How to plan for an earthquake event: Essential data collection approaches for underground infrastructure condition assessment

Abstract

Is your organisation ready to cope with underground infrastructure condition assessment data collected after an earthquake? Drawing on lessons from the 2010-2011 Canterbury and 2016 Kaikōura earthquakes, we provide guidance on how to make small differences in how your organisation currently collects and stores the necessary condition data to prepare for emergencies, especially for small- and medium-size councils without sophisticated asset management systems. Key questions to address include: Are you receiving condition assessment data in electronic format? Are your contractors providing XY coordinates when repairs are undertaken, or when providing photographs as part of visual assessment? Do you have an asset management system able to prioritise critically damaged underground infrastructure? Do you have easy access to your current network condition for insurance purposes? Simple business-as-usual improvements will provide enhanced preparedness and resilience capability in the event of an earthquake. In addition, we provide a framework for future data collection processes.