Abstract

This article presents an overview of the different processes of data recollection and the analysis done by different stakeholders during and after the emergency caused by the 2010 Maule earthquake in central-south Chile. The article is not an exhaustive recollection of all of the processes and methodologies used; it rather points out some of the critical processes that took place with special emphasis in the earthquake characterization and building data. Although there is strong similarities in all of the different processes for collecting data after the earthquake, the evidence shows that a rather disaggregate or atomized approach was used by the different stakeholders. Moreover, no common standards were implemented or used, and the resulting granularity and accuracy of the data was not comparable even for similar cases, which sometimes led to inadequate decisions. More centralized efforts were observed in resolving the emergency situations and getting the country back to normal in its operation, but the reconstruction process took different independent routes depending on several external factors and actions of individuals and communities. Several conclusions are presented that are lessons derived from this experience in dealing with a large amount of earthquake data. The most important being the true and immediate necessity of making all critical earthquake information available to anyone who seeks to study such data for a better understanding of the earthquake and its consequences. By looking at the information provided by all these data, we aim to finally improve seismic codes and engineering practice, which are important social goods.