I have been managing databases for a while now, and I can never emphasize enough how important it is to design your database with an open mind. Don't make assumptions on your users, and don't be a lazy developer. So I put together some key points that I want you to think about as you are just getting started. Oh, yah, also please get to know your data. Let start with the basics: a relational database is a dataset of tables that are interconnected by common keys (column values). And these...

When is a site-specific PSHA worth the effort? The answer has less to do with project type and more to do with uncertainty. A site-specific hazard study is not simply a way to obtain a different spectrum—it is a way to better understand the assumptions, sources, site conditions, and uncertainties that control the seismic hazard. This article explores when that additional understanding can meaningfully influence engineering decisions.

If the USGS Multi-Period Response Spectrum (MPRS) has become so sophisticated, what does a site-specific PSHA actually do differently? This article explores the key ingredients of seismic hazard analysis, including source characterization, recurrence relationships, ground-motion models, logic trees, site conditions, and basin effects, and explains how site-specific studies differ from the national hazard model.