The Built Environment Data platform for experimental test data in earthquake engineering

Abstract

Experimental testing of full structural systems and their components is crucial for understanding their response to earthquakes. Since the 1960s, global interest in such testing has grown, supported by numerous national and international funding initiatives. This has resulted in valuable data that has improved understanding of structural behaviour, spurred the development of new mitigation solutions and helped validate numerical models critical for simulation studies. These advancements have enabled engineers to improve building codes and guidelines, and have allowed risk modellers to more accurately assess risk. With advanced computational resources, integrating experimental findings into broader initiatives becomes crucial. This article discusses a recent European initiative, Built Environment Data (BED) (https://builtenvdata.eu/), which currently offers a platform to store and manage data from experimental research, embodied carbon and simulated design services. BED aims to serve the European Plate Observing System (EPOS) distributed research infrastructure as one of its Thematic Core Services (TCSs). This paper focuses on the Experiments service for managing experimental data, compares it to similar global efforts and outlines the specific requirements and system architecture, including the web services and datasets currently offered. The Experiments service is expected to significantly support engineers worldwide by making experimental research and data more findable, accessible, inter-operable and re-usable.