A curated, open-source repository of standardized model parameters and metadata for quantifying the impact of natural hazard events on the built environment.
The Damage and Loss Model Library (DLML) is a project from the NHERI SimCenter designed to address a critical gap in natural hazards engineering: the lack of a centralized, standardized, and easy-to-use repository for damage and loss models. This library provides the essential data—model parameters, descriptive metadata, and configuration files—that power natural hazard risk assessment simulations.
This v2.0.0 release represents a significant evolution of the project, featuring an improved data schema, a host of new and updated models, and a documentation system.
Key Features:
- Standardized Data Schema: A robust yet flexible schema for organizing models by hazard, asset type, and resolution, making it easy to use data and supporting new contributions.
- Rich Metadata & Clear Citations: Every model is paired with detailed metadata and a clear citation to the original source.
- A Broad & Inclusive Collection: We feature a growing collection of models, from large-scale industry standards like FEMA P-58 and FEMA Hazus to peer-reviewed models from the broader research community. Our goal is to provide a home for all high-quality damage and loss models.
- Automated Documentation: The metadata and parameters are used to automatically generate a user-friendly documentation website, complete with model descriptions, parameter tables, and plots of fragility and consequence functions.
There are three primary ways to interact with the DLML, depending on your needs.
The best way to get started is by exploring our documentation website. It provides a searchable, lightweight interface to discover all available models, view their parameters, and understand their assumptions.
➡️ Visit the Documentation Website
For performing damage and loss calculations, we recommend using Pelicun, the SimCenter's open-source simulation engine or SimCenter's PBE and R2D desktop applications that utilize Pelicun in the background. Pelicun is designed to seamlessly use the models from this library as its inputs. This library is bundled with Pelicun, so all models are available automatically after installation.
You can also work directly with the raw data files in this repository. The library is structured in a clear hierarchy of hazard/asset_type/resolution/methodology. Within each methodology, model parameters are stored in standardized CSV files (e.g., for fragility, loss, or consequences) and metadata in corresponding JSON files.
To get a local copy, clone the repository:
git clone [https://github.com/NHERI-SimCenter/DamageAndLossModelLibrary.git](https://github.com/NHERI-SimCenter/DamageAndLossModelLibrary.git)We welcome contributions of new and improved models from the researchers and practitioners. While we are in the process of creating a formal contributor's guide, the best way to start is by opening a GitHub Issue to discuss the model data you would like to add.
Our vision is to enable a simple workflow where contributors can submit pull requests with data that conforms to our schema. We appreciate your patience and collaboration as we work towards this goal.
This library is distributed under the BSD 3-Clause license. See LICENSE for more information.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. 1612843 2131111. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
For questions or support, please open an issue on the GitHub repository.
Adam Zsarnóczay, NHERI SimCenter, Stanford University, adamzs@stanford.edu