading effects and environmental factors.
• Current multi-risk modeling often focuses on site-specific scenarios, lacking a harmonized approach for the full possibility space.
• Understanding the interplay between natural environments and perils is crucial for effective risk assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define a novel 'digital template' concept for multi-risk research and development.
• To establish a framework for simulating diverse perils within a virtual natural environment.
• To explore the influence of environmental characteristics on hazard intensity and cascading effects.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Generic Multi-Risk (GenMR) framework incorporating a digital template.
• Definition of virtual natural environments with topographic and soil layers.
• Modeling of geological, hydrological, meteorological, and extraterrestrial perils.
• Generation of hazard intensity footprints for primary, secondary, and tertiary perils.

Main Results:

• The digital template allows for the simulation of various perils (e.g., earthquakes, floods, volcanic eruptions, asteroid impacts).
• Environmental layers (topography, soil) and objects significantly influence hazard intensity and cascading event generation (e.g., 'quake lake').
• The framework emphasizes the critical role of the natural environment in modulating disaster impacts.

Conclusions:

• The proposed digital template offers a harmonized approach to multi-risk R&D and prototyping.
• This virtual environment facilitates the study of complex disaster interactions and environmental influences.
• Future developments, inspired by simulation games, hold potential for advanced multi-risk analysis.