A GIS procedure for fast topographic characterization of seismic recording stations

Morphometric analyses of high resolution digital elevation models (DEM), with the support of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), have been implemented to provide a practical tool for the identification on a large scale of sites where, according to the EC8 prescriptions, a topography amplification is expected. An ad hoc procedure for the hilltop ridge detection was implemented to be used in the morphological characterization, together with the standard GIS sequence of steps. The proposed method allowed the fast classification of more than 800 seismic recording stations located on the Alps and the Apennine, according to the indications of the current European norm and the Italian seismic code. The aim is to improve the characterization of the stations of seismic archives, in the view of a potential crosschecking of observed amplification with the attributed site class category. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.