The Earthquake Risk Model of Switzerland, ERM-CH23

Understanding seismic risk at both the national and sub-national level is essential for devising effective strategies and interventions aimed at its mitigation. The Earthquake Risk Model of Switzerland (ERM-CH23), released in early 2023, is the culmination of a multidisciplinary effort aiming to achieve for the first time a comprehensive assessment of the potential consequences of earthquakes on the Swiss building stock and population. Having been developed as a national model, ERM-CH23 relies on very high-resolution site-amplification and building exposure datasets, which distinguishes it from most regional models to date. Several loss types are evaluated, ranging from structural-nonstructural and content economic losses to human losses, such as deaths, injuries, and displaced population. In this paper, we offer a snapshot of ERM-CH23, summarize key details on the development of its components, highlight important results, and provide comparisons with other models.